THE DEVIL'S REJECTS
Directed & Written by: Rob Zombie.
Produced by: Michael Ohoven, Marco Mehiltz, Andy Gould & Mike Elliott.
Director of Photography: Phil Parmet.
Edited by: Glenn Garland.
Music by: Tyler Bates.
Released by: Lions Gate.
Country of Origin: USA. 101 min. Rated: R.
With: Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Priscilla Barnes & P.J. Soles.

In the press notes, Rob Zombie wants to make it perfectly clear that The Devil's Rejects is not a sequel to his 2003 debut House of 1000 Corpses. Sure, it follows the same family of sociopathic redneck serial killers, but the new film's psychosis is amplified to such an extreme point of celebration that Zombie's earlier effort now seems tame by comparison. Working with a much tighter script this time around, Zombie transforms the Firefly family from a collection of sideshow oddities into a band of comic book mercenaries looking for their next blood-soaked encounter.

The film follows this family of outlaws as they flee their circus shack in search of refuge from the ever-approaching Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe). In a performance that deserves its top billing, Sid Haig is having the time of his life as the foul-mouthed head of the family, Captain Spaulding. The sarcastic killer clown has thankfully been promoted from a mere supporting character as Zombie takes complete pleasure in showing us Spaulding the Unfaithful Husband, Spaulding the TV Salesman, and Spaulding the Coke Head in addition to Spaulding the Homicidal Maniac. Bill Moseley gives a surprisingly complex portrayal of Otis, the Firefly son whose typically all-business mentality makes his deranged detours all the more fascinating.

As a director, Rob Zombie takes more risks here than he did with Corpses, but it's likely that they'll go unnoticed since the script is such an improvement. On more than one occasion the camera references classics in the horror/crime genres (nods to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [1974] and Bonnie and Clyde [1967] are among the most obvious). And Zombie never lets us forget that he started out directing music videos; there are at least a half dozen moments where he allows Southern rock to do the narrating. The Devil's Rejects should also be recognized for its twisted sense of humor, which was missing from Corpses. While most of the gags work (a cameo by horror cult favorite P.J. Soles is always a welcome surprise), there are a few that are simply dead weight (an inexplicably annoying Marx Brothers-obsessed film critic). What remains clear is that Zombie has improved his skills as a filmmaker, proving his characters were not merely the underdeveloped misfits they were originally made out to be. House of 1000 Corpses may not have warranted a continuation, but its follow-up certainly does. Michael Belkewitch
July 22, 2005