House of 1000 Corpses (2003) Review

House of 1000 Corpses was directed by Rob Zombie (who also directed Halloween, Halloween II and The Devil’s Rejects) and stars the late Sid Haig (from Abruptio, Cynthia, Death House), Bill Moseley (from Boar, The Horde, Almost Mercy) and Sheri Moon Zombie (from The Lords of Salem, 3 From Hell). It’s about a group of unlucky bastards who stop off at a killer roadside attraction run by the deranged Captain Spaulding.

You’ll never get out alive.

House of 1000 Corpses introduces us to a lovely family of psychopaths who are featured further in the follow up movie The Devil’s Rejects, and even further in 3 From Hell. In this one, a group of unlucky bastards are pulled into the world of Captain Spaulding and friends, who unleash their deranged horrors upon the young travelers who do everything they can think of in desperate hopes of escape. This movie is creative brutality and utter depravity at its finest. In other words, it’s a typical Rob Zombie flick.

House of 1000 Corpses follows a couple of guys working on a book about unique roadside attractions across the country. He asks Captain Spaulding about the legend of Dr. Satan, who the Captain reluctantly helps him find. Of course, searching out Dr. Satan turned out to be a really, really big mistake. These people find themselves held captive in a dingy filthy house by the most wild, deranged, and strangely likable family imaginable. Well, maybe not “imaginable” since the Firefly family are clearly inspired by the Sawyer family from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Bill Moseley who plays Otis Driftwood, actually played essentially the same looking character as Robert “Chop Top” Sawyer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.

But back to the depravity. House of 1000 Corpses is a gritty, grungy and grotesque movie to say the least. The atmosphere is dingy and dirty, you can practically smell the filth in this house. The characters are wild and playful and the cinematography is creatively psychedelic. There’s fun interactions, brutal torture and gore everywhere you look. Overall it’s an amazing accomplishment for being Rob Zombie’s directorial debut.