Writer/director Rob Zombie's theatrical breakthrough, the terrifying House of 1000 Corpses, returns courtesy of Fathom Events, to commemorate its 20th anniversary, led by (of all ghoulish things) a special intro from its devil-may-care creator.
For this initial chapter in what became a blood-curdling trilogy, Zombie recalls such grindhouse chillers as Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jack Hill's Spider Baby and Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes and The Last House on the Left.
For 1000 Corpses, unassuming travelers on Halloween Eve, intent on documenting roadside attractions, picks up a perky hitchhiker, whose family welcomes them to dinner and a saucy, Vaudevillian show: not a bad deal per se, except that the inhabitants are mad as hatters and eager to torture their guests. Matters only continue to worsen for the unwitting captives (at least those who "survive"), leading to an inescapable climax.
1000 Corpses holds a huge, powerhouse cast, including Sheri Moon (Lords of Salem) Zombie as the sexy but sadistic Baby; Bill (Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2) Moseley as the deadly Otis B. Driftwood; Dennis (Creature from Black Lake) Fimple as Grandpa Hugo; Karen (Trilogy of Terror) Black as Mama Firefly; Matthew (The Dead Hate the Living) McGory as Tiny; Michael J. (Bonnie and Clyde) Pollard as Stucky; Walter (Wishmaster) Phelan as Dr. Satan; Jake (Ginger Snaps 2/Ginger Snaps Back) McKinnon as Earl Firefly ("The Professor"); Chris (The Talking Dead) Hardwick as Jerry Goldsmith; Rainn (The Office) Wilson as Bill Hudley; William H. (Soulkeeper) Bassett as Sheriff Frank Huston; Tom (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) Towles as Deputy George Wydell; Walton (Invincible) Goggins as Deputy Steve Naish; Irwin (The Warriors) Keyes as Ravelli; Greg (The Hillside Strangler) Gibbs as Dr. Wolfenstein; Erin (One Hour Photo) Daniels as Denise Willis; Harrison (The Game) Young as Donald Willis; Jennifer (Omega Cop) Jostyn as Mary Knowles; and the peerless Sid (Spider Baby) Haig as the loveable (ahem) Captain Spaulding. Yep, quite a staggering who's who for quite an unsettling ninety minutes, but that's just part of what makes this sadistic, genre-pleasing novelty such uncompromising fun.
The film's prime locale was, in fact, used in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, but for this sickly sojourn, only gut-wrenching terror occupies the rooms, along with colorful, monster murals. It's a bizarre, dual deal all right, but then Zombie's artistic approach is revered for such nostalgic juxtaposing.
Celebrate this disturbing masterpiece as it once more splatters the big screen October 8 & 11.
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