House of 1000 Corpses

First-time director Rob Zombie's mondo, balls-out shocker could easily be dismissed as vile and depraved (upon seeing the finished product, two studios changed their minds about distributing it, giving the film instant notoriety and cult cachet). But Zombie's passion for the punishing horror films that haunted the local drive-ins of his youth is palpable, and he tosses in everything but the kitchen sink here, not to mention such surreal, in-joke touches as naming several of his characters after those in Marx Brothers films! The story concerns wayward travelers who wind up in the company of a very deadly and dysfunctional family, yet unlike the post-modern, ironic frights of the Scream trilogy, House of 1000 Corpses delivers shocks that are merciless and unrelenting, a bracing throwback to such nihilistic '70s horror films as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Sure to be a controversial addition with its over-the-top gore, this is a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras (including a long-running main menu monologue with “Captain Spaulding” as he reads porn, eats, and berates the viewer for not choosing an option) include the option of a music-only track, audio commentary by director Rob Zombie, a four-minute making-of featurette, a three-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a three-minute outtake segment, a two-minute “casting” screen test segment, rehearsal segments for three scenes (between one and three minutes each), four cast interviews (between two and six minutes each), a still gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an over-the-top gorefest.] (K. Lee Benson)