3 From Hell

Fair is fair, Devil's Rejects wins the prize.

Did I hate 3 From Hell? Absolutely not. I think Rob Zombie wanted to kinda flip the script and do something different which I very much liked. If there was only one problem with the film I would say it's the fact that it takes place after Devil's Rejects and I felt that ending was pretty final. So somehow our favorite gang of killers survived the police blockade and have spent a decade in prison before escaping and trying to figure out what to do next, with no real end goal they take to the roads before ending up in Mexico for a unusual yet still good climax. I find it quite funny that Baby went from my least favorite to most favorite through these movies, it could almost be argued the film has a focus on her after being imprisoned for 10 years and she starts to question what's really the point of it all. I'm here for it, I love it, that's a good dynamic to have! Otis is still Otis but with a lot more humor this time, practically playing parent to Baby so I just had a ball with Bill Moseley's performance. I knew it was unlikely I would see Sid on the road again with the group, and to know he passed away not even a week after the film hit theaters is a damn shame but I'm happy to see just a little bit of him in this. So we have newcomer to the Firefly family Winslow enter the group and I will admit I did very much enjoy Richard Brake's performance throughout, so I wasn't upset about the mix up of cast. Once again, great tone setup and cinematography with most of it having that distinctive 70s film grain and I'm not sure whether my eyes got used to it or what but it was looking good near the end. One thing I of course noticed through all of these movies is the classic horror movies playing on the television sets, mostly Universal Monsters but if you know your stuff you'll pick out the lesser known films too, so no surprise I'm heavily appreciative of those inclusions. But yeah, the style is this odd mesh of documentary style footage like Cannibal Holocaust, the Rob Zombie zest we always get, there's even some Robert Rodriguez influence like Grindhouse and El Mariachi thrown in but it works very well for me. I haven't delved into any of Rob Zombie's work though I've heard a few tracks of his, so this was a very pleasant surprise and a mighty good week of movies to watch. He really is the kind of director who just wants to shoot what he wants, studio system be damned, amd I say good for him. He made some good movies more horror fans should check out, and for anyone who has a strong stomach and twisted sense of humor. I really had no idea what to expect in the slightest but consider me interested to talk about more of his movies in the future. I give this 3 stars, 7.5/10, might not be the best of them all but I'll take it over horror remakes anyday.

Next week, a very long awaited genre of monster is finally walking in.