Rob Zombie‘s 2003 horror comedy House of 1000 Corpses has become the topic of discussion over on Twitter, where fans are sharing their opinions on Zombie’s directorial debut.
First and foremost, Rob Zombie is the founding member of the industrial metal band White Zombie, but he decided to try his hand at filmmaking, starting with the aforementioned slasher, the controversial film that he directed, wrote and co-scored in 2000, even if it wasn’t released until 2003. Reddit has mixed reviews on the film, but whether or not it deserves a coveted spot in the best-of category, it still remains a sleeper hit.
As the first film in the Firefly series (prefacing sequels The Devil’s Rejects and 3 from Hell), House of 1000 Corpses follows a group of naive teenagers who are kidnapped and tortured during Halloween. Doesn’t that just sound like a rip-off The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)? It should, because Tobe Hooper’s classic slasher is the direct inspiration behind Zombie’s attempt at a modern revival.
Another named source of inspiration was Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes (1977), another cannibal-centric film. Since its release, House of 1000 Corpses has gained a substantial cult following, and was even developed into a haunted house attraction by Zombie himself. Talk about conceited. Here are Reddit’s thoughts on Zombie’s first-ever swing at the directorial plate.
One major letdown for Zombie-made productions is the editing. Even in high-stakes projects like the Halloween remake and its sequel, Halloween II, the editing is slapdash at best. Although House of 1000 Corpses has repeatedly been named the best out of the Firefly trilogy, it never reached its full potential.
Overall, it was the cast that saved Zombie’s out-of-control vehicle from crashing and burning — and Reddit agrees. House of 1000 Corpses stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson, Chris Hardwick, Tom Towles, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn, and Walton Goggins, In particular, Haig received praise from both critics and audiences alike for his portrayal of Captain Spaulding, a murderous clown who directs the unsuspecting teenagers to the cannibalistic Firefly family. Both Haig and Spaulding have been noted as icons of modern horror cinema.
Backtracking to Zombie’s influence on House of 1000 Corpses, many horror enthusiasts found the trilogy — not just his first entry — extremely unenjoyable for a myriad of reasons. Just like so many horrors that came after, House of 1000 Corpses has been called “cheap, exploitative and gross,” and although it might sound initially harsh, u/elephantinertia makes a convincing argument. Zombie’s Halloween remakes have often received the same criticisms.
Much like Marmite, you either love Rob Zombie or you hate him — there’s no in-between — and to hate the man himself means hating his filmmaking style by extension. As u/fritski22 points out, “you have to like Zombie’s style to enjoy it,” and unfortunately, “more people don’t than do.” However, there are Zombie fans out there, albeit few and far between, that find House of 1000 Corpses purely delightful, going against the crowd of naysayers.
As many Zombie admirers have observed, many of the 57-year-old’s films pay homage to ’70s B-horrors, otherwise known as the “Grindhouse” style, defined as “an often shabby movie theater having continuous showings especially of pornographic or violent films.” Honestly, that sounds like a Zombie-led flick summary. In faithful Grindhouse style, Zombie’s films are intentionally graphic, low-budget and over-stimulating. Quite frankly, that’s the appeal that many horror fans crave.
Regardless of where you stand on the House of 1000 Corpses debate, his fans will always agree on one thing: Zombie is a sensational singer-songwriter, and always will be.