Yup, I'm a fan of the 70's horror genre. I rented the 1000 Corpses DVD knowing full well that it was paying homage to those films (particularly "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), that it was an edited version of the movie, and that reviews of the film were -- at best -- mixed.
Well, my review is mixed too. Let me say, first, what I like about this film:
It's exuberant. It's cheerful, in a sicko sort of way. It's got all the relentless screaming and running and twisty passages that take me back to my childhood. It's creative and quirky and funny at times. Sid Haig is perfect as Captain Spaulding, the good ol' boy clown with a bad attitude. Karen Black was tailor-made for Madame Firefly's hicky, twisted, over-sexed but not-entirely-there routine. And I've got to say, Tiny, Doctor Satan and The Professor are inspired, horrific inventions that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
This movie grabs some of the more memborable parts of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: a quirky group of teens who aren't particularly likeable, an inbred family who hunts humans and which operates on a mysterious, mythological logic that makes no sense to their victims. You've also got a female character who is singled out and tormented for a long time as she runs from one bizarre set to another.
But the problem is, this film didn't bother enough with character development. The TCM teens were notable because they seemed REAL, while the 1000 Corpses teens are caricatures (the slacker, the uptight one, the bitchy girlfriend, the nice girlfriend). Sure, they have interesting quirks, but they're barely integrated into the film.
The same goes for the actual family. While the TCM families all had a coherance to them, you really can't see how Otis, Tiny, Baby and the rest all relate to each-other. What's more, Baby is a terrible actress. Her oft-repeated laugh sent shivers down my spine, not because it was creepy, but because it sounded weak and forced and was always put in the forefront of the scenes. Granted, her "Boop-Boop-A-Doo" routine was great, but she simply cannot play a crazy person. Her rabbit fairy-tale speech is the most embarassing thing I've ever seen on film. Hey Rob, enough with the girlfriend/wife-in-a-major-role stuff, it's bad.
Bill Mosely flounders as well, strangely enough, considering he excelled as "Chop Top" in TCM 2. Here he seems tired and always one step behind his lines, as though he doesn't know what they mean. Otis is a poor Chop Top impersonation...sort of Chop Top with a bad cold, 20 years later.
Stick with the movie. The final 20 minutes -- while seemingly disconnected from the rest of the film -- are disturbing, if not actually frightening. I'm willing to give Rob Zombie the benefit of the doubt, that maybe this film suffered from a vicious editing job, and that a Director's Cut will redeem it in the future. I can see this becoming a cult phenomenon, and though it's desperately trying to be one I think it still deserves it: a lot of inspiration went into this movie, and it's just weird enough to pull it off. Some of the time.
And if you're watching the extras on the DVD, be sure to check out the Tiny Stump jokes. This is what I like about this movie: people seemed to be having fun, even when the material was bad.
Well, my review is mixed too. Let me say, first, what I like about this film:
It's exuberant. It's cheerful, in a sicko sort of way. It's got all the relentless screaming and running and twisty passages that take me back to my childhood. It's creative and quirky and funny at times. Sid Haig is perfect as Captain Spaulding, the good ol' boy clown with a bad attitude. Karen Black was tailor-made for Madame Firefly's hicky, twisted, over-sexed but not-entirely-there routine. And I've got to say, Tiny, Doctor Satan and The Professor are inspired, horrific inventions that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
This movie grabs some of the more memborable parts of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: a quirky group of teens who aren't particularly likeable, an inbred family who hunts humans and which operates on a mysterious, mythological logic that makes no sense to their victims. You've also got a female character who is singled out and tormented for a long time as she runs from one bizarre set to another.
But the problem is, this film didn't bother enough with character development. The TCM teens were notable because they seemed REAL, while the 1000 Corpses teens are caricatures (the slacker, the uptight one, the bitchy girlfriend, the nice girlfriend). Sure, they have interesting quirks, but they're barely integrated into the film.
The same goes for the actual family. While the TCM families all had a coherance to them, you really can't see how Otis, Tiny, Baby and the rest all relate to each-other. What's more, Baby is a terrible actress. Her oft-repeated laugh sent shivers down my spine, not because it was creepy, but because it sounded weak and forced and was always put in the forefront of the scenes. Granted, her "Boop-Boop-A-Doo" routine was great, but she simply cannot play a crazy person. Her rabbit fairy-tale speech is the most embarassing thing I've ever seen on film. Hey Rob, enough with the girlfriend/wife-in-a-major-role stuff, it's bad.
Bill Mosely flounders as well, strangely enough, considering he excelled as "Chop Top" in TCM 2. Here he seems tired and always one step behind his lines, as though he doesn't know what they mean. Otis is a poor Chop Top impersonation...sort of Chop Top with a bad cold, 20 years later.
Stick with the movie. The final 20 minutes -- while seemingly disconnected from the rest of the film -- are disturbing, if not actually frightening. I'm willing to give Rob Zombie the benefit of the doubt, that maybe this film suffered from a vicious editing job, and that a Director's Cut will redeem it in the future. I can see this becoming a cult phenomenon, and though it's desperately trying to be one I think it still deserves it: a lot of inspiration went into this movie, and it's just weird enough to pull it off. Some of the time.
And if you're watching the extras on the DVD, be sure to check out the Tiny Stump jokes. This is what I like about this movie: people seemed to be having fun, even when the material was bad.
