Watch horror Movies for free with Amazon Prime

House of 1000 Corpses

House of 1000 corpses
2003
9
Director: 
Rob Zombie

SYNOPSIS: 

Taking his cue from such 1970s horror classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), animated rocker Rob Zombie goes celluloid with the throwback shocker House of 1000 Corpses. Running low on gas as they travel the highways of America in search of the ultimate roadside attraction, a group of teens pull into Captain Spaulding's (Sid Haig) museum of oddities (which also offers fried chicken and gasoline) only to become obsessed with uncovering the mystery of a legendary local maniac known only as Dr. Satan. When an attractive and mysterious hitchhiker subsequently offers to give the thrill seekers a personal tour of Dr. Satan's old stabbing grounds, a breakdown forces them to take refuge with a group of menacing oddballs as a fearsome storm rages outside. As the evening progresses and the backwoods hosts' Halloween festivities become ever more threatening, the teens soon realize that the legend of Dr. Satan may hold a bit more contemporary weight than any of them had previously thought.

REVIEW: 

Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses has nostalgia on its side but not much else. Pretending the last 20 years of teen slasher flicks never existed, Zombie creates a strange burlesque cocktail that reimagines The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by way of Vulgar. Four teenagers go chasing after an urban legend (Doctor Satan) in backwater USA and meet strange with an ex-prom queen (a busty Karen Black) and her immediate family. The kids have to wear masks before they can chow down on Halloween dessert and soon find themselves rubbing shoulders with several corpses-cum-scarecrows hanging outside Mother Firefly's lovely estate. Zombie's film-stock fetish gives 1000 Corpses a welcomed homespun quality but the effect quickly wears off. Not unlike Zombie's clip for his song "Living Dead Girl," 1000 Corpses is a playful shout-out to the horror films of yesteryear but there's little meat beneath the admiration. In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, anticipation was Tobe Hooper's weapon of choice. Only once does Zombie successfully channel the hellish dread of Hooper's masterpiece. High above the Death compound, Zombie's camera observes the preening Otis (Bill Moseley) as he aims a gun to a man's head and it feels like an eternity before he pulls the trigger. If not for the blink-and-miss sideshow attractions (most notable is the sight of the howl-inducing Fish Boy) and stockpile of memorable quotes (if "He performed lurid acts on my person" and "You stupid fucking whore" don't tickle your fancy, there's also "I'm going to cut you like a pig and make you eat your own intestines"), 1000 Corpses would have been easier to shrug off. This vintage curio is proudly and humorously derivative but that familiar aftertaste is that of wasted opportunities.

Post by Frank Moran on 23/03/2015 - 13:52
Tags: 
clown massacre gore splatter blood Texas

SIMILAR MOVIES REVIEWS

Mockingbird movie Mockingbird

2014

I have always believed that it’s not always the way the movie ends that matters, it’s how you get there. While it’s true that many a bad ending have ruined films for me in the past, it isn’t always the case. Of course it’s ideal that the viewer be left in the dark when it comes to big twist endings that everyone will be talking about; but if the film is strong enough throughout, the setup should be as important than the ultimate payoff. In real life, when people are faced with the things similar to what we see in horror films, there isn’t always closure. It’s probably quite rare to have everything tidied up all nice and some form... Read More

Clown the movie Clown

2014

Hating clowns is pretty much a religious observance in Western culture. No one really needs to explain, ‘I hate clowns’, and no one ever seems to be indifferent to them, let alone like the things, save for women of a certain age who are into naff figurines; it’s weird, though, that so many people have an opinion on something they haven’t ever seen first-hand in their original environment. I don’t know many people who’ve even been to the circus or ever had clowns turn up to entertain them at parties, or if they have, it’s certainly not frequent and/or traumatic enough to create a genuine aversion to them. In fact, most folk seem to... Read More

OTHER MOVIES REVIEWS

From Beyond the Grave

1973

From Beyond the Grave - The Film That Will Make You Rethink Shopping at Thrift Stores Have you ever thought about buying a vintage item and worrying that it might be cursed? No? Well, after watching From Beyond the Grave, you might start thinking twice before haggling with an antique dealer who looks as sinister as Peter Cushing. This little gem of British horror takes us through an anthology of tales that feel like episodes of The Twilight Zone, but with that unmistakable ‘70s touch—questionable fashion choices, homemade special effects, and actors delivering... Read More

Night Watch

1973

"Night Watch" is a film that skillfully plays with the sense of paranoia and suspense, immersing the viewer in a gothic and claustrophobic atmosphere. Elizabeth Taylor offers an intense performance, making the protagonist's growing state of anxiety and confusion believable. The director makes the most of the psychological tension, maintaining the ambiguity between hallucination and reality until the final twist. The aesthetic of the film recalls classic gothic thrillers with dark houses, torrential rains and a constant sense of impending menace. Although it can be slow... Read More

The Omen

1976

The film builds to a crescendo of anxiety and fear without the need for excessive jump scares, thanks to a refined direction and a soundtrack (composed by Jerry Goldsmith) that has become iconic. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick offer convincing performances that give credibility to the story. Little Damien (Harvey Stephens) is perfectly disturbing. Some sequences, such as the death of the priest and that of the nanny, are still among the scariest in the history of cinema. The Omen is a psychological horror that plays on religious fears and the inevitability of fate.... Read More

Founders Day

2023

Blood, Masks, and… Democracy?! If you thought politics was already scary enough, Founders Day takes electoral terror to a whole new level. This slasher with a patriotic twist blends elections, mystery, and a masked serial killer sporting a judge’s wig, ready to enforce his own laws… with a bloody gavel! The tone is a mix between Scream and a presidential debate… except here, if you answer wrong, you don’t just lose votes—you lose your head! The performances are surprisingly solid for an indie horror film, with believable young leads and an antagonist who knows how... Read More

The Addiction

1995

Directed by Abel Ferrara, The Addiction is a vampire film that transcends the confines of the horror genre to explore philosophical and metaphysical themes related to sin, addiction and the nature of evil. Shot in evocative black and white, the film is a visceral meditation on the loss of free will and the corruption of the soul. Ferrara uses vampirism as a metaphor for addiction and self-destruction, recurring themes in his filmography. The film is deeply influenced by existentialist thought and nihilism, with frequent references to philosophers such as Nietzsche and... Read More