House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Loved It, 2 February 2005

I was recently given the House of 1000 Corpses DVD as a gift. I had heard such bad things about it that I had been afraid to buy it myself. I just knew I wasn't going to enjoy it. Now, I wish I would have seen it sooner. I watch movies for the sake of entertainment. And if it entertains me, then art, technical merit, or any other thing people like to complain about be damned. Bottom line - House of 1000 Corpses is one of the most entertaining new movies I've seen. I found myself playing along with Rob Zombie to spot all of the movie's influences. A lot of reviews I've read complain that Zombie "ripped" The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and other movies. Personally, I don't think "ripped" is the right word. I see it as Zombie's way of paying a loving tribute to the movies he enjoys.

There's nothing at all original about the plot. Two couples get lost in the backwoods and are set upon by a crazed family of killers. Sound familiar? But what makes this movie different from many of the others that have tried this same plot are the visuals and the characters. Zombie has filled every frame of this picture with some of the most gruesome eye-candy imaginable. I wanted to stop the movie every five minutes just to take it all in. Everything from the vintage t-shirts worn by Captain Spaulding to the mobile of shoes is a real joy to behold. Zombie must be a nut for detail.

As for the characters (and here, I'm referring to the killers), each is so over-the-top that I couldn't wait to see what they would do next. Much of this comes form Zombie's casting choices. Sig Haig, Bill Moseley, Karen Black, and Sheri Moon play their demented characters to perfection. Each is an absolute "scene stealer", often within the same scene. It's such a pleasure to watch people having this much fun making a movie.

The movie is not without its problems. As previously mentioned, the plot is all but non-existent. Many of the underground scenes toward the end of the movie were not necessary to me. Also, some of Zombie's editing style is not to my taste. But, these things are minor to my overall enjoyment of the movie.

8/10