Films I've watched included the Insane Clown Posse films Death Racers and Big Money Rustlas, Dracula 3000, two films from the Halloween series, and The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence). Any of these films were worthy of a write up, but I had to restrain myself. Funnily enough, the two movies I want to write up on were on the UK/Irish version of Netflix. So after reconfiguring the settings once again, I loaded up this from the menu, so I can begin with a theme I mentioned before.
WARNING: Spoilers
Back then.....
I wasn't that impressed by it, and while I wanted to like this movie, I just couldn't get into it. I read about this film years before its released, and the difficulties Rob Zombie had to get the rights after a delayed release, and the fact that he had to make major cuts to it. So I didn't feel the need to criticise it that much.
And now.....
It's been close to a decade since I last saw it, but second time around I was surprisingly impressed by the film. Granted the film does tend to drag, and some of the effects are a little amateurish, such as the mirror shots and filtered images, but after watching Zombie's "Halloween 2" I can see where the surreal imagery in his films started. Along with the use of classic songs during intense scenes. It's a neat touch, although at some points it does feel misguided.
When I first watched it, one of the main reasons I couldn't get into it was that it focused too much on the family, and none of the other characters were memorable so I found it hard to sympathise with their suffering. Infact, I don't even remember the names of those four kids. All I know is that one of them is in the American verison of "The Office" nowadays.
After many years of watching similar films, along with changing tastes, I can understand now what the film was going for. It reminded me of a mix between "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and it's funny that I found this watchable, yet I never liked those two movies.
Yes, shocking as it is, I never liked "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", so sue me. If there's one thing they both share, was an annoying vocal sound from a female character. In "TCM" the screams from the final victim on repeat for what feels like half an hour bugged the hell in me. In this, it was the constant laughing of Baby (played by Rob's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie). It doesn't bug me as much as the first time, considering I keep hearing it on the title song of the movie, but it can be a bit irritating. At least her character was entertaining to watch.....and I mean that from a film standpoint.
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| .....and yes, she's easy on the eye too. Moving on..... |
Whenever a movie is focused on the "villains" of the story, it can be hard to feel anything for them, which was another reason why I wasn't a fan of "House Of 1000 Corpses" (HO1C from now on), and "The Devil's Rejects" (which will be the next blog entry, as I too haven't seen it in years). But now that I understand what this movie is, I can now find something to enjoy in watching their quirky selves, despite what they do onscreen.
Because of the tone of the film, along with whatever memories I had of the previous film, I found myself becoming more invested into this strange world onscreen, from Captain Spaulding's run-in with a couple of wannabe robbers, to the unexpected twist at the end, via some bizarre visual sites courtesy of this dysfunctional family.
Granted you do question why the four travelling kids were willing to stay in their house, despite the obvious batshit crazy nature of them, from their personalities to their Halloween show after dinner, not to mention Baby's constant laughing. But again, this is an exploitation film of which Rob Zombie is obviously a fan of, so he knows what he's doing. It's more to do with the gruesome nature of the family, and the world of which they occupy, not to mention the one beneath them.
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| Otis now gives me an idea for a Halloween costume next year. |
What I didn't remember about the film first time around was the whole sub-plot about the mystery of Dr Satan. At least my confusion matched the final victim when she stepped into this, for want of a better term, layer of Hell on Earth. I suppose that's what the director was going for when he included that short clip of the religious conspiracy nut earlier on, but even then it still looks a bit out of place in the film. But I digress.
The mood was creepy, especially as I didn't know what to expect down that well. But again, it made sense in relation to another early scene where one of the female captives was thrown into what seemed like an empty cage, only to be ravaged by three other people, without an explanation. I even had to rewind that scene, just so I was clear in what I just saw.
While the people underground looked disturbing enough, what I didn't expect to see was Dr. Satan himself. And I have to say, it came as a complete surprise, as I genuinely didn't recall seeing this part. And I'm surprised I didn't, as it was a very striking reveal, along with some impressive make up and prosthetics, from Dr. Satan himself, and his axe wielding guard.
Despite my newfound appreciation for it, I still don't know whether I think this movie is actually any good. The story can be a little weak, but the visuals make up for it. The family are interesting to look at, but with an underdeveloped supporting cast, you have to remind yourself that it's more about the nightmare than the survival of the victims. But considering the fact that I found myself enjoying what I saw, I feel that, along with "Halloween 2", this is a film that will get better with each consecutive viewing.
And on a final note
The only song I remember the first time watching "HO1C" was "Run Rabbit Run" by Rob Zombie. Second time around, I was introduced to this song, "Everybody Scream". I'm not sure about the amateur video that accompanies this, but it's the only high quality version of the song I could find at time of writing.
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