Review of The Devil's Rejects (2005) by Paul P — 06 Dec 2011

Holy crap, this is about as perfect as a horror movie can get. A follow up to House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects follows the surviving members as they are on the run from an exceptionally motivated cop.

The film weaves an exceptionally interesting and entertaining, yet brutal and violent story that plays out like a road movie as much as a horror movie. The pace is methodical, yet never lags as it move towards it's inevitable conclusion.

The writing is also exceptional, giving the characters a realistic feel and several memorable lines and scenes. The cast is superb all around, again with Bill Moseley and Sid Haig stealing the show, but William Forsythe, Ken Foree, Danny Trejo, and Diamond Dallas Page, amognst others all turn in great performances and their charaters a touch of humanity.

This is probably the most stellar acting you will have or ever will see in a genre film. Also worth mentioning is the exceptional soundtrack to the film, composed of several classic rock songs that fit the mood of the film very well, the pinnacle of which is the climatic scene with 'Free Bird' playing over it.

Some have even claimed that it is the best use of that song in a film thus far. I really credit Rob Zombie and his cast for being able to create a feeling of empathy from the viewers for a group of utterly dispicable people.

While lighter on the gore than the previous film was, there is still several gruesome scenes, but most are more disturbing than gory. A must see for anyone who can stomach the subject matter. This may very well be a level Rob Zombie never again acheives as a film maker, but he certainly has earned my respect and I will be following his projects for a good long while.