Bohemian Cinema By Jonathan Pacheco

“The Devil’s Rejects” (2005)

Directed by Rob Zombie

Satisfaction:Thrilled Tags: Rob Zombie, House of 1000 Corpses, Horror, Violence

What would possess a man to create a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses? If I’m not mistaken, the film came in at a whopping 14% on the Tomatometer; seems to me that the only one who liked 1000 Corpses was director Rob Zombie.

The Devil’s Rejects picks up a few months after the events of 1000 Corpses, where the murderous family of the first film is now on the run, chased by Sheriff John Quincy Wydell (William Forsythe). Dubbed “The Devil’s Rejects,” Otis B. Driftwood (Bill Moseley), Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon), and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) travel Texas in hot pursuit while still managing to find time to torture and kill a few people along the way.

It looks like Zombie has learned from the main mistake that plagued House of 1000 Corpses: it was littered with unlikable characters. The most charismatic character in 1000 Corpses, Captain Spaulding, is back in The Devil’s Rejects with a bigger role and just as much charm. Otis, the least charismatic character of the first film, returns in total reinvention. From his look, (sporting a pretty hot beard), to his voice (no longer in the “raspy hick” realm), to everything—he transforms completely in so much that I could have sworn the character was played by two diffrent actors. But no, it’s Bill Moseley in both films, and credit goes to Zombie for recognizing the need for change, and to Moseley for making the change, giving us an interesting villain.

Or is he a villain? In The Devil’s Rejects, everyone comes across as a villain at some point. “The Devil’s Rejects” are, at times, almost unbearably vicious, so I felt justified whenever they encountered some bad karma. Yet throughout the film, Sheriff Wydell transforms into a beast just as vicious as the “Rejects,” so it’s hard to side with him (which was Zombie’s intention).

Now, it’s not a complete slamdunk. Wydell’s story is interesting, but at times the performance of the “vindictive southern sheriff” is a little too one-toned to be effective. When it is mixed up, it works; these moments show Wydell struggling with the inner demons of his brother’s death (the “Rejects” killed Lieutenant George Wydell (Tom Towles) in House of 1000 Corpses, which is why the sheriff is so determined to take them down). Throughout the hunt and during its setbacks, Wydell’s brother appears to him in hallucinations, encouraging him to track down the “Rejects” and to kill them like dogs. Soon enough, the guilt and mental pressure are too much for the sheriff.

Whether Zombie realized it or not, I believe the key to making Rejects a good film was to stop trying so hard. His first feature felt like he was pushing the “psycho factor” a little too hard, resulting in a forced and hacky film. This time around, Zombie’s observing these characters around, capturing what’s going on, leaving us with a much more watchable and much more natural film, not only in the performances, but also in the filmmaking. A few of the times that the film suffered were the times that it felt like Zombie interceded (such as the resolution to the “Rejects”/Sheriff storyline).

Though I have to ask, why is this movie set in the 70’s? I realize Zombie is a fan of 70’s horror films, and some of the (excellent) artwork for this film evoke a 70’s feel, but there’s very little about this film that requires it to be set in the 70’s; it doesn’t even benefit from it. If there weren’t title cards before House of 1000 Corpses or The Devil’s Rejects, I would have never known that it didn’t take place today, and honestly, after the first five minutes, I totally forgot that it didn’t. Now that I think about it, the film suffers from the 70’s setting (not much), because, since the setting is so indistinguishable, when I do remember its setting, I start to analyze how it did a poor job of cementing the story in the era. The Devil’s Rejects is meant to be a modern-day gore flick to honor the old ones, so wouldn’t it be fitting if it took place in modern times?

A more important situation that I think is dealt with incorrectly is that, when forced to, the film takes sides in a story that I think would have benefited from more objectivity. Several events, and of course the ending, confirm that Zombie’s allegiance lies with the “Rejects,” and I wish it wasn’t so obvious, because for most of the film it appears to be a neutral stance. I guess I had assumed that Zombie was portraying two monsters equally when in reality his strategy seemed to be to justify his pet monster by providing an even bigger one (in the Sheriff).

But ultimately, The Devil’s Rejects gets things right. It manages to have interesting, appealing characters without putting too much effort into explaining their motivations, and it does it all without drawing much attention to its intentions, methods, and style.