House of 1000 Corpses was Rob Zombie’s feature debut, in some circles a highly-anticipated event.  It was no secret Zombie enjoyed his horror movies.  His music and associated imagery was rife with references to classic horror films.  It should have come as no surprise, then, that House of 1000 Corpses should feel so familiar given the not-so-subtle nods to its antecedent influences.  

Zombie lays out the old tried-and-true storyline.  Some kids on the road make a stop at a roadside attraction, are tempted by the murderous tale of Dr. Satan, and decide to take a peek at the local tragic landmarks referenced in the story.  On the way, the young foursome picks up a flighty, flirty, and ultimately deadly hitchhiker in the form of Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie).  She leads them back to her home after an orchestrated flat tire, where the kids get introduced to the whole sadistic Firefly clan.  

There’s the giant mutant named Tiny.  There’s the old patriarch, nowhere near as exciting as Mother Firefly (genre mainstay Karen Black), and, most notably insane, Otis, the white-haired Bill Moseley having a blast as the artistic killer.   Once the kids are taken by the clan, it’s up to a distant father to join police in searching for his child and her friends.  The most effective scene in the film unfolds as police close in on the Firefly home, along with dear ol’ Dad, as the fearsome family puts a quick end to legal intervention.  A skin-crawlingly long shot preceding an execution is a wonder of squirm-inducing tension, the blast putting to rest any hopes our heroes have.

skin-crawlingly long shot preceding an execution is a wonder of squirm-inducing tension, the blast putting to rest any hopes our heroes have.

But, for better or worse, the heroes of this film really aren’t these disposable kids.  The true protagonists are the insane Fireflys, each with their own twisted fetish to satisfy.  Zombie recognized this later with The Devil’s Rejects, but not soon enough to prevent the macabre gravity of the Fireflys from sapping any goodwill we may have for their victims.  We simply don’t care as much for the tortured teens as we do for the torturers.  

Also, while some celebrate the quick inserts of back story, told with loud music, quick edits and excessive violence, it begins to feel overused at a point.  I like the energy of the film, the wildness, but it also feels like the movie is an exercise in artistic expression with no sense of control or mastery.  In later work, Zombie does reign in his messier impulses, but here every cinematic whim is given expression, and the film is ultimately the worse for it.

In particular, the final act is a mess.  This is where things get controversial, but once the remaining tourists get plopped into the coffin and lowered into some subterranean Hellscape, the movie finds itself looking through its skis at the shark below.  Film may be as imaginative as a writer and director can make it, but it must adhere to its own internal logic.  I believe Otis skinned someone to wear their flesh, but I don’t buy mutant mud people.  I believe Captain Spaulding has a murder ride, but I don’t believe in robotic automatons.  The film lays no groundwork for this and it feels too random, too chaotic, to fit the movie that has been unfolding for an hour.  It’s a disappointment, and it’s sloppy.

Still, the unrelenting nihilism, the hopelessness, the vigorous sadism of House of 1000 Corpses is undeniable.  It looked like an enjoyable film to make, and, for much of the time, it’s an enjoyable film to watch.  I’m glad we have greater perspective now on Zombie’s career, as his immediate sequel to Corpses fulfills the promise made by Zombie with this first film.  Though imperfect, this is still a movie worth seeing, if only to get through this one to reach the mountaintop and see The Devil’s Rejects awaiting you.  

once the remaining tourists get plopped into the coffin and lowered into some subterranean Hellscape, the movie finds itself looking through its skis at the shark below.  Film may be as imaginative as a writer and director can make it, but it must adhere to its own internal logic.  I believe Otis skinned someone to wear their flesh, but I don’t buy mutant mud people.  I believe Captain Spaulding has a murder ride, but I don’t believe in robotic automatons.  The film lays no groundwork for this and it feels too random, too chaotic, to fit the movie that has been unfolding for an hour.  It’s a disappointment, and it’s sloppy.

Still, the unrelenting nihilism, the hopelessness, the vigorous sadism of House of 1000 Corpses is undeniable.  It looked like an enjoyable film to make, and, for much of the time, it’s an enjoyable film to watch.  I’m glad we have greater perspective now on Zombie’s career, as his immediate sequel to Corpses fulfills the promise made by Zombie with this first film.  Though imperfect, this is still a movie worth seeing, if only to get through this one to reach the mountaintop and see The Devil’s Rejects awaiting you.