And In This Corner..... (The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto)

I don't know who is actually following this blog other than myself, but for those who do, would know my posting frequency is erratic at best. I've had a rough week (don't ask), so when I got around to watching this, I wasn't in the humour of writing about it afterwards. This is also the reason why I postponed the planned Halloween series write ups.

In addition to whatever's going on in my life, my viewing choices have consisted of Chillerama (the best movie from Horrorthon 2011, in my opinion), UHF (a hit and miss affair, but at least I now know where the inspiration for Bum Reviews came from), Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight (which if I had the motivation, I would have written about), and a cinema double bill of From Dusk Till Dawn (one of the most underrated films of all time) and The Lost Boys (second time I've ever seen it, but I already wish I was introduced to this as a kid).

And now we come to the next Rob Zombie inspired blog entry with this film based on a comic created by the man himself. Don't know much about it, as I'm not a big comic book fan admittedly. However, I will say that, as a film which stars a main character who is a wrestler, it's a lot better than Wrestlemaniac.

WARNING: Spoilers

Back then.....

I thought it was a fun, strange little movie.

And now.....

.....I still think it's a fun, strange little movie.

Okay, here lies the problem. My aforementioned lack of motivation has made it difficult for me to write a positive review on here without giving away too much in terms of jokes and particular scenes. It's like trying to write a review of one of my favourite films, Spaceballs, without making any Star Wars references. I know I begin every blog entry with a "spoiler" warning, but I'm not big on giving away too much, regardless of whether you've watched the film or not.

Getting back to the film itself, I only watched this at some point during the summer, as it was on sale for about 3 or 4 euros in HMV. So I can't give a retrospective view on it, in relation to films that I haven't seen in at least a year. So it's still fresh in my mind in that respect, and so my opinion has not changed that drastically, of which I found the film entertaining.

I am also reminded of the first impressions I had with the first two Rob Zombie films, where I didn't know what to make of them  as I wasn't overly familiar with their respective genres. Here, I know this is meant to be in the style of 70s adult cartoons such as Fritz The Cat, but the closest I've seen to to this type of adult animation was Cool World. And it's been years since I've seen that film too, so I can't make any comparisons either.

Hell, I even forgot Brad Pitt was in this.

But regardless of influence, you can't go wrong with what looks like an x-rated Spongebob Squarepants cartoon. It looks vibrant, the action is fast paced, and the story is.....well, some masked wrestler/celebrity/superhero on a mission to rescue a stripper with inflatable boobs from a villain called "Dr. Satan", who looks nothing like the "Dr. Satan" from "House Of 1000 Corpses". And I couldn't imagine Paul Giamatti's voice being used in that movie.

The inclusion of the name "Dr. Satan" is not the only reference to a Rob Zombie flick made in "...El Superbeasto", as it includes cameos from the "Rejects" themselves, Captain Spaulding and Otis Driftwood, complete with voice acting from the original actors themselves. Of course, Sheri Moon Zombie was moved to voicing one of the main characters, Suzi-X, along with Rosario Dawson voicing the foul mouthed Velvet Von Black (she of the inflatable boobies).

Hell, the film even throws an animated Varla from "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!", voiced by Tura Satana herself, among the other movie "monsters", human or otherwise.

These cameos and the world these characters inhabit don't really make sense. But then again, you're not gonna get much sense from a film that begins with Nazi zombies protecting the head of Hitler in a pickle jar. While the story may be all over the place, there are some elements of sharp and witty humour thrown in along with strange visuals and quirky scenes.

Also the musical element, which doesn't actually feature any classic rock songs, nor anything from the Rob Zombie library, does have some songs that add to the comedy, in that all they do is outline what is happening onscreen, poke fun at itself with self referential humour, and highlight the ample animated bodies of the female characters.

So like any other Sunday afternoon cartoon, just sit back, laugh at the silliness of it all, and enjoy the pretty colours, no matter what time of the day. And if you find yourself "enjoying" the animated boobage a little bit too much, it does include this little ditty which eases any thoughts you may have that makes you think you're a perverted weirdo.....not that I would enjoy such things, of course.....

And on a final note.....

Because there was no excuse for the "obligatory" Sheri Moon Zombie picture, here is a tribute video to her instead.