Review of 31 (2016) by Spencer K — 10 Sep 2016

"In Hell, everybody loves popcorn.".

I am a fan of Rob Zombie's films. I lobe his manic style of filmmaking and the nasty, brutal violence in all of his films. with knowing that, I was obviously very excited for his new film, 31. it's plot is simple; five carnies are kidnapped and held hostage and forced to survive for 12 hours in a violent game against a gang of sadistic clowns. this has to be the most "Rob Zombie" movie of all of his films. by this I mean that this film and it's plot is the one that I most identify with what Rob Zombie's movies really are. it's brutal, in your face, ridiculously violent, and I reveled in its blood and gore for its 100 minute runtime and had a damn fun time with it. I don't go to one of these movies for the performances or the script and in the case of Zombie's movies these are always the worst parts of the films. the script was probably my least favorite of the whole film. it was just too overly cheesy at times. I didn't think all the performances in this certain film were as bad as some of his earlier films, but they weren't great. BUT, Richard Brake who plays Doom Head was actually fantastic in this. he played a chilling, menacing and terrifying villain that I'm sure will soon become a cult favorite, such as Captain Spaulding. he was fantastic in this film and he actually freaked me out. the opening scene of the film featuring his character is brilliant and pulled me into the movie from the start. the writing in that scene was actually really good and Brake chilled me in that scene. Rob Zombie is actually a talented director and knows how to shoot a scene and to create real tension and fear. the opening scene perfectly demonstrates that and so does the closing scene, which was equally as riveting as the opening. I love his movies for the relentless violence, and this film was no exception to that. it was bloody, brutal, over the top and in your face. I also loved the different and unique clowns that were targeting the protagonists. they were crazy, evil and over the top and they worked. 31 was incredibly fun violent romp that horror fans will love and fans of Rob Zombie will sure to love, too. I really liked it and anyone skeptical should already know if this one is for you or not.