The Devil's Rejects (2005)


REVIEWER RATING: 
7/10


In 2003 rocker Rob Zombie took a stab at directing a horror project called House of 1000 Corpses. Obviously attempting to play homage to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the film opened up in a small number of theaters and eventually making nearly double its budget of $7-million after all the box office totals are in. It wasn't a big hit with critics and fans were mixed, some hated it, while some loved it. I personally didn't like the movie. When word of a sequel was released I wasn't impressed.

When the first Rejects trailer hit the web I admit that it caught my interest. Rob went a different route than the first film, and after viewing the movie, I see that he has evolved as a filmmaker. The movie is so different from the first that Rob even gave it its own title -- The Devil's Rejects. That wasn't the only change in the film; Karen Black didn't reprise her role as Mother Firefly, quoting "negotiation differences", but I think this new Firefly (played by Police Academy-series veteran Leslie Easterbrook) did an excellent job.

The film pretty much takes place following the events of the first film, where the local police close in on the family, surrounding their house, and eventually leading to an exchange of gunfire. We then follow the family as they take the mayhem on the road, terrorizing anyone who comes into their path. The movie doesn't hold back on the violence. There are headshots, beatings, and even a nice torture sequence towards the end; gotta love it.

Rejects didn't have such a poor editing job and annoying cut-scenes like the first, and thankfully Rob didn't let Baby laugh as much, although he made sure to show more ass from her this time 'round (always a plus). Although this is more of an action/crime piece than a horror flick, its better off considering the direction the first tried to go. Although, I would have liked to see more of Dr. Satan's creations, which I felt weren't fully explored in the first.

I liked how the two mmovies tie together where the sheriff (William Forsythe) has a vendetta against the family, and makes it his personal duty to take matters into his own hands, thanks to the fact that they killed his brother (sheriff in first film). There are a number of familiar faces in this flick, from Ken Foree, Danny Trejo, to WWE star Diamond Dallas Page, which I feel all provided the movie with more entertainment, especially Ken Foree's character as the pimp (hilarious -- love the chicken scene).

What I feel makes this movie unique is the fact that there really are no good guys here. There are times when we actually root for the family and times when we hope the sheriff catches'em, but since the sheriff is so above the law, we (the audience) are conflicted towards the end. This proved to be a very interesting and original aspect of the movie. When it's all said and done I feel that Rob really redeemed himself from the mess that was House of 1000 Corpses. I'm looking forward to seeing what else he has in-stored for us horror fans.

It doesn't matter if you're a fan of the first or not, because this film really goes in a totally different direction. I personally enjoyed it -- the story is interesting and so are the characters. See this movie not expecting a horror flick, but an interesting action-crime piece that proves to be fairly interesting entertainment.
OVERALL: 
It doesn't matter if you're a fan of the first or not, because this film really goes in a totally different direction. I personally enjoyed it -- the story is interesting and so are the characters. See this movie not expecting a horror flick, but an interesting action-crime piece that proves to be fairly interesting entertainment.


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