Three from Hell

I'm one of the biggest Fans of the the original 2 movies. I know the first has all sorts of problems, but it's still great. The 2nd TDR was one of my favorite horror sequels because they were not unstoppable they were human and you felt that on many levels. The ending perfect. Then this comes along. It's extremely uneven. Also the use of CGI was excessive and very noticeable. I really don't know how I feel about it. I look at as a stand-alone film. Watch it for your self and make your own opinion. Richard Brake was great as Foxxy. Just didn't feel right without Captain Spaulding and that comedic relief. RIP Sid...

Disappointed, hoped would be better. Baby Firefly way over the top to the point of being frustratingly annoying. Otis still very much the same, thankfully. Foxy was a welcomed addition.

I thoroughly enjoyed House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, Rob Zombie's first two outings for his murderous Firefly clan, but this third chapter is further proof that the rock star turned director has nothing new up his sleeve, and, worse still, seems to have lost all idea of what made his first couple of films so enjoyable in the first place.

3 From Hell is, as expected, violent, trashy and exploitative, but it is also unfocused, badly written, poorly acted, and not in the least bit shocking, everyone trying far too hard this time around, with Zombie's wife Sheri Moon being the worst offender: putting in a grating performance that is about as subtle and nuanced as a lump-hammer to the skull, she gurns and grimaces wildly throughout, her over-the-top 'acting' (for want of a better word) making this supposedly brutal bloodbath far too comical for its own good. Even with a better script, 3 From Hell was always going to fail so long as Rob insisted in putting his wife front and centre.

The plot - for what it's worth - sees the Fireflies sent to death row, having miraculously survived the shootout at the end of The Devil's Rejects. Captain Spaulding is executed by lethal injection (a shame, as he is far and away the best of Zombie's characters), but Otis (Bill Moseley) escapes, teaming up with Winslow Foxworth Coltrane (Richard Brake) to try and break Baby (Sheri Moon) out of jail. After successfully freeing Baby (don't ask how - it's dumb), the trio of killers head for Mexico (somehow avoiding capture at the border) where they are hunted by a team of luchador assassins led by Aquarius (Emilio Rivera), vengeful son of criminal Rondo (Danny Trejo), who was killed during Otis's escape.

In typical Zombie style, there's lots of cussing, plenty of nudity, and an excess of spurting, bloody wounds, with an overuse of slow motion accompanied by cool rock music, some occasional trippy imagery (including a head-scratching dancing cat scene), and a consistently grimy white-trash aesthetic (there's even a three-legged dog; it doesn't get more white-trash than that!). But more importantly, there's no heart, no originality, no sense of excitement, and no character progression.

As for disturbing... well, Clint Howard playing a clown is surely the stuff or nightmares, but everything else is just too contrived and cartoonish to be taken seriously.

Even before the film begins, you are immediately told by the director himself Rob Zombie that there was no intention to create a third film in the series. His masterpiece had come and gone 15 years ago and yet the too often need to relish in past greatness came back to haunt him. The film is nothing like its predecessor's. Its pacing is slow and even annoying at times. Worse the film becomes derivative as it goes on taking useless over amassed tropes to new heights. He could have done so much better and I know that in my heart. But two hours later, like me you'll know why this was only a "3 Day Event".

I was lukewarm on House of 1,000 Corpses, but The Devil's Rejects remains one of the most interesting horror films of the past 15/20 years, so I was eagerly awaiting to see what Rob Zombie would do to bring his Firefly clan back. Pretty soon into the film, I realized that, sometimes, it's better to end on a high note than to drag things out past their expiration dates.

After their 70's killing spree, the Firefly clan have been sent to prison. They quickly write out Captain Spaulding (due to Sid Haig's poor health) and bring in a character we've never even seen or heard of before that's supposed to be some sort of half-brother of Otis and Baby (played by Richard Brake). He helps them escape and pretty soon they're back on the run, murdering and causing havoc wherever they go.

Structurally, 3 From Hell is more Devil's Rejects than House of 1,000 Corpses, but the problem is they copy that structure to a T. Once the gang's back, there's a siege upon two couples that's very much like the siege upon the country band in The Devil's Rejects. After that, they all get in a van and end up in Mexico which feels just like the scenes in Ken Foree's ranch in that same film. There's also a character who wants to avenge a family member who died at the hands of the Firefly family like in that film. It feels like Rob Zombie took the structure of that film and just barely changed a few details to make it seem different enough to greenlight.

3 From Hell feels like one of those great TV shows that's managed to overstretch itself out into 2 or 3 more mediocre and unnecessary seasons where the actors and writers we used to love are mostly going through the motions. It feels oddly passionless and pedestrian throughout as if everyone was just trying to play it safe enough until they could get their paycheck. There are a few highs here and there, but it's far from a return to form or a necessary addition to the series.