Rob Zombie and his own brand of films have elicited a wide range of reactions. Some regard him as a good director with his own particular style, while others say he depends heavily on shock value to attract audiences.
We lean toward the former viewpoint, and it must be mentioned that his storylines, which combine intense gore with narration, have something unique about them. His distinct blend of psychotic characters and unsettling images only adds to the films’ appeal. Yes, he thrives on shocking moments, but that is not anything we are complaining about!
People noticed for the first time in 2003, when his first film was released, that this exceptional singer could also use his theatrics on the big screen. He is unquestionably one of the most memorable horror directors of the twenty-first century, has given us eight unforgettable treasures during his brief career as a filmmaker.
His fascination with horror films was evident even in the early stages of his musical career. After a great horror film from the 1930s, he titled his band ‘White Zombie.’ His music was always influenced by horror B-movies and brutal sci-fi plays, thus it is no surprise that he used a distinctive background score for his directorial endeavors. We have compiled all of his strange and scary films in this video, and this is where we caution the squeamish to stay away!
Halloween (2007)
The Halloween franchise has had its highs and lows, but Rob Zombie’s take on the classic is a must-watch for the fans. Yes, the story takes you to the nightmarish world of Michael Myers one more time.
He was a demented kid back in the day, and after committing some gruesome murders, he was sent away to a mental institution. He had killed his stepfather, elder sister, and her boyfriend, and the manner of the murders made it evident that he was not in the right frame of mind. It has been over sixteen years that he has spent in that facility, and he still is a murderous psycho! To make matters worse, he manages to escape from the mental institution and heads to his hometown.
The residents of this peaceful and quiet town have no idea about what is coming for them! Dr. Sam Loomis, his doctor, is the only one who knows about his real nature and is in pursuit of the escaped psycho. This evil and the demented killer is looking for his baby sister Laurie, who happens to be babysitting the night he comes to town. Michael Myers begins his murderous rampage and he will kill just about anyone who gets in his way!
You can already picture what Rob Zombie can do with this story, can’t you? We can bet that the reality is more violent than your imagination. The story was quite intriguing and it had the potential to serve as the perfect prequel.
We loved the child version of Michael Myers and his upbringing in a dysfunctional family that led to his crazy side; it could have been a story in itself! What many fans will find appealing about this movie is that it offers an explanation for Michael Myers’s behavior that was portrayed in John Carpenter’s original movie!
Young Michael is bullied and abused and pushed to the brink of his mental stability. Once he snaps, you get the demonic version of him – a bloodthirsty killer without a care in the world! You get to see plenty of brutal scenes, and the violence gets a bit too extreme at times.
More than suspense and twists, the narrative relies on shocking moments, and Rob Zombie doesn’t disappoint in this regard. It is easily the most violent Halloween that you have seen, and the masked maniac does some terrible things once he embarks on a bloody rampage. The cast is the right mix of experience and youth, as you have the likes of Brad Dourif, Clint Howard, and Malcolm McDowell in supporting roles.
Tyler Mane is a decent Michael Myers and he certainly has the height for the role, but we weren’t too impressed with Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie. In a nutshell, Rob Zombie’s take on the classic is something that will please horror fans and gorehounds alike, and we would certainly recommend it for a crazy movie night!
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
It is the Halloween eve of 1977 and two young couples, Jerry, Bill, Mary, and Denise are exploring the offbeat road attractions. They intend to write a book about such locations, and their exciting cross-country trip takes an interesting turn when they learn about a local legend of a deranged serial-killer doctor.
This killer goes by the name of Dr. Satan, and their trip soon becomes a quest of finding him. In the course of their travels, they meet a strange hitchhiker named Baby, and the unsuspecting group end up visiting Baby’s strange family after having some car trouble. We will never understand why people keep going to these mysterious houses of strangers!
They soon find out that this family, known as the Firefly family, is a demented clan of crazy people. They resort to everything from murder to cannibalism, and the mysterious house has several deep dark secrets that are about to be uncovered. The legendary Dr. Satan is still out there, continuing his horrifying experiments in a corpse-filled underground lair! The two couples try to survive in this murderous house, but does anyone ever get out of the House of Thousand Corpses alive?
Rob Zombie has admitted that this film is strongly influenced by ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the similarities are quite obvious. This movie is full of the typical Rob Zombie imagery that you will also find on his CD artwork.
There are some grotesque and brutal moments, and many of these are actually toned-down versions so you can only imagine the things he had in mind. The characters are simply unforgiving, weird, and disturbing at the same time. The deranged killers, in particular, will be quite intriguing for the viewers.
At first, this might seem like just another slasher drama, but there is so much more to the narrative. In fact, this flick should be re-watched to understand the various aspects of the story.
Rob Zombie is an innovative director and his style of work can be overwhelming at times, courtesy of the excessive violence. However, his knowledge of classic cinema is unquestionable and he manages to deliver these hidden gems due to his vast expertise on this matter. It is tough to say that this is a directorial debut, going by the standard of work.
The screenplay successfully covers all the usual horror premises, and you will witness every type of horror imaginable. It does not spend much time in boring intros and gets straight to all the fun stuff. There are some sequences, such as the execution scene that will give you a few sleepless nights. If we could make something better, it would’ve been the abrupt climax but otherwise, it is just the perfect horror flick.
Yes, it is an absolute gorefest, but if you can brave the violence you will experience an uncut diamond right here! This certainly is a sequel-worthy horror flick and we were not disappointed with ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ – the follow-up to the story.
The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
This movie is set a few years after the timeline of ‘the House of 1000 Corpses’. The narrative opens with a massive police raid on the murderous Firefly residence. The numerous murders have finally been traced to the family, and a full-scale attack is conducted by the police forces. However, three members of the deranged family, Baby Firefly, Otis, and Baby’s father Captain Spaulding manages to escape.
The trio is now on the run and they are dubbed as the ‘Devil’s rejects’ by the media. They embark on a road trip and as you would expect from them, the bodies keep piling up. Meanwhile, Sheriff Wydell starts losing his mind while trying to trace them down. He gets help from two ferocious bounty hunters, and it all comes down to an action-packed final showdown!
For many, this is the best work from Rob Zombie, and they certainly have a very good point. The narrative has a certain vile nature to it that might be repulsive for some, but the story is unique without a doubt.
After all, how many times have you seen a director rooting for the sadistic psychopaths? Well, in this movie they are the good guys in a way, and the cops aren’t exactly the perfect ones. It shows that Rob Zombie enjoys making the three maniacs run around and spread death and destruction.
Make no mistake about the fact that the baddies are as sick as they get, but they do ensure that you are glued till the very end. There are some grisly killings, beheading scenes and the vivid shots of the gruesome deaths can be unnerving. The visual style deserves a lot of appreciation and the director mixes some great classic rock songs to up the ante.
A special word has to be reserved for the three leads, especially Sid Haig. The late actor delivers a top-notch performance, and there are some other familiar faces in the mix of things. ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ is a perfect homage to horror flicks from the 70s, and together with some classic B-movie actors, it makes for a thrilling watch. If you don’t mind the sadism and violence, this gory sequel will be a memorable experience.
The Lords of Salem (2012)
Heidi is a simple blond chick, working as a radio DJ at the local radio station in Salem, Massachusetts. She is a part of the Big H Radio Team along with Whitney and Munster, and one day she receives a mysterious box containing a record. This wooden box is supposedly a gift from a group that calls themselves ‘the Lords’, and they are tricked into playing the record on air.
The moment it starts playing, the record plays backward and it brings back some traumatic hallucinations for Heidi. She starts to believe that she is sinking deeper into madness because she has some insanely violent visions about the town’s past.
Heidi is also haunted by some grotesque apparitions, and she fears that she will go back to her old drug addiction problems if this continues. She turns to an occult scholar for solutions, but with each passing day she sinks further and further into this madness. Is she somehow related to the evil past of Salem, or is it just her mind playing a few tricks?
This is one of the diverse kinds of projects that you will see from Rob Zombie. This one owes a lot to ‘The Shining’, both in terms of the theme and the low camera angles in the hallways. The director is always trying to keep the viewer confused in terms of whether what they are seeing is real or not. The movie has no special effects and that helps in bringing a rustic feel to the scenes. There is a creepy atmosphere that is crafted from the very first scene, and the shocking finale is a very satisfactory end result.
The narrative is devoid of the usual cheap scares and graphic gore is kept to a bare minimum. It relies more on the dark and disturbing imagery that might be more than what you bargained for! One of the greatest strengths of this movie is the rich cast.
It comprises of horror veterans and the performance of Meg Foster is refreshing. We also loved the brooding score that captured the overall unsettling mood. Rob Zombie tried something different with this movie, and there is only one way to find out whether you like it or not – go watch it!
Werewolf Women of the S.S. (2007)
This is Rob Zombie’s fake trailer for the ‘Grindhouse’ and in many ways, this fictitious trailer bears resemblance to the exploitation flick from the 70s titled ‘Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS’. After all, what can be more gruesome than compiling the SS with horror!
The SS officials are demented by all means, but the one shown in this trailer is further down the line. Franz Hess is working with his loyal scientist Dr. Heinrich Von Strasser, and they are looking to create an ultimate super-weapon.
They plan to create an army of super werewolves, and as you can imagine, the only thing worse than a Nazi is a werewolf Nazi! The director has admitted that he has completed filming over a half-hour of footage for this short trailer, and we are all waiting to see if it ever materializes into a full-length feature!
This brief trailer features some familiar faces that you have seen in other Rob Zombie projects. It stars his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sybil Danning, and Bill Moseley among others. There are several rumors that suggest that this was only a brief glimpse of what is about to come. However, as of now, no such news has been confirmed and it remains one of the short potentially brilliant tales that is treasured in the archives.
31 (2016)
Like many of Rob Zombie’s movies, this one too is premised on the eve of Halloween. The year is 1976 and a few carnival employees are traveling through the deserts to reach their next gig. They are having a fun trip until they decide to stop for gas.
They experience some strange encounters at the gas station, and when they are back on the road, some more weird events await them. The road is blocked by scarecrows, and the carnival workers are suddenly attacked by unseen enemies. Some of them are killed on the spot, while the others are kidnapped.
When the kidnapped workers wake up, they find themselves chained up in an isolated compound. They are told by three aristocratically-dressed people that they have been selected to be a part of their annual game of 31. In the course of this demented game, they would have to survive 12 hours in hellish conditions, in an underground labyrinth called ‘Murderworld’.
If you are getting ‘Saw’ vibes by now, join the club! Each of the five kidnapped carnival workers will have a weapon and down in the hellish maze, they would be hunted down by killing machines, ranging from chainsaw-wielding maniacs to Nazi tormentors. The ones who manage to survive will be awarded their freedom!
You know a film is disturbing when Rob Zombie terms it as his most brutal film ever! This crowd-funded project was shot within twenty days, but at no point does it feel rushed. ‘31’ is not perfect by any means, and there are several flaws that you have to overlook.
For instance, the characters are extremely annoying and after a point, you wouldn’t care whether they live or die. A major issue for us is that the movie doesn’t scare you enough. The plot is predictable and there is simply not enough originality on offer here. We have witnessed better lighting in many of his films, and this one was disappointing in this regard. However, there are plenty of positives as well.
The story delivers plenty of blood, guts, and cheesy jokes, and can be a perfect number for a drunken movie night. There are some hilarious killers such as the Hispanic midget Nazi, and you might be greeted by some very offensive jokes. If you have the stomach for a violent, anarchic fun splatter flick, and you are not overly sensitive, this one will be a thorough entertainer!
Halloween 2 (2009)
This is another addition to the Halloween franchise – a series very close to Rob Zombie. The story is premised on the aftermath of ‘Halloween (2007)’ and Michael Myers is presumed dead. Of course, he isn’t because there is still enough steam left in the franchise! His emotionally scarred sister, Laurie, is trying to get back to her normal life, but her troubles are far from over. It is soon revealed that the psycho killer is still at large and he goes on yet another murderous rampage to get to his sister.
Meanwhile, Doctor Loomis is trying to capture the horrifying turn of events in his documented book, and everyone is about to discover that the new Michael Myers is meaner and deadlier than ever!
Let us start off by saying that this movie will not please Halloween purists. In many ways, the film falls far away from the source, and the loyal fans might find Rob Zombie’s own take hard to digest. If you are accepting of that, this might not be that bad a movie. The story focuses more on Laurie’s trauma and tragedy and we watch as she struggles with her horrible past.
This movie is as psychologically insightful as its predecessor, and if there is one thing that has changed it is the innovative slaughter. Michael Myers finds new ways to kill his victims and you can very well understand how far Rob Zombie’s imaginations can take you!
The narrative jumps back and forth quite often, and as a viewer, you will have to be on your toes. Many viewers have praised the cinematography, and we were smitten by the clever integration of the songs used in the movie.
Watch out for the shocking ending that hints at a possible surprise if the director decides to continue the franchise. ‘Halloween 2’ will offer you 101 minutes of pure slasher joy, and if you are excited by that kind of stuff, it is game on for you!
3 From Hell (2019)
‘The Devil’s Rejects’ cannot be imprisoned for too long! The surviving members of the Firefly clan in the last movie have been imprisoned for over ten years. However, peace doesn’t last for long because Otis manages to break out. He reunites with his half-brother Winslow, and they make a plan to break their sister Baby out of prison. The trio is as psychotic as ever and their merry killing ways take off yet again.
They make their way along the road to Mexico and their route is littered with people they kill mercilessly. But even their maniacal killing will not go unchallenged. A few brutish assassins are after their lives, and they will face off in a brutal and vicious game of death. Who will survive and who will perish in this violent game?
As you all must’ve guessed by now, this is the third edition to the movies ‘1000 Corpses’ and ‘Devils’ Rejects’. There is a cult value associated with this trilogy, but we have to admit that this one is not as good as the first one.
One of the main reasons is that the movie bitterly misses Sid Haig, and the veteran actor tragically died only a few days after the release of this film. Nobody can possibly fill in for the void left behind by Captain Spaulding played by Sid Haig.
Apart from this, the narrative is certainly entertaining and without the comparisons, it is a good enough addition to the series. The boldly rich poster was a clever selling point, and the content was every bit as bloody as the poster suggested. We would certainly recommend another ride with our beloved murderous trio!