Review of The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009) by Thee D — 25 Apr 2013

Rob Zombie's career in filmmaking has been very hit-or-miss with his psychotic saga centering on Firefly family easily surpassing his cliche-ridden remakes of Halloween. Based on his own comic book, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto marks an unexpected departure for Zombie.

This is the anarchic animated freakout that bears close resemblance to retro cartoons for adults such as Ralph Bakshi's Fritz the Cat. Stylistically, the movie has its own distinct look that blends surrealism, EC comics and animated porn.

The plot is paper-thin and it only works as a platform to introduce a bunch of really cool characters, half of which deserves their own movies with a better storyline. Queen Velvet (Rosario Dawson) with her abusive attitude and impressive physical attributes is a standout, while Beasto's high-octane sister Suzi X (Sheri Moon Zombie) together with her sexually stimulating robot effectively kicks some Nazi asses.

The movie abounds with sex references and nasty jokes, yet Zombie never really allows them to overshadow the cheerful tone. All in all, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is strictly aimed at fans of hipster non-conventional blend of animation who should enjoy it most of all.

7/10 (B).