I’m a big fan of House of 1000 Corpses; I thought it was inspired, twisted and truly horrifying. When I watched it I thought to myself “This has Rob Zombie’s style written all over it”.
Last night I saw Devil’s Rejects. I’m still trying to decide how I feel about it. It doesn’t have the claustrophobic air that made Corpses so effective for me. And the style of the movie, while dead-on 70’s, seemed to lack Zombie’s personal touch.
What happened to Dr. Satan? He was almost the entire point of the first movie - is he still out in the back fields underground? And what about the other brother of the family - the musclebound guy that went with Baby to get booze in Corpses?
My current impression is that, as opposed to a true sequel, Rejects is almost a alternate timeline version of the Firefly family story.
Well, I just got the DVD (WOW!)- there’s a deleted scene with Dr. Satan in the hospital, the big muscular brother (Rufus) is glimpsed during the first police raid & is killed in that shootout, there’s no mention at all of Grampa Hugo (the actor who played him died before the DVD of HOUSE came out).
I recommend watching the DVD movie once straight through, then with Sid & Bill & Sherri’s commentary, I haven’t checked Rob’s commentary yet, or “The Making of…” documentary. Good tribute to Matthew McGrory (Tiny).
There’s definitely a major change in tone & in the characters, which is noted in the commentary- Sherri’s manic laugh & Otis’s albinism are gone as is most of his Manson-ranting (he does quote Charles Tex Watson once & goes into quiet thoughtful pauses).
It’s definitely a different vision from HOUSE- but technically is a sequel as Sheriff Wydell is out to avenge his brother killed in HOUSE.