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House Of 1000 Corpses
2003
Rob Zombie, the heavy metal hero who has released such albums as SINISTER URGE and HELLBILLY DELUXE as a solo act and ASTRO-CREEP 2000 with his band, White Zombie, takes on the world of horror movies in this very bloody, very entertaining tale that rips off the old car-trouble story in which a group of unsuspecting travellers .. Read more
| Starring | Sid Haig, Karen Black, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon |
|---|---|
| Director | Rob Zombie |
| Genres | Horror |
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House Of 1000 Corpses
Rob Zombie, the heavy metal hero who has released such albums as SINISTER URGE and HELLBILLY DELUXE as a solo act and ASTRO-CREEP 2000 with his band, White Zombie, takes on the world of horror movies in this very bloody, very entertaining tale that rips off the old car-trouble story in which a group of unsuspecting travellers must spend the night in a place of demented evil--in this case, the Museum of Monsters and Madmen. Zombie makes the movie work for the same reason his music career has been so successful: He knows he's going way over the top, and he's not afraid to go as far as he can, so eager viewers should put their tongues in their cheeks and go along for the raunchy ride.
The always beguiling Karen Black, who starred in one of the all-time great horror classics, BURNT OFFERINGS, turns in another terrifically offbeat performance as Mother Firefly, the marvellous matriarch of a murderous family. Other fabulously gruesome characters include the crazy clown Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) and the oddball "lady killer" Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley); Marx Brothers fans should note that many of Zombie's characters are named after roles played by Groucho. One of the advertising lines for the movie calls it "positively the most horrifying film ever made!" Zombie does his best to try to live up to that demanding tag, upping the gore quotient with numerous inventive killings that involve lots of blood and innards.
| Starring | Sid Haig, Karen Black, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn |
|---|---|
| Director | Rob Zombie |
| Studio | HIGH FLIERS |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 25 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Horror |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 16 Feb 2004 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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US rock star Rob Zombie is well known for his love of old horror films, so it's no surprise that his directorial debut takes a warped trip into the heart of B-movie-style terror. A homage to the so-called “grindhouse” schlockers of the 1970s (most infamously The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), Zombie's self-penned story of two young couples falling victim to a sadistic family of inbred sickos is a low-budget nightmare with a big-budget feel. Derivative, yet darkly entertaining, the oddball feature makes up for an unfortunate lack of gore with inspired imagery, innovative cinematography and some fabulously freaky performances. Standing out in particular is Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2's Bill Moseley, who, as psychopathic albino Otis, adds a real note of dread to proceedings. Viewed solely as exploitation cinema, the film is effective, while Zombie marks himself out as a name to watch. Sadly though, no matter how visually pleasing, the tale as a whole really is too quirky and incoherent to appeal much beyond its core horror audience.
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Unoriginal, low-budget, gore-filled tribute to horror movies of the past, particularly The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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Most helpful member's review
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30 out of 38 people found this review helpful
A rollercoaster ride of fun and gore!
Jerry, Bill, Mary, and Denise are two couples out on the road in hopes of writing a book on offbeat roadside attractions. When the four meet Captain Spaulding, they learn of the legend of Dr. Satan, a local serial killer who would brutalize his victims. And so they take off in search of finding the tree that Dr. Satan was hung from, but on the way they pick up hitchhiker Baby. When their car breaks down, Baby invites them into her house which is nearby. This is where they meet the Firefly family, a murderous clan of bizarre people. As the family attacks the unsuspecting couples, Jerry and his friends try to survive the house of 1000 corpses and it's dark secrets.
House of 1000 corpses never takes itself too seriously, but still manages to remain quite atmospheric and dark. Rob Zombie, the musician, wrote and directesd this film which is a parody and homage to the 70's slasher flicks that he grew up on.
The film had production troubles from the outset, firstly in trying to find a company willing to produce this, as they all thought it too sick, and then in distributing it, as many cuts had to be made to get it released here in the UK. This release is a good 15 minutes shorter than the orginal shown at the Mar de Plata Film Festival and these cuts HAVE affected the film.
With all the cuts, the amount of gore on show in this film has been reduced dramatically, although some sick scenes do still remain. te acting for the most part is good, and Baby especially is great. She is married to Rob Zombie in real life and manages to look smoking throughout!
Seen by many as almost a direct ripoff of the Original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this elevates itself above it by parodying it so greatly. Captain Spaulding is one of the greatest characters in this film, and easily one of the sickest. His sense of humour is morbid and sarcastic, which makes him perfect to laugh at.
Don't take this film seriously, don't go in with any preconceptions about it and you WILL take something away from it. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
30 out of 38 people found this review helpful
A rollercoaster ride of fun and gore!
Jerry, Bill, Mary, and Denise are two couples out on the road in hopes of writing a book on offbeat roadside attractions. When the four meet Captain Spaulding, they learn of the legend of Dr. Satan, a local serial killer who would brutalize his victims. And so they take off in search of finding the tree that Dr. Satan was hung from, but on the way they pick up hitchhiker Baby. When their car breaks down, Baby invites them into her house which is nearby. This is where they meet the Firefly family, a murderous clan of bizarre people. As the family attacks the unsuspecting couples, Jerry and his friends try to survive the house of 1000 corpses and it's dark secrets.
House of 1000 corpses never takes itself too seriously, but still manages to remain quite atmospheric and dark. Rob Zombie, the musician, wrote and directesd this film which is a parody and homage to the 70's slasher flicks that he grew up on.
The film had production troubles from the outset, firstly in trying to find a company willing to produce this, as they all thought it too sick, and then in distributing it, as many cuts had to be made to get it released here in the UK. This release is a good 15 minutes shorter than the orginal shown at the Mar de Plata Film Festival and these cuts HAVE affected the film.
With all the cuts, the amount of gore on show in this film has been reduced dramatically, although some sick scenes do still remain. te acting for the most part is good, and Baby especially is great. She is married to Rob Zombie in real life and manages to look smoking throughout!
Seen by many as almost a direct ripoff of the Original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this elevates itself above it by parodying it so greatly. Captain Spaulding is one of the greatest characters in this film, and easily one of the sickest. His sense of humour is morbid and sarcastic, which makes him perfect to laugh at.
Don't take this film seriously, don't go in with any preconceptions about it and you WILL take something away from it. -
News and features
View all
Zombie to remake Halloween
- 07 Jun 2006
After a plethora of increasingly ridiculous sequels there seems only one direction left for the Halloween franchise and Dimension Films has confirmed that Rob Zombie will be taking audiences back to Michael Myer's beginnings. The former White Zombie star has already courted a cult audience with his first two films House Of 1000 Corpses and its sequel The Devil's Rejects, which broke away from slick mainstream horror projects offering a discordant homage to his grindhouse and gorenography... Read more
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House Of 1000 Corpses
Rob Zombie, the heavy metal hero who has released such albums as SINISTER URGE and HELLBILLY DELUXE as a solo act and ASTRO-CREEP 2000 with his band, White Zombie, takes on the world of horror movies in this very bloody, very entertaining tale that rips off the old car-trouble story in which a ...
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