The screening of Rob Zombie's first movie, House of 1,000 Corpses back in 2003 resulted with people booing at the screen as the credits rolled, and the assumption on my part of projectionists across the country comitting suicide at the prospect of sitting through it more than once. Quite astoundingly the theatre employees caught on right away on what sort of state the audience would be in at the end of this particular movie, and had employees standing at the exits of the theatre offering cyanide tablets as you left. You could refuse this charity if you desired but there were still quite a few people on the ground foaming and twitching. One fellow movie goer screamed "Sweet Release!" as he chokes his capsule down on what was left of his soda. Extreme? Yes. But better to be dead than remember that you've just sat through this thing.
Rob Zombie honestly cannot direct or write. Rock? Hell yeah! He rocks like crazy! But directing is not for him. Where as House of 1,000 Corpses was a rubber monster mess, this sequel he tried to make it a little more realistic instead of fantastic. Both styles he cannot accomplish. They are both jumbled, no style, no signature camera technique. He directs like a drunk barn animal with a camera strapped to it's head. But whereas his first movie was like a long boring music video, at least it had some color and some really interesting set designes. Devil's Rejects is completley void of color (Because it's a different setting than the first, I'll give him that) but more importantly void of anything interesting to look at. There is nothing to catch the eye or spark the imagination. It's a black and white of a black and white. Another annoyance is Rob's new idea to shove the camera so close to soneone's face and leave it there for 10 minutes. Which I understand is playing with the conventions of how movies are made, but don't do that when there's other business transpiring. Instead of seeing the preperation of one of the biggest gun fights in movie history. Instead of an oppurtunity to have some serious movie magic go down, we get to stare up Ken Foree's nose. Not that I'm exactly clamoring for the shoot out. Rob's refusal to conform somehow manages to look just like every other big Hollywood shoot out to be filmed this year.
The story of the movie, if that's what you want to call it, I call it story because I really don't have another name for it. Maybe Bullshory. It's nothing complicated in the least. Three maniacs go on a killing spree because they are on the run from a cop who'se brother they killed in the last movie. So what better way to escape than to leave as much evidence as possible? The cop chasing them wants to go on his own killing spree for the vengance his brother deserves. Because of this mindeless and creativeless plot it's apparant that Rob Zombie is not concerned with creating anything with depth or substance. But rather he makes his movies in order to shock and offend as much as possible. Which he succeeds at in spades. If you are easily queasy, or shocked as to why someone would actually go out and pour time and resources into something as mindeless as this you will probably enjoy this movie less than I.
I'm not easily queasy. Filmed violence does nothing to shock me, there are much more terrorfying things in the real world. Brutal beatings, stabbings, shootings, swearing, drug use, and macabre human behavior are abundent in this movie. All of which really do nothing to move this "story" along. It seems more like a showcase for Rob to display the worst of human nature. Which he seems absolutley fascinated with. Disturbingly fascinated with. He loves this shit like you Love Lucy. But while I have a strong stomach and strong will, there were those in the audience who were perturbed beyond belief at the violence taking place. Which I guess was Rob Zombie's aim. To really freak out a lot of people. even stranger, there were people letting their 5 year old kids sit next to them while this garbage unfolds. Lord only knows what sort of descensitization is taking place there! I was only 5 when I saw Friday the 13th, and I could barely handle it.
FINAL ANALYSIS!
One thing that does make me genuinly sad is that of this writing Matthew McGrory, the man who played "Tiny" in both films has passed along. True, these movie's were loads of shit, but Matthew McGrory was a genuine kindly actor. Appearing in such fine movies as Big Fish as Karl the Giant. RIP Matthew McGrory.
Back to the business at hand, this movie is a sloppy wet bucket of shit. It's that bad folks. What's worse is that right at the end during the big shoot out the characters attempt to be humanized to the audience when we flashback to happier care-free times for the trio. When they skip and laugh and chuckle by a peaceful river bend. Then we get slapped back to the movie where they're ugly, unwatchable retards with guns. There will be a wide variety of people who will hate this movie because of the violence, but it should also be hated because there is no story in this thing whatsoever. It's a showcase of depravity. Which to me at least, is fine. But at least have a goddamn story to give it SOME substance.
During the violence around the film, the most shocking to me was E.G. Daily (Better known as the voice of Tommy in the Rugrats Cartoon) playing a drug addicted whore. If there was something to shock in this movie, it was that. The knocked me on my ass.
All in all, Rob Zombie movies should be avoided at all costs. He's up there with Ed Wood and Roger Corman. I'd also say Bert I. Gordon, but...dammit, I love Bert I. Gordon films. I'm sure there's a little niche in some sort of messed up place in the world where Rob Zombie films are celebrated by people watching VH1 hard rock videos and thinking "Rob Zombie's a freaking genius!" In the real world however, Rob Zombie movies need to be shunned and ignored. They need to be kept in the corner of a room and with a dunce cap on their head sit ashamed at themselves.
I feel sorry for the projectionists unions. There's going to be a lot more deaths the longer this stays in theatres.
Back to the Film Follies Fest.