What The Critics Say
"Dazzling visuals, gob smacking editing, flamboyant sets and deliciously over the top characters...I fail to see what the attraction is with this film."
Clint Morris MOVIEHOLE
"Underneath the unhinged surfaces of this film is a tight little thriller that really grabs hold and never lets go."
Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL
"That rare film that strives for cult status and will most likely achieve it."
Walter Chaw FILM FREAK CENTRAL
"A fascinating train wreck of a horror movie."
Mark Dujsik MOVIE INSIDER
"Just the right amount of creepy atmosphere, nervous laughter, cheap scares, fun rides and blood and guts to satisfy any major fan of the macabre."
JoBlo JOBLO'S MOVIE EMPORIUM
"It's quite unlike anything you've ever seen - or will ever want to see again."
Jamie Russell BBCi FILM
"A legitimate achievement in horror filmmaking."
Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT
"Rob Zombie had a perfectly good splatter film going. Then he had to go too far."
Mike Ross EDMONTON SUN
"Zombie works the camera well and his music talents allow for a good use of the hard rock score, but ultimately despite all the visual trickery there's a lack of atmosphere, tension and even shock."
Garth Franklin DARK HORIZONS
"Unintentionally comical like a bad '70s slasher flick, but also enthralling in a circus freak show sort of way."
Andrew Manning RADIO FREE ENTERTAINMENT
The Psycho Murderers
Albert Fish......
Fish was an infamous masochist, sadist, child killer, and most importantly, cannibal. Born in 1870, he was driven to madness, tortured with needles through his groin as a child.
Ed Greene
......
Greene, the “Psycho of Mainsfield,” was a murderer and cannibal who preyed on women, with particular focus on their sexual organs.
Local “Hero” Quail
......
More fondly known as Dr Satan, Quail was a murderer, torturer, mastic, and plastic surgeon, who worked at Willows County Medical hospital, nicknamed Weeping Willows. Using his own primitive brain surgery techniques, Quail attempted to create a race of superheroes from the mentally ill. He was hung on a tree, but his body disappeared and has yet to be discovered. Is he still alive? Maybe he lives next door to you?
The Grissly Characters
Captain Spaulding......
Owner and proprietor of Capt. Spaulding’s Museum of Monsters and Madmen. Who is this murdering clown? Just another backwoods psycho or part of the Firefly clan?
Otis/Dr Satan
: Rotten teeth, dead pale skin and long filthy white hair – this is one lowdown dirty killing machine. He claims to be part of the Firefly clan, so why is his last name Driftwood?
Mother Firefly
......
This aging nympho never quits. All her babies seem to have different fathers, especially Tiny. As sweet as apple pie, as seductive as your back alley sexpot, and as deadly as rattlesnake, look out for this one.
Baby
......
Five-foot ten-inches of blonde dynamite, she’ll love you and leave you…dead. As crazy as her mother, but who exactly is the Daddy?
Grampa Hugo
......
This dirty old man is always happy for some young stuff. Grampa Hugo and Otis are clearly cut from the same filth. What does he know about Dr. Satan?
Tiny
......
A misnomer in the flesh, Tiny was the victim of his own Deadbeat Dad, Earl, who beat the family and in a fit of wild paranoia, tried to burn down the house. Poor Tiny, asleep in the basement, made it out alive but terribly burned, scarred and lost all his hearing. Though shy because of his deformity, Tiny is quite the "ladykiller".
The Blood Thirsty Facts
"The gory bloodbaths are as gratuitous as ten Friday The 13ths combined on a Halloween night: if ever there was a film destined for Rocky Horror cultdom, this sanguinary delight is it." .... Mike Sage PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK
If you failed to make it through the recent edition of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", be warned, don't waste your time and money on "House Of 1000 Corpses", because, believe me, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" pales into insignificance when compared to this nasty, gory, horror-fest of mutilation and sadistic behaviour. The question many will want answered is of course, just how did this sick little puppy make it on to the big screen? The answer is simple. The hard way. Originally devised by Rob Zombie
in April 2000, it's path into cinemas has not been an easy one. In fact, two major studios took on the project before handing it back to Rob Zombie. The reason? Obviously it was just too dark for them. And dark it is for this truly is the sickest little puppy I've ever seen so far. The murderous slayings, mayhem, mutilation, torture and sadistic behaviour relentlessly assaults ones senses and to be brutal, you'll have to be tough to take this one on folks. After all. two studios didn't!
Initially Universal Studios got behind the project after Zombie designed a horror display for their theme park. But, even though he wrote, directed and then had the film produced and edited, Universal pulled the plug citing the film as, "too dark and disturbing for release under their corporate releasing guidelines." In the northern spring of 2002 Zombie once again focussed on his film. It was sold "to MGM for a Halloween release, bypassing offers from several smaller studios." Unfortunately MGM too back out on the project citing similar reasons to Universal Pictures. Enter Lions Gate Entertainment
the company associated with such entertaining films as "Monsters Ball" [which won Halle Berry the 2001 Academy Award for Best Actress], "Frailty", "Cat’s Meow", the Australian smash-hit movie "Lantana", "Secretary", "Lovely & Amazing", "Confidence" with it's huge cast featuring Dustin Hoffman, Ed Burns, Rachel Weisz and Andy Garcia, "Shattered Glass" starring Hayden Christensen and the true-crime drama "Wonderland" which starred Val Kilmer. Now cinema fans can make up their own minds as to whether Zombies film was as Universal Pictures described it, "too dark and disturbing for release."
Cast & Crew Bytes
"House Of 1000 Corpses" was Written and Directed by rock star Rob Zombie [composed songs for "Private Parts", "Valentine", "The Scorpion King" and "Daredevil"], Produced by Andy Gould ["House Of 1000 Corpses"], Costume Design by Amanda Friedland ["Rave", "Fight Club" and "Stargate"] Special Make-up Effects by Wayne Toth ["Pulp Fiction", "The Haunting", "Men In Black" and "Alien"], Original Music by Rob Zombie and Scott Humphrey [composed songs for "The Matrix", "End Of Days" and "The Matrix Reloaded"] and Set Decoration by Lisa K Sessions ["Slackers", "Sweet Home Alabama" and the soon to be released "Catwoman"].
"House Of 1000 Corpses"
stars Billy Moseley ["Night of the Living Dead", "Essence of Echoes" and "Crash and Burn"] as Otis, Karen Black ["Trilogy of Terror", "Children Of The Corn 4", "Five Easy Pieces" and "The Great Gatsby"], Sheri Moon ["Dragula", "Living Dead Girl" and "More Human Than Human"], Jennifer Jostyn ["Milo", "Telling You" and "Deep Impact"], Chris Hardwick ["Jane White is Sick & Twisted"], Rainn Wilson ["Full Frontal", "America’s Sweetheart", "Almost Famous" and "Galaxy Quest"], Erin Daniels ["One Hour Photo"] with William Bassett ["1776", "The Towering Inferno" and "The Karate Kid"] as Sherrif Huston and Sid Haig ["Spiderbaby", "Coffy", "Jackie Brown" and "Diamonds Are Forever"] as Captain Spaulding.
The Story
The Verdict
"A gory bloodfest of monumental proportions. "House Of 1000 Corpses" is not for the fainthearted. The sickest flick I've seen. Horror beyond belief. Will leave you speachless and sleeping with the lights on. The murder and mayhem flows through "House Of 1000 Corpses" right up to it's last horrific moments. Bloodier than an abattoirs slaughter room."
The Cast
Chad Bannon
Sid Haig
William Bassett
Karen Black
Bill Moseley
Michael J Pollard
Joe Dobbs
Sheri Moon
Jeanne Carmen
Judith Drake
Chris Hardwick
Gregg Gibbs
Tom Towles
Erin Daniels
Dennis Fimple
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Karl
Captain Spaulding
Sheriff Huston
Mother Firefly
Otis/Dr Satan
Stucky
Gerry Ober
Baby
Miss Bunny
Skunk Ape Wife
Jerry Goldsmith
Dr Wolfenstein
George Wydell
Denise Willis
Grandpa Hugo
The Crew
Written & Directed by Rob Zombie
Produced by Andy Gould
Special Effects by Michael O'Brien
Film Editing by Robert K Lambert & Robert W Hedland
Casting by Dean E Fronk & Donald Paul Pemrick
Production Design by Gregg Gibbs
Art Direction by Michael Krantz
Set Decoration by Lisa K Sessions
Run Time 89 minutes
Rated MA15+ [AUST]
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