House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 horror-thriller made in the tradition of the shocking and gory grindhouse exploitation movies of the 70s. It’s also particularly prominent for being the directorial debut for the one and only Rob Zombie. As could be expected from this infamous shock rock star, this movie is beyond theatrical, reveling in violence and style and strangeness -- sometimes to the detriment of comprehensibility. The result is an over-the-top spectacle with plenty of incredibly fun moments and quotes, as well as a rather loose, meandering, and incoherent story.
In this movie, four youths on a road trip through America to see all its hidden roadside attractions stumble across a local mystery, a mysterious maniac known only as “Dr. Satan” who escaped his own hanging and hasn’t been seen since. As the kids try to chase down the Doctor’s hanging tree, they stumble into a den of killers, the likes of which they could never have predicted. That’s the condensed pitch. I haven’t even touched on the killer clown, the robbery gone wrong, the mystery of kidnapped local cheerleaders, and one scene about a “skunk ape” that’s never brought up again.
If that sounds complicated and messy to you, then you would be right. Part of it is due to executives cutting down scenes that tie some things together due to their content, but even so, the movie’s plot is glutted with about a billion different ideas, most of which don’t get much chance to develop, nor do they particularly fit together. The resulting plot is thus disjointed, strange, and just plain awkward.
Furthermore, the visuals are as engrossing as they are distracting. The editing is rife with psychedelic filters, strange cutaways, and other such gimmicks, and they can be remarkably fun to watch and delightfully discombobulating, but they can also get in the way of immersion. The climax, makeup and effects, as nonsensical and surreal as they might seem, are also nevertheless quite well-done and beautifully designed.
All of this, combined with a tone that plays its horror elements so far it reaches the point of hilarity, combines to create a campy mess of a movie. And honestly, I loved it for that. I found it endlessly entertaining; from the in-your-face visuals to the awkward story, everything in this movie was a treat for a lover of cheap shock treatment like me. This movie isn’t for everybody, as most might get put off by its mangled plot or find its focus on gore and style-over-substance off-putting. However, for people who enjoy strange and over-the-top cinema, which I imagine most bothering to read this review would be, it’s a real treat.
Overall, I would rate this movie 4.2/5 Houses (or 4200/5000 Corpses).
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