House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
2003
R
89 Minutes
Two teenage couples traveling across the backwoods of Texas searching for urban legends of serial killers end up as prisoners of a bizarre and sadistic backwater family of serial killers.
User Review
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Mixed feelings on this one.
I love the look of this film, and the way Zombie intercuts his scenes with everything from vintage television advertisements to grimy, hand-held exploitation clips. The sets are numerous, elaborate, and convincingly realized. I'm impressed that Zombie has a handle on his aesthetic so early in his career, even if he frequently takes it too far.
In my mind there are far too many similarities between House of 1000 Corpses and the first two Texas Chainsaw Massacre films; it steps across the line from emulation to near plagiarism. It might have been easier to ignore if Bill Moseley had not been cast. I like his performance, but I couldn't get Chop Top out of my head during his scenes.
Another performance that hurts the film is that of Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon--no surprise there. Zombie is also one of the worst dialogue writers in film history; I cringe when his characters say almost anything. I will admit that both of these elements are far less offensive to me in this particular film than elsewhere in Zombie's oeuvre, but they are still present here, sapping my energies and patience.
House of 1000 Corpses is certainly worth a viewing, mostly for the white trash/grindhouse art direction and Sid Haig's hilarious performance as Captain Spaulding. Still, you're probably better off watching TCM.0 member like this review.
