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THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (2005) (***1/2)

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This sequel to Rob Zombie’s HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES was something that I wasn’t looking forward to seeing before it came out. However, the positive reviews for the film made me want to give it a chance. Zombie, the frontman for the band White Zombie, has made a huge leap forward in his filmmaking career with this twisted horror film that harkens back to 1970s classics like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.

One doesn’t need to see the nearly unwatchable first film to see this one. The film is bloody and gory and also morbidly funny. Zombie seems to be playing with the conventions of the slasher film, making you drawn to and repulsed by the killers at the same time. The film begins with a police raid on a farmhouse where a family of savage killers and rapists are keeping young women prisoner. The standoff ends with the matriarch Mother Firefly (Leslie Easterbrook, POLICE ACADEMY) arrested and her children Otis (Bill Moseley, ARMY OF DARKNESS) and Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie, 2004’s TOOLBOX MURDERS) on the run.

The siblings contact their absent father Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig, FOXY BROWN), who joins them on the run. Pursuing them is Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe, RAISING ARIZONA), whose brother was killed by the family. The cast is filled with cult character actors like Matthew McGrory (giant in BIG FISH), Geoffrey Lewis (HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER), Priscilla Barnes (Terri on THREE’S COMPANY), Ken Foree (original DAWN OF THE DEAD), Danny Trejo (tattooed guy in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN), Diamond Dallas Page (pro wrestler), EG Daily (the girlfriend in PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE), P.J. Soles (ROCK ‘N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL) and Michael Berryman (bald biker in WEIRD SCIENCE).

The killer family could be described as the rapists in DELIVERENCE on acid and influenced by NATURAL BORN KILLERS. There's sick and twisted, but have a sense of humor about it. Sheriff Wydell doesn’t have a sense of humor and becomes more and more unhinged as he pursues the killers, wanting revenge. In mixing horror standards, the film captures a strange commentary on the genre and why an audience is drawn to films like these. Just think about who you feel scared for toward the end? Visually the film is gritty and works perfectly well with the tone of the film. For twisted, gory horror entertainment, this film delivers in spades. It’s not for everyone, but it knows its audience and tells a compelling story along the way.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks