GARFY'S GORETORIUM

Welcome to my nightmare. This will be the first of my reviews of the movies from the genius yet twisted mind of Rob Zombie.

I am a big fan of Rob Zombie, both his music and his films but I get the feeling there are mixed responses within the horror world regarding the films made by Zombie. Whether you like him or not you have to admit he has become quite the key figure in horror in recent years. He certainly brings shock value to his movies and also takes horror and gore to a whole new level, its as if Rob Zombie has his very own sub-genre.

House of 1000 Corpses

Cast – Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson and William Bassett

Director – Rob Zombie

Plot – A group of teenagers on a road trip find themselves in Texas searching for urban legends or murder and mayhem. When they stop for gas, they learn about the local story of Dr. Satan, on their hunt for the truth the meet a bizarre and sadistic family who turn their lives into hell.

I have my brother to thank for introducing me to this film, he bought me the dvd for one of my birthdays and I remember sitting in the living room with him to watch it. I had no idea what to expect so I was both excited yet a little bit scared as it started but I was also glued to the screen during the opening credits as it was my first experience of the mind of Rob Zombie. I remember my first thought about the film being how incredible the opening scene looked, I hadn’t seen a film shot like that before and I recall being amazed by it but then that amazement suddenly turned to terror as the chaos began. The first character you get introduced to is Captain Spaulding, a clown who runs the local gas station and the side attraction next door, a seemingly fun loving guy who brings a slight comedic side to the movie, until two masked men come and attempt to rob the store.

It is hard to describe this without using words like, mental, bizarre and twisted. Even though you are slightly disturbed and grossed out by most of the scenes, as a horror fan you can help but admire the twisted mind of Mr. Zombie. I had seen a lot of gory films before this but is in a world of its own. I felt myself being mesmerized by they way the movie was shot and the things he came up with, I could tell this was going to become a favourite film of mine and one I would be watching over and over again. By the time I first watched House of 1000 Corpses it was around the time that the Saw movies were becoming popular( no idea why) and this does the gore and torture scenes so much better then any of those movies, its not constant so you never tire of seeing it and it comes across a lot more sadistic. As for the family, there is definitely an allure with them, you cant help but want to pay attention to every word they say and every action they make. Each member of the family play their own little part in the psychotic goings on and each one equally disturbing as the other. These are fantastic performances by Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie and Sid Haig, who would each appear in the sequel as key figures once again.

This is a movie full of twists and turns which keep you glued to the screen through out the whole 1 hour and 29 minutes. I am giving this a rating of 8.5/10 and recommend it as a must watch and a must buy!