Running time: 88 minutes
Starring: Sid Haig, Karen Black, Sheri Moon, Bill Moseley, Chris Hardwick
Rating 7 out of 10
Rob Zombie may not be a household name over here, but in the United States he has sold over 10 million records, received numerous Grammy Awards and has composed songs for many of Hollywood's big hits over the last ten years. Firmly based in the death metal camp, his directorial debut has caused much fuss since it went into production, with its original backers Universal pulling out of distribution due to its extreme nature.
The film follows a recent trend in horror pictures. Alongside this year's Cabin Fever and Wrong Turn, it harks back to the 70s and 80s style of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Evil Dead, and firmly eschews the late 90s style of the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer series. It is an extremely gory film, and a confident touch from first-time director Zombie even gives it a good deal of suspense. His tongue is so firmly in his cheek, however, that much of the onscreen horror is more often than not actually quite amusing.
Opening with a traditional urban myth, the film depicts two young couples driving late at night in Middle America. They chance upon an odd museum of ghoulish artefacts and learn that a nearby house may or may not be the legendary House of 1,000 Corpses. Setting off into the rainy night, they soon get lost and call upon a mysterious house for help...
Sadly for them they have chanced upon the Firefly residence. An unlikely dysfunctional family set-up, we know the kids are in for a bad time when we discover the family is already torturing a group of schoolgirls in the attic. Over-the-top, overly sexual and overly welcoming, it's not long before the four car passengers are on the menu.
The excesses of the family - with their kooky little penchant for removing limbs, for example - are filmed by Zombie in a relentlessly enthusiastic way. In fact, at times it is difficult to distinguish whether he is being serious or not. He does, however, know what he is doing technically and there are several standout shots in the film, notably the silent slo-mo sequence of a policeman's death.
Nonetheless, anyone with a weak disposition will find this far too strong and uncompromising: so be warned about who you decide to take with you. The climax is an assault on both the visual and aural senses, being more extreme and less light-hearted. One of the year's more unusual offerings.
The film follows a recent trend in horror pictures. Alongside this year's Cabin Fever and Wrong Turn, it harks back to the 70s and 80s style of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Evil Dead, and firmly eschews the late 90s style of the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer series. It is an extremely gory film, and a confident touch from first-time director Zombie even gives it a good deal of suspense. His tongue is so firmly in his cheek, however, that much of the onscreen horror is more often than not actually quite amusing.
Sadly for them they have chanced upon the Firefly residence. An unlikely dysfunctional family set-up, we know the kids are in for a bad time when we discover the family is already torturing a group of schoolgirls in the attic. Over-the-top, overly sexual and overly welcoming, it's not long before the four car passengers are on the menu.
The excesses of the family - with their kooky little penchant for removing limbs, for example - are filmed by Zombie in a relentlessly enthusiastic way. In fact, at times it is difficult to distinguish whether he is being serious or not. He does, however, know what he is doing technically and there are several standout shots in the film, notably the silent slo-mo sequence of a policeman's death.
Nonetheless, anyone with a weak disposition will find this far too strong and uncompromising: so be warned about who you decide to take with you. The climax is an assault on both the visual and aural senses, being more extreme and less light-hearted. One of the year's more unusual offerings.
