31

Right, another movie from Rob Zombie. And after the last disastrous "Lords of Salem" movie, then I had very little expectations to "31". I did read the synopsis of the movie, and it did seem like it could have potential to be something violent and gruesome, but then again it also could totally flop and just become a parody on itself.

And now having seen "31", then I will say that while it certainly was better than "Lords of Salem", then it is by no means an outstanding movie nor a particularly entertaining movie.

The story in all its simplicity is about a group of people getting trapped in a maniacal game of survival on Hallows Eve.

Yep, the movie is that simple. The storyline is very simple and offers nothing, absolutely nothing, in terms of challenging the intellect of the audience. This is solely a movie about showing off violence, bizarre characters and Rob's obsession with clowns.

Sure, I did enjoy the graphic violence in the movie, and some of the means of maiming, torturing and killing people was interesting. And the characters in the movie were interesting and colorful, both the protagonists and the killer clowns. But the storyline was so shallow and predictable that it served as an anchor around the movie, dragging it down.

As for the cast in "31", well I can't really claim to be a particular fan of Sheri Moon Zombie, so she doesn't really appeal much to me in terms of having lead roles. However, I will say that, in my opinion, it was Jeff Daniel Phillips, Pancho Moler and Richard Brake whom were lifting up the movie with their performances and portrayal of their respective characters.

The effects and make-up in the movie was quite good, and having that advantage in the visual department surely did work in favor of the movie.

"31" is hardly going to be classics like "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects", but it is worth a single viewing if you enjoy the weird results of Rob Zombie's imaginary thinking.

To me, "31" was a very mediocre movie, especially since the killing and mayhem could only do so little to try to make up for a proper storyline.

I dig Rob Zombie films. Devils Rejects, the Halloween reboots, Lords of Salem…all personal favorites. So much so that I contributed $150 to the crowd funding of 31. It was promised to be the movie RZ wanted to make as well as the movie he thought his fans wanted to see - an unapologetic and uncompromising slaughter-fest. Well, I finally watched 31 last night and unfortunately it does compromise and it isn't even much of a slaughter-fest. It's simply another "we-kidnapped-some-innocent-people-for-the-purpose-of-torturing-them" retread. And not a very good one at that. I'm bummed.

There are certainly moments that make 31 worth watching. But those moments just aren't enough to make it a good movie. Much of the criticism of 31 has been directed at the lack of character development. My comment to that is "who cares?". This is a movie where I wanted to sink into my seat and cover my eyes due to the extreme and unrelenting gore. I wanted to feel like I did when I first saw Dawn of The Dead in theaters in 1980 - unable to look, but unable to look away…utterly horrified by images I'd never seen before…walking out exhilarated, out of breath, and laughing at myself for being so freaked out by a movie. If anyone could do it, Rob could.

Alas, most of 31 is just another quick-cut, shaky-cam exercise that does manage to force the viewer to look away - just not out of disgust, but to keep from getting a headache from the excessively annoying hand-held shots and machine-gun editing. More often than not, you can't even tell what's going on in the action scenes. There are lots of half second images of blood- soaked faces, and blood-soaked clothing, and blood-soaked weapons…but we can't tell who's getting chopped up and who's doing the chopping.

31 opens with a monologue from villainous clown Doom Head. It's a great scene that draws you in. The idea that he was, of course, going to show up again by the end of the film was the only thing that kept me from walking out. He does show up in the final 15 minutes, but it's too little, too late. It was already to the point where I couldn't care less what happened to these people and I knew however the inevitable deaths were played out wasn't going to be anything interesting or inventive. I was right. In between the opening and closing Doom Head bookends there is absolutely nothing of interest. A little unsuccessful character development…silly villains that are far too easy for our heroes to kill…pompous ringmasters that add nothing and could have been cut out completely…it all made me want my $150 back.

I assume there will be an unrated version somewhere down the line that I'll watch and re- evaluate, but I can't imagine it saving this waste of fake blood and Malcolm McDowells talent. If you want to see an interesting, scary clown movie try 2014's Clown (he eats children!) …if you want gut-wrenching gore watch the Evil Dead remake again. The only reason to see 31 is it's an RZ flick and to be properly schooled in modern horror you need to see all RZ offerings - at least for now. A few more throwaways like this and Rob will just be another straight to Netflix hack director.

I'm a zombie fan. I held off on 31 from the reviews. I saw 3 from hell and wanted to convince myself the Rob Zombie I know and love still had it in him. This wasn't about character work or plot, this was about giving fans the brutal zombie film they wanted him to make. And it worked. Is it perfect? No. It isnt meant to be. This is a love letter to the fans. The only reason I have it a 7 is because the R version very clearly holds back, and I blame the MPAA for not having the guts to let the masses choose for themselves what they want to see. Hopefully the unrated version surfaces for us fans that just wanted to let go, let our brains turn to mush, and enjoy the mindless imagery and sheer violence on screen. I'm glad I finally saw 31, as it washed the awful taste of 3 from hell out of my mouth. I'm still with you Rob, keep em coming. And if you ever read this? Forget the fireflies now, give us more Doom Head.

I'll start by saying this, I know there are some that will claim "He wasn't going for a traditional scary movie. People that don't like it just don't understand his perspective." I'm sure that in all of the conversations they had with Mr. Zombie these points were covered and clearly they have a much better understanding than anyone else. This review is for those that have been excited about seeing this because Rob Zombie's pieces in the past have had that intense shock factor and were delivered very well. Unfortunately, this one does not. It is kind of sadistic and if you put yourself in the position of one of these actors you can imagine it would probably be terrifying. Then again, you wouldn't use poorly scripted cheesy lines and engage in badly choreographed fights. Personally, I have been looking forward to this film since I first heard about it last year and have kept myself up on the release date so as soon as it was available I could treat myself to it. I couldn't have been more disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed his other films and would watch another if he made it. I realize fanatic Zombie lovers will disagree with me when I say this but for every one that like it there will be several that don't. I can't decide which was worse: the ending or the overall acting. I must give credit where credit is due, the intro is entertaining and you will probably enjoy Doom Head (the guy in the opening scene). Again unfortunately, he is in the movie all of about 10 minutes non-consecutively. Had the movie centered around him and a twisted hunting obsession perhaps I would be writing a very different review. The acting is over-the-top and awful. Not in the same way that some movies are so bad they're good (like Zombeavers or Axe Giant) but more like super low budget projects filmed on an iPhone. For a movie that has reasonably good quality in most scenes I was so let down to see the acting was so unrefined. It probably could have been worse, I'm just not sure how.

I always liked Rob Zombie and i think he has good ideas in horror movies, but this time no.. the atmosphere is pure Rob Zombie, a lot of excess, drugs, sex but at the end or was not scary at all.. Just a bunch of rich people (without any kind of real explanation) that pay killer to kill other people in many ways.. there was no suspence nor good acting, except for the main villain. Everything in here has already been seen and already done better in other movies. This could be very fun and full of surprises but at the end it was Just the same thing over and over and over again. Unfortunately, this time is a no for me.