Review of The Devil's Rejects (2005) by Michael T — 05 Feb 2012

This is exactly the movie that comes out of someone who idolizes the Manson family. Best thing I can say: way less shitty than House of 1000 Corpses.

I love Rob Zombie and I hate all his movies. And they're not good either! This one being the best crafted. It seems this crap is just what he wanted, but what that is is so disturbing: a movie that truly glorifies psychopathy more than any other. I can't imagine the mental health of anyone who gets off to this shit, and coming from me that's pretty bad. On a creative level I suppose it deserves a 3, and an extra star maybe for being pretty ballsy and unprecedented. Sid Haig is phenomenal and his son is too, and there's some memorable scenes to be sure. But as a whole .. just .. why?

It's a story about the ultimate hedonist murderers whom the audience is supposed to fantasize about being. And I guess it's a revenge horror story . . the villain being a law man who succumbs to revenge/justice. But that's a pretty thin raison d'etre. It's mostly about sick in the head stuff going on. As opposed to something like Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" in which you can't believe the beauty of every single frame . . every shot in this movie is fugly. Right down to simple hamburgers cooking on the grill somehow disgusted me. That's just not what turns me on, sorry.

I also don't know if the movie makes a lick of sense. I question the possibility of people so psychopathic that they love to harm every one and everything and yet have incredible empathy for their family and friends. To eat people, sleep with dead bodies like they do, they'd have to be a level of insane that would make empathy impossible I would think. Can a whole family of the worst insane maniacs treat each other like it's fuckin' Full House? I don't buy it.

But if you're looking for shock horror, this deserves a place in the Top 10 I suppose. It'd be my least favorite though. Check out Hostel or a lot of the horror that came out since 9/11. Hell, if you really want to be mindblown by the goings on, watch "Visitor Q" by the director of "Ichi the Killer" in which the opening scene... you know what I can't even say it. If you disagree with this review, that movie will be right up your alley. Go. Now. Except that it's not done stylish like this movie. It's shot on a digitial handicam. The guy's even more insane than Rob Zombie. :P A lot more. .... See the movie. A lot more.