October 8th, 2012: House of 1000 Corpses

I originally was going to watch Cannibal Holocaust tonight but for the first time in my life I had to turn a movie off because of its content.  I know that I've said that horror is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable but I wouldn't even consider it a horror movie.  There's two things I will not tolerate in a movie and they include animal cruelty and rape.  Cannibal Holocaust supplied both in graphic detail within 18-20 minutes in.

Since I still needed to watch a movie I decided to go with one that can be disgusting, gory, and gruesome but still enjoyable.  Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses is a perfect match, featuring devil clowns, his crazy wife, an abundance of violence, and just plain evilness.

"Two teenage couples traveling across the backwoods of Texas searching for urban legends of murder end up as prisoners of a bizarre and sadistic backwater family of serial killers." - imdb.com

Rob Zombie films are an acquired taste I think.  For me personally, it took a little bit to get used the "white trash" dialogue.  Eventually I chose to just ignore some of it because I really enjoyed everything else.  However, I was having this discussion with a co-worker several years ago when he pointed out that the "white trash" talk is sort of what makes the characters so evil and it also sets a more realistic tone.

House of 1000 Corpses was inspired by '70s exploitation horror films including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977).  It took 3 years to release after being filmed in 2000, because originally Universal Pictures had bought the rights to the movie but put it on the shelves in fear of getting an NC-17 rating.  Zombie got fed up, re-purchased the rights and eventually sold the film to Lions Gate Entertainment. 

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 17%

As you can see most critics are not fond of this movie. It could be the dialogue or it could be that they don't appreciate Halloween as much as Mr. Zombie.  Either way it's a great way to spend a Monday night after watching football.  I recommend a Founders Breakfast Stout, whiskey cider, or Sam Adams Octoberfest for refreshments.  They pair nicely with the film! 


-Colby.