THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (2005)
starring Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon
I actually hadn’t watched "House of 1000 Corpses" when I went to the theater to see Rob Zombie's "sequel" "The Devil's Rejects." But "Rejects," although it's a sequel, stands well on its own. In fact, after finally seeing "House", you realize it is so superior to "House," that you could skip that film and go straight to "Devil's."
To say "Devil's Rejects" kicks ass is a bit of an understatement. It's undeniably the most grueling American horror film within a 10-year span, evoking the political incorrectness and nihilism of gut-wrenching early 1970s horrors. Sadly, this NC-17 movie didn’t make much of a dent at the box office.
From its opening moments, the 1978-set "Rejects" reminds us that there is something undeniably freaky about the 1970s, perhaps just the absence of cell phnes or a nihilism that existed in the post-Watergate period that is definitely reflected I the horror films from the era. This was the era of Charles Manson, remember. The ranch at the beginning of this film is a bit reminiscent of Spahn Ranch, with a little "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" thrown in for good measure.
The film opens with a brutal gunfight at the farm-home of a family of Satanists led by Bill Moseley. Rob Zombie's wife Sheri Moon is somewhat unbelievable as the girl of the group. She's a tad too good looking to be in a family of butchers. More believable are Sid Haig as the John Wayne Gacy-like clown/serial killer, Sid Haig, as the long-haired leader and Leslie Easterbrook as the nearly demon-possessed matriarch of the clan.
"Devil's Rejects" begins with a documentary feel, and has shaky cameras throughout the storyline, which follows the exploits of a vengeful Christian cop (William Forsythe) as he becomes more and more pissed off at the satanic family's capacity to evade capture.
The performances in "Rejects" are all top notch, making the moments of sadism, already reminiscent of Craven's "Last House on the Left," all the more believable. Moseley is particularly chilling as the David Hess-like character. Watch for "Hills Have Eyes" star Michael Berryman in a small part, Ken Foree of "Dawn of the Dead" hamming it up quite well as a pimp and P.J. Soles of "Halloween" in another small part.
A must-see horror film from 2005, a year that saw an increasing amount of PG-13 fear films generating huge amounts of revenue.