796 commentaires
The Devil's Rejects is not always an easy film to watch. It has a genuine savagery that makes recent films such as Hostel or Saw II, non spectacular though they were, appear rather tame.
I think part of the reason the film is such uncomfortable viewing is through Rob Zombie's creation of a strong sense of ambiguity as to who we are supposed to sympathise with- who are the antagonists and the protagonists? Initially things seem quite clean cut- psychopathic killers= evil, Sheriff on a vigilante mission = good, but then the lines blur. The Sheriff turns nasty, yet we the audience take joy in his sadism- are we as bad as these killers? And at the same time we the audience feel flashes of sympathy for the killers too- through glimpses of their own, warped domestic bliss. This is interesting and
one that gets under your skin and disturbs.
I have to mention the humour also- which is also a nice contrast to darkness, though some of the humour is very close to the edge- you DO need those moments of light relief, to prevent the proceedings becoming completely grimy and depressing.
The only main downside of this film is it does at times feel overly long, almost deliberately drawn out,and that can distract from the intensity of things.
Personally this film marks a huge improvement for Rob Zombie after the debacle that was House Of 1000 Corpses, a masturbatory fan boy effort which had an okay build up but quickly descended into cartoony drivel. With The Devil's Rejects Rob Zombie seems to have shifted focus from being a kid with a film camera and a budget, and shifted focus on telling a story, and making the audience FEEL something, and he actually does a pretty good job of it too.
Special mention has to go to Sheri Moon. A real delight to watch. I can't help but smile when I see her on screen- I wouldn't be at all surprised if she finds herself with a huge gay following. A lovely mixture of sassiness, innocence and an edge of something slightly darker. I like her a lot- well at least when she's not making racist playground chants fashionable again.
I'm actually excited now about Zombie's remake/ reinvention/ prequel of Halloween. Okay so the term "remake/ reinvention/ prequel" fills me with an underlying sense of dread, but I'm going to breathe out and try trust Rob Zombie on this one. If nothing else, I know it'll be anything but bland.
I think part of the reason the film is such uncomfortable viewing is through Rob Zombie's creation of a strong sense of ambiguity as to who we are supposed to sympathise with- who are the antagonists and the protagonists? Initially things seem quite clean cut- psychopathic killers= evil, Sheriff on a vigilante mission = good, but then the lines blur. The Sheriff turns nasty, yet we the audience take joy in his sadism- are we as bad as these killers? And at the same time we the audience feel flashes of sympathy for the killers too- through glimpses of their own, warped domestic bliss. This is interesting and
one that gets under your skin and disturbs.
I have to mention the humour also- which is also a nice contrast to darkness, though some of the humour is very close to the edge- you DO need those moments of light relief, to prevent the proceedings becoming completely grimy and depressing.
The only main downside of this film is it does at times feel overly long, almost deliberately drawn out,and that can distract from the intensity of things.
Personally this film marks a huge improvement for Rob Zombie after the debacle that was House Of 1000 Corpses, a masturbatory fan boy effort which had an okay build up but quickly descended into cartoony drivel. With The Devil's Rejects Rob Zombie seems to have shifted focus from being a kid with a film camera and a budget, and shifted focus on telling a story, and making the audience FEEL something, and he actually does a pretty good job of it too.
Special mention has to go to Sheri Moon. A real delight to watch. I can't help but smile when I see her on screen- I wouldn't be at all surprised if she finds herself with a huge gay following. A lovely mixture of sassiness, innocence and an edge of something slightly darker. I like her a lot- well at least when she's not making racist playground chants fashionable again.
I'm actually excited now about Zombie's remake/ reinvention/ prequel of Halloween. Okay so the term "remake/ reinvention/ prequel" fills me with an underlying sense of dread, but I'm going to breathe out and try trust Rob Zombie on this one. If nothing else, I know it'll be anything but bland.
- boy_in_red
- 1 sept. 2006
- Permalien
This movie has some classic ingredients for a great horror movie. Interesting characters, some really vile gore scenes, bad language, unnecessary nudity, and some familiar faces; Leslie Easterbrook (from the Police Academy movies), Ken Foree (the original Dawn Of The Dead), 80's pop singer/actress E.G. Daily and Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) provide more than enough nostalgia for retro junkies, like myself.
The story isn't overly fast paced but the gore can be thick and pretty relentless and is at times implied rather than shown which I think adds to the experience. I really enjoyed Leslie Easterbrook as Mother Firefly (replacing Karen Black who was in the first movie, House Of 1000 Corpses). She does some wonderful overacting in her scenes, it's a shame she wasn't in it more, same goes for E.G. Daily who plays a sassy hooker. In fact everyone was great in their parts, let's face it this is not Shakespeare - this is a horror movie, I for one demand hammy over the top performances and a bit of camp! I don't want to give anything away but I will say my favourite scenes involved Mother Firefly and the sheriff, and Captain Spaulding and a mother and child. If you enjoyed House Of 1000 Corpses, this is a superior sequel in my mind and you wont be disappointed. If your idea of horror is a glossy PG-13 rated remake you might want to try weaning yourself onto this kind of movie with something a little less extreme.
The story isn't overly fast paced but the gore can be thick and pretty relentless and is at times implied rather than shown which I think adds to the experience. I really enjoyed Leslie Easterbrook as Mother Firefly (replacing Karen Black who was in the first movie, House Of 1000 Corpses). She does some wonderful overacting in her scenes, it's a shame she wasn't in it more, same goes for E.G. Daily who plays a sassy hooker. In fact everyone was great in their parts, let's face it this is not Shakespeare - this is a horror movie, I for one demand hammy over the top performances and a bit of camp! I don't want to give anything away but I will say my favourite scenes involved Mother Firefly and the sheriff, and Captain Spaulding and a mother and child. If you enjoyed House Of 1000 Corpses, this is a superior sequel in my mind and you wont be disappointed. If your idea of horror is a glossy PG-13 rated remake you might want to try weaning yourself onto this kind of movie with something a little less extreme.
- jamie_likeskylie
- 21 juil. 2005
- Permalien
OK, I loved "House of 1000 Corpses". I loved it for completely different reasons than I loved "The Devils Rejects". The mood in the first one is far more campy, almost cartoonish. The actual fear and horror mixed with that weird wink is perfect. "The Devils Rejects" on the other hand seems almost real. These people are out there...these people do not care about you or your children. Hell, they don't even care about your dog or furniture. The music, the angles, the complete disregard for the feelings of others. Blantant hedonism at it's best. Some folks walked out...I sat singing "Free Bird" till the screen went black. If it's for you, don't miss it. If you believe you are the least bit squeamish...go get that new direct to DVD Stitch movie!
- trailermonkeys
- 13 sept. 2005
- Permalien
by Dane Youssef
Rob Zombie is without a doubt one of the most versatile and true-to-his-genre artists out there. "The Devil's Rejects" is the kind of movie uptight censors and worried parents always warned you was gonna get made some day.
A movie where the leads are psychopathic murderers, the violence is excess and the gore is so voluminous, that you have to ask: "Does this movie satirize this kind of sadism... or celebrate it? Is it a fun campy parody... or a sign that we may have gone too far with our ultra-violent-based entertainment?" This movie actually defines the term "overkill." Three of the more interesting deranged killers from "House Of 1000 Corpses" get their own spin-off in the "Frasier" or "Jeffersons" tradition. The three, who are a family, actually (a father and his son and daughter) go on a mass killing spree and are racing out of the country to legal freedom on the other side of the border. They seem to echo the Manson Family.
Their sense of humor is the kind of acquired taste like the movie itself has. It stems from the experience you'd get from... watching slasher movies throughout a lot of your life. Like lime green Jell-O, anchovies, fish eggs and black licorice, this is not for all tastes.
The movie is actually a lot smarter and more complex than you might imagine, if you're unfamiliar with what Zombie's movies are about. It's akin to films like "From Dusk 'Til Dawn," "Vulgar," "Desperado" and "Freaked." If you like these types of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Friday the 13th" re-vamping in the video-geek traditions, here is a movie you may hold up as one for the history books. The dialogue is written a twisted brilliant way and the direction has a real retro-'70's homey-quality to it. In a way that doesn't feel contrived.
Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon are all so perfectly demented in their roles, you have to wonder what they're like in real life. You pray they're nothing like they are here... and hope you never come across anyone remotely like this either.
Sheri Moon, wife of director Zombie, looks more like a typical American model-actress than the degenerate rank-skank she plays here. Moseley is real-life, was actually a columnist and Heig often played scuzzy thugs, but played the judge in Tarantino's "Jackie Brown."
I find it incredibly strange that some people seem to be COMPLAINING that the pursuing cop character (the sheriff, John Quincy Wydell) is as sadistic and mentally unbalanced as the family killers themselves. Why?
Yes, he is. But... why?
Why is that a bad thing? In any way at all?
Look, if there's anything history and government have taught us, it's that it takes one to catch one. Not just in the movies, but in life. And not just in real life, but in movies as well. You see, it's not just an opinion. It's a fact. It's the way of the world.
People... do we all not remember Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive"? His I-Will-Catch-him-By-Any-Means-Nessicary-Law Enforcer way was one of the true milestones in the movie, and it got him an Oscar. Would we want any of the other major characters to be far less interesting than the leads?
When you eat a meal of any kind, you don't just want a rich main course and the side dishes to be as tasteless as styraphone. You want a whole meal you can taste.
And the stuff with the sheriff and the rest of the cops IS something to see. Why? Because he isn't any kind of undeveloped character. Zombie made him (and everything else) just as big, broad, colorful and energetic as the '70's genre that this one stems from.
There's some humor with the Kentucky-Fried Sheriff and the rest of his "Good Ol' Boys" in Blue. It goes without saying that in a small town, the cops are all red-necked. The way the stereotype of the small-town cop in a campy-slasher pic is handled with more laughs than usual. And there's a great moment where they call in a specialist, a film historian (see: uber film geek) to help them with the investigation and this film critic.... well, suffice to say, he insults the name of God in the house of the Lord and that's all I'm gonna say.
We all know Zombie is a neo-talent outside of the music biz. He did the LSD effect in "Beavis & Butthead Do America."
The end may justify the means, in this case. The hick cops and the colorful killers... in the end, it's an ending we all knew we deserved.
Speaking of Zombie, his film debut "House of 1000 Corpses," was a film I found to be embarrassingly bad. I'm a fan of those types of rock-horror camp movies in the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "House Of Wax" vein. SEVERED vein, in this case. But everything was played out so campy, so cheaply, so maudlin, so without suspense... that Zombie, I felt, made a movie that seems to be an insult, rather than a tribute to those horror-show camp classics.
But he's redeemed himself with this one. He's working without a net and it all could have gone horribly, pathetically wrong. So I give him props. BIG, BIG PROPS.
As I'm writing this now, he's currently re-making "Halloween." Though I wish he wouldn't, really. Why re-paint the Mona Lisa? Give it eyebrows, what? Will that REALLY be an improvement?
Brace yourself. Not for all tastes. Procceed with caution. Use extreme care.
NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED, SQUEAMISH, PRUDISH... OR TOO MORAL.
by Dane Youssef
Rob Zombie is without a doubt one of the most versatile and true-to-his-genre artists out there. "The Devil's Rejects" is the kind of movie uptight censors and worried parents always warned you was gonna get made some day.
A movie where the leads are psychopathic murderers, the violence is excess and the gore is so voluminous, that you have to ask: "Does this movie satirize this kind of sadism... or celebrate it? Is it a fun campy parody... or a sign that we may have gone too far with our ultra-violent-based entertainment?" This movie actually defines the term "overkill." Three of the more interesting deranged killers from "House Of 1000 Corpses" get their own spin-off in the "Frasier" or "Jeffersons" tradition. The three, who are a family, actually (a father and his son and daughter) go on a mass killing spree and are racing out of the country to legal freedom on the other side of the border. They seem to echo the Manson Family.
Their sense of humor is the kind of acquired taste like the movie itself has. It stems from the experience you'd get from... watching slasher movies throughout a lot of your life. Like lime green Jell-O, anchovies, fish eggs and black licorice, this is not for all tastes.
The movie is actually a lot smarter and more complex than you might imagine, if you're unfamiliar with what Zombie's movies are about. It's akin to films like "From Dusk 'Til Dawn," "Vulgar," "Desperado" and "Freaked." If you like these types of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Friday the 13th" re-vamping in the video-geek traditions, here is a movie you may hold up as one for the history books. The dialogue is written a twisted brilliant way and the direction has a real retro-'70's homey-quality to it. In a way that doesn't feel contrived.
Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon are all so perfectly demented in their roles, you have to wonder what they're like in real life. You pray they're nothing like they are here... and hope you never come across anyone remotely like this either.
Sheri Moon, wife of director Zombie, looks more like a typical American model-actress than the degenerate rank-skank she plays here. Moseley is real-life, was actually a columnist and Heig often played scuzzy thugs, but played the judge in Tarantino's "Jackie Brown."
I find it incredibly strange that some people seem to be COMPLAINING that the pursuing cop character (the sheriff, John Quincy Wydell) is as sadistic and mentally unbalanced as the family killers themselves. Why?
Yes, he is. But... why?
Why is that a bad thing? In any way at all?
Look, if there's anything history and government have taught us, it's that it takes one to catch one. Not just in the movies, but in life. And not just in real life, but in movies as well. You see, it's not just an opinion. It's a fact. It's the way of the world.
People... do we all not remember Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive"? His I-Will-Catch-him-By-Any-Means-Nessicary-Law Enforcer way was one of the true milestones in the movie, and it got him an Oscar. Would we want any of the other major characters to be far less interesting than the leads?
When you eat a meal of any kind, you don't just want a rich main course and the side dishes to be as tasteless as styraphone. You want a whole meal you can taste.
And the stuff with the sheriff and the rest of the cops IS something to see. Why? Because he isn't any kind of undeveloped character. Zombie made him (and everything else) just as big, broad, colorful and energetic as the '70's genre that this one stems from.
There's some humor with the Kentucky-Fried Sheriff and the rest of his "Good Ol' Boys" in Blue. It goes without saying that in a small town, the cops are all red-necked. The way the stereotype of the small-town cop in a campy-slasher pic is handled with more laughs than usual. And there's a great moment where they call in a specialist, a film historian (see: uber film geek) to help them with the investigation and this film critic.... well, suffice to say, he insults the name of God in the house of the Lord and that's all I'm gonna say.
We all know Zombie is a neo-talent outside of the music biz. He did the LSD effect in "Beavis & Butthead Do America."
The end may justify the means, in this case. The hick cops and the colorful killers... in the end, it's an ending we all knew we deserved.
Speaking of Zombie, his film debut "House of 1000 Corpses," was a film I found to be embarrassingly bad. I'm a fan of those types of rock-horror camp movies in the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "House Of Wax" vein. SEVERED vein, in this case. But everything was played out so campy, so cheaply, so maudlin, so without suspense... that Zombie, I felt, made a movie that seems to be an insult, rather than a tribute to those horror-show camp classics.
But he's redeemed himself with this one. He's working without a net and it all could have gone horribly, pathetically wrong. So I give him props. BIG, BIG PROPS.
As I'm writing this now, he's currently re-making "Halloween." Though I wish he wouldn't, really. Why re-paint the Mona Lisa? Give it eyebrows, what? Will that REALLY be an improvement?
Brace yourself. Not for all tastes. Procceed with caution. Use extreme care.
NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED, SQUEAMISH, PRUDISH... OR TOO MORAL.
by Dane Youssef
Rob Zombie took the same characters he created for House of a Thousand Corpses and gave us a higher-budget, flashier, and more commercialized murder-shocker - The Devil's Rejects. This is certainly a prettier and more polished film, with better production values, occasionally brilliant camera-work, and better acting (despite having the same principal cast). The same elements of the original are mostly intact - a psychotic serial killing family, vaguely satanic sadism, comedy, torture and a lot of blood. What's missing are the ambiguities, the darkness and the outright psychosis which appear in "House". And to compensate the audience for the loss of some of the elements which made "House" a good film, Zombie throws in sex - the most over-used plot device in cinematic history. Of course, its not just sex, but sexual violence mixed with torture, blood and nightmares.
In other words, where 'house' was a dark, campy, creepy murder flick, "Rejects" is a light-drenched, raw, fairly (but not entirely) serious murder flick. No problems with the script, the acting, the concept, or even the plot - but, some definite problems with the entertainment value of the film. This just isn't terribly original and drops the idiosyncrasy of "House" for a typical Hollywood approach.
Rejects starts out with a police raid on the house of a thousand corpses. Most of the family escape through a tunnel in their basement (why the police were unable to find this tunnel is a mystery). The police nab the mother, who plays up the satanic expectations of the police interrogating her and infuriates the sheriff (well played by William Forsythe) into an obsessive, vengeful state (his brother had been murdered by the family years ago). The Fireflies leave a trail of terror and murder in their wake and Forsythe follows it, until he is able to set his trap. I won't go any further with the plot outline because I do not want to write a spoiler, but I do want to elaborate on Forsythe's intense performance. His rage and self-righteous wrath blur the boundaries between cops and criminals quite effectively as the story progresses. If you want to know what I mean, you'll have to see the film.
The Firefly family, through most of the film, consist of Otis a lank tall man with long stringy gray hair, Captain Spaulding, an intimidating evil and merciless clown and Baby, Spaulding's daughter, a cute blond particularly fond of torturing her male victims. The characters are more or less consistent with their portrayals in "House", but I have to admit, I think Shari Moon Zombie's Baby was very inconsistent from film to film. In "House" she is completely and utterly insane and fearless - using her shrill psychotic laughter especially well. In 'Rejects', she screams a lot, does a lot of running-away, and is actually fairly rational compared with her sadistic, torture-loving murderous kin.
Finally, I don't think you can really 'get' this film if you haven't seen 'House'. So if you have any reason to want to see it, see "House" first. Some of the behavior of the characters will make little sense to you without their back-story.
Bottom line: Weakly recommended for horror fans.
In other words, where 'house' was a dark, campy, creepy murder flick, "Rejects" is a light-drenched, raw, fairly (but not entirely) serious murder flick. No problems with the script, the acting, the concept, or even the plot - but, some definite problems with the entertainment value of the film. This just isn't terribly original and drops the idiosyncrasy of "House" for a typical Hollywood approach.
Rejects starts out with a police raid on the house of a thousand corpses. Most of the family escape through a tunnel in their basement (why the police were unable to find this tunnel is a mystery). The police nab the mother, who plays up the satanic expectations of the police interrogating her and infuriates the sheriff (well played by William Forsythe) into an obsessive, vengeful state (his brother had been murdered by the family years ago). The Fireflies leave a trail of terror and murder in their wake and Forsythe follows it, until he is able to set his trap. I won't go any further with the plot outline because I do not want to write a spoiler, but I do want to elaborate on Forsythe's intense performance. His rage and self-righteous wrath blur the boundaries between cops and criminals quite effectively as the story progresses. If you want to know what I mean, you'll have to see the film.
The Firefly family, through most of the film, consist of Otis a lank tall man with long stringy gray hair, Captain Spaulding, an intimidating evil and merciless clown and Baby, Spaulding's daughter, a cute blond particularly fond of torturing her male victims. The characters are more or less consistent with their portrayals in "House", but I have to admit, I think Shari Moon Zombie's Baby was very inconsistent from film to film. In "House" she is completely and utterly insane and fearless - using her shrill psychotic laughter especially well. In 'Rejects', she screams a lot, does a lot of running-away, and is actually fairly rational compared with her sadistic, torture-loving murderous kin.
Finally, I don't think you can really 'get' this film if you haven't seen 'House'. So if you have any reason to want to see it, see "House" first. Some of the behavior of the characters will make little sense to you without their back-story.
Bottom line: Weakly recommended for horror fans.
I went to this movie having seen 1000 Corpses which I thought was a great retro B style horror in the Texas Chainsaw massacre genre.
This movie FAR exceeded any expectation I had. Zombie NAILED it in this one. Classic Freeze frames, awesome soundtrack(used with purpose)-Just enough gore with out going over the top.. the essential random nudity shots that we B fans have come to expect. Suspenseful through-out.
I realize that what makes all of these components work:
A- This movie (Unlike 99% of all B Horros) is not predictable. You do not know what is going to happen next.
B- Zombie builds characters. You learn history and connections, and see things from their view.
C- Slight comedic aspect added.
Summary: MUST SEE, MUST OWN
in the words of my horror loving awe-struck friend "This is hands down the best B horror I have ever seen!"
This movie FAR exceeded any expectation I had. Zombie NAILED it in this one. Classic Freeze frames, awesome soundtrack(used with purpose)-Just enough gore with out going over the top.. the essential random nudity shots that we B fans have come to expect. Suspenseful through-out.
I realize that what makes all of these components work:
A- This movie (Unlike 99% of all B Horros) is not predictable. You do not know what is going to happen next.
B- Zombie builds characters. You learn history and connections, and see things from their view.
C- Slight comedic aspect added.
Summary: MUST SEE, MUST OWN
in the words of my horror loving awe-struck friend "This is hands down the best B horror I have ever seen!"
What makes this film rob's best is for one his formula works. The trashy redneck nature & modern western approach is welcomed with characters that feel like individuals with personalities instead of cartoon characters like in 1000 corpses. The dialogue while still vulgar feels more authentic. Everyone stands out in this movie, especially William Forsythe as the sheriff. The other best thing about this movie is how it toys with your emotions. These are horrible vile characters you just wanna see get what they deserve, but than theres scenes like them getting ice cream where you kinda hate yourself for laughing along them. Also gotta compliment the soundtrack. Southern rock Classics with the best use of free bird in a movie I've ever seen.
This isnt a masterpiece tho. Its still a pretty vulgar, shock value, cheesy fueled movie. Also i know rob based the characters names off Groucho Marx movie characters but why reference that in the movie if it doesn't lead to any kind of answer? Pretty unneeded scene.
No doubt rob zombie improved as a director after 1000 corpses. I don't think it's one of the greatest horror movies ever made but definitely one of the standouts of the 2000s.
This isnt a masterpiece tho. Its still a pretty vulgar, shock value, cheesy fueled movie. Also i know rob based the characters names off Groucho Marx movie characters but why reference that in the movie if it doesn't lead to any kind of answer? Pretty unneeded scene.
No doubt rob zombie improved as a director after 1000 corpses. I don't think it's one of the greatest horror movies ever made but definitely one of the standouts of the 2000s.
- pughspencer
- 4 sept. 2022
- Permalien
Alright, I never bothered with "House of 1,000 Corpses." Mainly due to the poor reviews and the fact it looked like a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" rip off. As a matter of fact I wasn't that interested in this movie at first. But the early buzz raised my interest and I went out and saw it.
"The Devil's Rejects" is a sick, ruthless, grab you by the throat and don't let go horror movie. Which is exactly what it sets out to do and it succeeds brilliantly. While the movie is sadistic and violent, the characters are extremely well developed and the movie is extremely well written. I've always felt that Rob Zombie would make a good horror director and while "Corpses" wasn't so well received it was only his first film. This is something else altogether.
A genre masterpiece and the best movie I've seen all year. If Zombie keeps this up he will become a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre
"The Devil's Rejects" is a sick, ruthless, grab you by the throat and don't let go horror movie. Which is exactly what it sets out to do and it succeeds brilliantly. While the movie is sadistic and violent, the characters are extremely well developed and the movie is extremely well written. I've always felt that Rob Zombie would make a good horror director and while "Corpses" wasn't so well received it was only his first film. This is something else altogether.
A genre masterpiece and the best movie I've seen all year. If Zombie keeps this up he will become a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre
- sidewinder572
- 21 juil. 2005
- Permalien
THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (2005) **1/2 Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, William Forsythe, Ken Foree, Matthew McGrory, Leslie Easterbrook, Geoffrey Lewis, Priscilla Barnes, Kate Norby, Lew Temple, Danny Trejo, Diamond Dallas Page, Elizabeth Daily, Tom Towles, Michael Berryman, P.J. Soles, Ginger Lynn Allen, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Mary Woronov, Daniel Roebuck, Robert Trebor. Madman Rob Zombie's sordid sequel-of-sorts to his drive-in horror fest valentine to the '70s slasher flicks "House of 1,000 Corpses" showcases the definitely demented homicidal "Firefly" family (all the characters are inexplicably well except for one attempted sequence anyway named after Groucho Marx cinematic aliases) ensuing a trail of dead bodies, carnage and a nightmarish hellzapoppin existence while vengeance seeking sheriff Forsythe (in full gritty resolve) is out to settle a personal score for his slain sibling Towles. Giddy pleasure in playing name that iconic '70s guest star (Hey isn't that the chick from "Too Close For Comfort"?! and "Hey, check it out , it's the ghoul from "The Hills Have Eyes" !) Grotesque and ugly (in every sense of the words) with some truly unsettling sequences that get under the skin scores some genuine ick quotient squirrelly behavior and gut-wrenching violence yet the in cohesive plotting (I know, why nitpick a grindhouse fright fest right?!) and grandiose ending with "Freebird" scored by Sam Peckinpah gives one to wonder what Senor Zombie would truly do if he had a real screenplay than the one he summoned from this dark soul?
- george.schmidt
- 24 juil. 2005
- Permalien
I had the pleasure of previewing this movie a few days before its official release. While I enjoyed "House of 1,000 Corpses" I think this follow-up sequel was far better. "House of 1,000 Corpses" was more like a carnival freak show with supernatural and unbelievable scenarios, whereas "The Devil's Rejects" was quite realistic and very brutal.
This film is in the vein of "Helter Skelter", and 'Otis' pays homage to Charles Manson, even hauntingly resembling him. "The Devil's Rejects" is full of bloody carnage, perversion, filthiness, vulgarity, and the characters are sadistic and relentless serial killers. It is not for the feint of heart or the squeamish. There are some clever and quite humorous lines in the movie, along with some very disturbing ones as well. Sherri Moon Zombie gives a stellar performance as 'Baby' that is quite unforgettable. It was great to see P.J. Soles (Halloween) in this film, still looking beautiful as ever. Leslie Easterland, 'Mama Firefly', really gives an excellent performance as the perverted and disgusting mother of the clan. All of the actors did an amazing job in this movie and were very convincing as their characters.
The cinematography of this film was really brilliant, and uses the 'swipe' and 'freeze-frame' methods, sometimes resembling a comic book adventure. The music was classic seventies rock, and fits well with the road trip theme. The gore was spectacular and realistic, and sometimes even disgusted me at times, which is hard to accomplish. I gave this movie a "10 out of 10" because it is full of spectacular, clever, and gruesome horror-movie fun! It contains scenes which seriously make the viewer cringe and feel sympathy for the victims, while hating the serial killers. I've never felt so much hatred and disgust towards the villains as I did during this film, and that goes to show you how convincing this movie really is! If you like Rob Zombie, seventies slashers, and a good horror movie plot, with edge of your seat/nail-biting scenes, then this is the movie for you! Check it out, its jaw-droppingly great!
This film is in the vein of "Helter Skelter", and 'Otis' pays homage to Charles Manson, even hauntingly resembling him. "The Devil's Rejects" is full of bloody carnage, perversion, filthiness, vulgarity, and the characters are sadistic and relentless serial killers. It is not for the feint of heart or the squeamish. There are some clever and quite humorous lines in the movie, along with some very disturbing ones as well. Sherri Moon Zombie gives a stellar performance as 'Baby' that is quite unforgettable. It was great to see P.J. Soles (Halloween) in this film, still looking beautiful as ever. Leslie Easterland, 'Mama Firefly', really gives an excellent performance as the perverted and disgusting mother of the clan. All of the actors did an amazing job in this movie and were very convincing as their characters.
The cinematography of this film was really brilliant, and uses the 'swipe' and 'freeze-frame' methods, sometimes resembling a comic book adventure. The music was classic seventies rock, and fits well with the road trip theme. The gore was spectacular and realistic, and sometimes even disgusted me at times, which is hard to accomplish. I gave this movie a "10 out of 10" because it is full of spectacular, clever, and gruesome horror-movie fun! It contains scenes which seriously make the viewer cringe and feel sympathy for the victims, while hating the serial killers. I've never felt so much hatred and disgust towards the villains as I did during this film, and that goes to show you how convincing this movie really is! If you like Rob Zombie, seventies slashers, and a good horror movie plot, with edge of your seat/nail-biting scenes, then this is the movie for you! Check it out, its jaw-droppingly great!
- fireheart412
- 20 juil. 2005
- Permalien
After reading some user comments and having the misfortune to read through some of the message board for this film, I felt compelled to add my own irrelevant opinion...
This film shouldn't really be viewed as a sequel. Think of "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Devil's Rejects" as one film (a la Kill Bill) and it makes sense. The point to this movie was to provide closure after the events that took place in the first film. That's it! The reason why it had a different style, was because the situation for the main characters changed dramatically and the music and scenery needed to reflect that. (note: Rob Zombie is also becoming a very skilled director, and the film reflects that.) Think of the first movie as "cause" and this film as "effect". And now you understand the point to the film that almost every other comment and posting I read through seemed to miss: Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword.
Not bad overall, and I look forward to his next film.
This film shouldn't really be viewed as a sequel. Think of "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Devil's Rejects" as one film (a la Kill Bill) and it makes sense. The point to this movie was to provide closure after the events that took place in the first film. That's it! The reason why it had a different style, was because the situation for the main characters changed dramatically and the music and scenery needed to reflect that. (note: Rob Zombie is also becoming a very skilled director, and the film reflects that.) Think of the first movie as "cause" and this film as "effect". And now you understand the point to the film that almost every other comment and posting I read through seemed to miss: Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword.
Not bad overall, and I look forward to his next film.
- Zomb-E-Pro
- 25 juil. 2005
- Permalien
Not the kind of movie I would normally even consider, but after recommendations from a couple of people who's opinion I trust, I rented the movie this weekend. Writer/Director Rob Zombie is obviously a great fan of 70s drive-in fare like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hills Have Eyes" and has learned his lessons well. He has a solid directorial style and a great ear for comically profane dialog - the banter in this movie reminds me of "Goodfellas" with maniacal Southern rednecks rather than East Coast Italian mobsters. And with a cast that includes William Forsythe, Sid Haig, Geoffrey Lewis, Ginger Lynn Allen, Priscilla Barnes, Steve Railsback, P.J. Soles, Mary Waronov, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, and Michael Berryman, and a Super 70s Soundtrack featuring The Allman Brothers, The James Gang, David Essex, and Lynyrd Skynyrd among others - you know Zombie has his pop cultural/cult movie references in order. I enjoyed this movie more for the humor than the for the "horror". The characters are all named after various Marx Brothers characters and while the gore is graphic and there are some truly chilling images in the movie, Zombie just misses the "beat" to put some of these sequences over the top, while the acting performances by a couple of the leads - namely Zombie look-alike Bill Mosely and Zombie's utterly babe-o-licious wife Sherri Moon Zombie - are less than stellar (although in Ms. Zombie's case it doesn't really matter - major eye candy!). So, a "qualified" recommendation for those who don't normally go for this kind of movie but who think they might enjoy it based on the description above. I thoroughly enjoyed it myself and think Rob Zombie is a genuinely talented filmmaker who will eventually hit one out of the ballpark if he keeps at it, which I'm sure he will. He comes pretty darned close with "The Devil's Rejects".
I was just getting ready to give this movie a *3* star rating but quickly changed it after continuing to watch to the end!!! I thought the movie was ending once the family was in the car riding down the road, thankfully that wasn't the end!!! I liked the movie but I became angry and annoyed when it looked like the whacky family was going to get away with all of the killing that they had done. I was so excited to see the cop get the dysfunctional family back for all the evil and bad things that they had done to other people. When the tall guy appears out of nowhere, I yelled at the TV because I did not want that family to live at all!!! That goes to show how good the actors were in this movie because I wanted them all dead!!! Lol I've heard of this movie but I never saw it before but I'm glad I took a chance and watch it tonight.
- msvicki1224
- 22 déc. 2022
- Permalien
Reasons to watch this film (one or more may apply):
Reasons NOT to watch this film:
- If you love Rob Zombie's work
- If you have seen House of 1000 Corpses
- If you like, love, or at least can tolerate mindless, brutal, sadistic violence, sometimes in a sexual manner
- You are not judgmental of Rob Zombie's personal character at all
- You are in a morbid mood
- You have yet to see it and feel like you're so desensitized to graphic cinema
- You hate roadies
- You like dark, dark, DARK comedy
- You love the F-word
- You're a fan of the actors
- You're not yet sick of Free Bird
- Sheri Moon Zombie turns you on (just don't tell Rob!)
- The constant depiction of how horrible people can act towards another, with a complete lack of empathy or good will, does not bother you
Reasons NOT to watch this film:
- If graphic violence upsets you
- If you hate clowns on any level
- If you have seen other live-action works by Rob Zombie and absolutely hated it
- If you can't handle (and seriously, no shame if you can't) profanity, anti-religious acts by fictional characters, a cinematic void of anything uplifting and good, and the theme that no one is pure and that all mankind is inherently downright evil.
- If suggested necrophilia is a deal-breaker
- If you cannot understand that the actors, along with Rob Zombie, are actually normal people who are pretty cool to their fans
- If depictions of physical AND mental torture just isn't your thing
- If the slightest bit of violence gives you nightmares (seriously, if you can't handle a character suffering from a paper cut, you haven't a chance to handle this movie)
- Amthermandes
- 3 oct. 2024
- Permalien
A sequel to the 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses, Rob Zombie's 'The Devil's Rejects' is Bad-Ass! A Brutal, Unforgiving, Gruesome Horror Flick that works in most parts.
'The Devil's Rejects' Synopsis: The murderous, backwoods Firefly family takes to the road to escape a vengeful police force which isn't afraid of being as ruthless as their target.
'The Devil's Rejects' is NOT meant for the faint-hearted. Its extremely dark, brutal & gruesome. But for those who enjoy violent films, 'The Devil Rejects' does deliver enough moments to earn itself a viewing. The characters are evil, their journey is unforgiving, but Rob Zombie's execution is well-done & appealing.
Performance-Wise: Sid Haig, Bill Moseley & Sheri Moon Zombie are repulsive, but effective. William Forsythe is superb as the brave sheriff. The Late Matthew McGrory is decent.
On the whole, 'The Devil's Rejects' is sadistic but fun.
'The Devil's Rejects' Synopsis: The murderous, backwoods Firefly family takes to the road to escape a vengeful police force which isn't afraid of being as ruthless as their target.
'The Devil's Rejects' is NOT meant for the faint-hearted. Its extremely dark, brutal & gruesome. But for those who enjoy violent films, 'The Devil Rejects' does deliver enough moments to earn itself a viewing. The characters are evil, their journey is unforgiving, but Rob Zombie's execution is well-done & appealing.
Performance-Wise: Sid Haig, Bill Moseley & Sheri Moon Zombie are repulsive, but effective. William Forsythe is superb as the brave sheriff. The Late Matthew McGrory is decent.
On the whole, 'The Devil's Rejects' is sadistic but fun.
Only certain people can appreciate a movie like this. This was better than Rob's "House of 1000 Corpes". It was sleazy, gruesome, and actually funny at times. Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding really do make this movie. The crazy thing is that I was actually rooting for them in the end. Maybe this is sick but this is how the movie portrayed them. Come on, Baby likes tooty fruity ice cream. You can't help but to root for her. This movie also had the feeling to it that it was filmed in the 70's. It's hard to explain but it had that Texas Chainsaw, Friday the 13th, The Hills Have Eyes feel to it. All around a great flick for the horror fan who can appreciate it.
Not because it's "too scary" to watch alone in the dark, but simply because watching it with a group of friends will definitely enrich the whole twisted experience that is 'The Devil's Rejects', particularly the gruesome unrated version. This is hard-boiled, hard-edged, vile, gritty, gory and graphic gorefest at its finest.
Hype and occasional missteps aside, I think Rob Zombie has created something quite unique and fun in the genre a sort of clear-eyed but grossly over-the-top white-trash tits 'n' torture freak-show of gore, sex and violence en masse. What is most admirable is that Mr. Zombie actually seems to know what he is doing with the content instead of dishing out gore galore to create headlines. The fact is that the narrative, the characters and the no-nonsense approach all function by remaining clear-cut and down-to-earth while the madness of the story exponentially increases.
So what is the story? It is a modern day Bonnie & Clyde in which the fugitive family Firefly indulge in orgies of gore and killing sprees on a road-trip in the South. All the while the Texas State Police contingent headed by Sheriff John Quincy Wydell (a raspy-voiced William Forsythe) slowly close in on the family capture the offenders at any cost, even if that means enlisting gruesome bounty hunters. In this way the police are neither the pro- nor antagonists in the film and Forsythe aptly brings that delicious moral ambiguity to his Sheriff character.
Conversely, the Firefly family certainly offer no moral safeground. They kill like they mean business a sort of sick, seedy and sadistic business, true, but still business and indeed you hold more disgust than sympathy for the quartet even though you are highly absorbed by them. On that note, Sheri Moon delivers the best performance by a playboy model I have ever seen. Danny Trejo also looks right at home in a sleazy thug character that pops up at one point in 'The Devil's Rejects' and the remaining cast look equally comfortable as hard-edged whitetrash.
What undoubtedly contributes to the perpetual sense of immediate danger in the film is the kinetic, dizzying camera-work that Zombie opts for. It can be a cheap-shot to quicken the pace in films (I'm looking at you, Tony Scott) but in 'The Devil's Rejects' is all fits with the violent action style. But the film is not all action and certainly there is an underlying horror vibe that often bubbles up underneath the bottled lid and gives rise to truly frightening scenarios such as Forsythe chasing after someone with an axe. It ticks off some horror clichés during the way but always with humour and rawness as opposed to the unimaginative run-of-the-mill teen horrors that treat the same scenarios as dutiful inclusions.
Ultimately The Devil's Rejects is mostly flashy and fun and would possibly fall apart at closer analysis. But Mr. Analysist himself Roger Ebert gave the film two thumbs up which should serve as a mark of its high entertainment factor. Its cast and content both tread a fine line between straight and camp and tip over into both categories at several points. Finally, the end scene is one of the strongest I have ever seen, no hyperbole, and it elevates Rejects even further above generic gross-out formula.
7 out of 10
Hype and occasional missteps aside, I think Rob Zombie has created something quite unique and fun in the genre a sort of clear-eyed but grossly over-the-top white-trash tits 'n' torture freak-show of gore, sex and violence en masse. What is most admirable is that Mr. Zombie actually seems to know what he is doing with the content instead of dishing out gore galore to create headlines. The fact is that the narrative, the characters and the no-nonsense approach all function by remaining clear-cut and down-to-earth while the madness of the story exponentially increases.
So what is the story? It is a modern day Bonnie & Clyde in which the fugitive family Firefly indulge in orgies of gore and killing sprees on a road-trip in the South. All the while the Texas State Police contingent headed by Sheriff John Quincy Wydell (a raspy-voiced William Forsythe) slowly close in on the family capture the offenders at any cost, even if that means enlisting gruesome bounty hunters. In this way the police are neither the pro- nor antagonists in the film and Forsythe aptly brings that delicious moral ambiguity to his Sheriff character.
Conversely, the Firefly family certainly offer no moral safeground. They kill like they mean business a sort of sick, seedy and sadistic business, true, but still business and indeed you hold more disgust than sympathy for the quartet even though you are highly absorbed by them. On that note, Sheri Moon delivers the best performance by a playboy model I have ever seen. Danny Trejo also looks right at home in a sleazy thug character that pops up at one point in 'The Devil's Rejects' and the remaining cast look equally comfortable as hard-edged whitetrash.
What undoubtedly contributes to the perpetual sense of immediate danger in the film is the kinetic, dizzying camera-work that Zombie opts for. It can be a cheap-shot to quicken the pace in films (I'm looking at you, Tony Scott) but in 'The Devil's Rejects' is all fits with the violent action style. But the film is not all action and certainly there is an underlying horror vibe that often bubbles up underneath the bottled lid and gives rise to truly frightening scenarios such as Forsythe chasing after someone with an axe. It ticks off some horror clichés during the way but always with humour and rawness as opposed to the unimaginative run-of-the-mill teen horrors that treat the same scenarios as dutiful inclusions.
Ultimately The Devil's Rejects is mostly flashy and fun and would possibly fall apart at closer analysis. But Mr. Analysist himself Roger Ebert gave the film two thumbs up which should serve as a mark of its high entertainment factor. Its cast and content both tread a fine line between straight and camp and tip over into both categories at several points. Finally, the end scene is one of the strongest I have ever seen, no hyperbole, and it elevates Rejects even further above generic gross-out formula.
7 out of 10
- Flagrant-Baronessa
- 30 oct. 2006
- Permalien
Let me start off by saying I was very, very disappointed with "House of 1000 Corpses". It was overly-fast-paced to the point where it seemed like the only people who could enjoy it were those with ADD. It was also suffering from a lack of gore and carnage, something rather surprising from the horror aficionado that Mr. Zombie is. On top of that, it was a complete rip-off of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), which is a much better film anyway. All Zombie did differently was add neon lights.
So, my expectations for "The Devil's Rejects" really weren't very high. But I began hearing reviews from people who saw the film before it was released saying that it was very different and much better than "House". And then I saw the previews, which looked promising. So, my expectations went up just a little. However, I was still pretty weary. I just wasn't sure if I could trust Zombie. But I went into the theater with an open mind. The lights dimmed. And what I saw was the glorious return of the true horror film. Rob Zombie more than redeemed himself with this brutal, funny, and utterly spectacular film. He worked out all the pacing kinks of "House", took away the flashy neon-light look, and replaced them with a gritty, violent masterpiece of terror.
"The Devil's Rejects" follows the three surviving members of the psychotic murderer family from "House of 1000 Corpses", who have been given the nickname "The Devil's Rejects" by the locals. They're on the run from the police, and along the way, they just happen to engage in murder, blasphemy, and sexual abuse. The exploitation fan inside of me rejoiced. In a twisted away, I loved everything I was seeing. And on top of all of this, Rob Zombie managed to put together just about the best mix of snappy dialogue and music I've witnessed since "Pulp Fiction". He even made me dig "Freebird", and I REALLY dislike Lynyrd Skynyrd.
This has been a truly wonderful summer for horror fans. First, the French terror masterpiece, "High Tension", then George A. Romero's excellent return to form, "Land of the Dead", and now, Rob Zombie's truly glorious coming-into-his-own-as-a-filmmaker, "The Devil's Rejects". Let's just hope Lion's Gate has the balls to give him another film.
9/10
So, my expectations for "The Devil's Rejects" really weren't very high. But I began hearing reviews from people who saw the film before it was released saying that it was very different and much better than "House". And then I saw the previews, which looked promising. So, my expectations went up just a little. However, I was still pretty weary. I just wasn't sure if I could trust Zombie. But I went into the theater with an open mind. The lights dimmed. And what I saw was the glorious return of the true horror film. Rob Zombie more than redeemed himself with this brutal, funny, and utterly spectacular film. He worked out all the pacing kinks of "House", took away the flashy neon-light look, and replaced them with a gritty, violent masterpiece of terror.
"The Devil's Rejects" follows the three surviving members of the psychotic murderer family from "House of 1000 Corpses", who have been given the nickname "The Devil's Rejects" by the locals. They're on the run from the police, and along the way, they just happen to engage in murder, blasphemy, and sexual abuse. The exploitation fan inside of me rejoiced. In a twisted away, I loved everything I was seeing. And on top of all of this, Rob Zombie managed to put together just about the best mix of snappy dialogue and music I've witnessed since "Pulp Fiction". He even made me dig "Freebird", and I REALLY dislike Lynyrd Skynyrd.
This has been a truly wonderful summer for horror fans. First, the French terror masterpiece, "High Tension", then George A. Romero's excellent return to form, "Land of the Dead", and now, Rob Zombie's truly glorious coming-into-his-own-as-a-filmmaker, "The Devil's Rejects". Let's just hope Lion's Gate has the balls to give him another film.
9/10
- brainofj72
- 26 août 2005
- Permalien
Rob Zombie is a very disturb writer and this movie THE DEVIL'S REJECTS is beyond crazy, it will offend even people that think they've seen everything. They deal with touchy subjects and the word F*ck is said over 250 times I would easily say. They say disrespectful words toward homosexuals and they say things and do things that harass the bible and Christian belief even though I am not a believer. Rob Zombie also loves to show off his wife it seems because in all his movies not only is she the star woman but she also can't be in it unless she shows skin. The characters in the movie are not at all likable even the 'good' guys, everyone looks very unhealthy and dirty and it's gross but the movie is nice to watch with people who has never seen it because it's nice to see their reactions to everything.
- campbell-tyler11
- 8 juil. 2013
- Permalien