House of 1000 Corpses
House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 American exploitation horror film written, co-scored and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut. The film stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, and Karen Black as members of the Firefly family. Set on Halloween, the film sees the Firefly family torturing and mutilating a group of teenagers who are traveling across the country writing a book. The film explores a number of genres, and features elements of the supernatural. Zombie cited American horror films "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974) and "The Hills Have Eyes" (1977) as influences on "House of 1000 Corpses", as well as other films released during the 1970s.
House of 1000 Corpses
"JoBlo.com" had a more positive view of the film, claiming it "slaps together 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." Horror Express gave the film a generally positive review, claiming "He has succeeded for the most part, but really this is only a film Rob Zombie could do. Beyond the harkening back to the old days, there are instances where Zombie's signature style comes through. It's a style he has honed over the years through his videos, animations and music. Grotesque imagery is shown through skewed camera angles as grinning faces watch on. A use of bright fluorescents almost creates a deceptive atmosphere of childlike innocence as the devils perfect their craft on screen." "Entertainment Weekly" gave it a C+, saying ""House of 1000 Corpses" "isn’t coherent, exactly, but what dripping-ghoul horror movie is these days? The new rule is, It’s not hip to make sense when you’re raising hell." Maitland McDonagh of "TV Guide" gave the film two out of four stars, stating " It is ugly—in the distinctively washed out, grainy, slightly burned manner of low-budget '70s films—gory and single-mindedly mean, none of which is a criticism since that's exactly what it wants to be." The project was well received by the "LA Times", who wrote "Let's give the devil his due. Zombie, who displays a natural flair for the cinematic, has a real appreciation and knowledge of horror pictures and a Diane Arbus-like affinity for sleazy, bizarre Americana and schlock culture. Throughout his fast-moving movie he inserts vintage clips in a witty, telling manner, and as to be expected, Zombie, with Scott Humphries, has come through with a rip-roaring score for his picture." The film has a 19% "rotten" rating on film review website Rotten Tomatoes, based on eighty reviews, saying "There's an abundance of gore in this derivative horror movie, but little sense or wit." It has a Metacritic score of 31, signifying "generally unfavorable reviews".