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The Devil's Rejects






The Devil's Rejects was my favorite film of 2005, and it is a rare example if a sequel surpassing the original. As rare as this situation may be, it's even rarer in the genre of horror. But then again, it's hard to classify The Devil's Rejects as a straight-up horror flick. There are psycho killers, but they are positioned as the "heroes" (or at the very least, protagonists) of the film. The movie begins as the Ruggsville Sheriff's Department descends on the farm of the Firefly clan, a family of serial murderers and sadistic torturers. In the ensuing shootout, Otis and Baby Firefly escape capture and contact Baby's father, Capt. Spalding, telling him that the heat is on and they need to run. Along the way there are some murders, some sex, and some cameos from film and TV stars of the 70's.
And I would be remiss not to mention Rob Zombie's incredible writing and directing. As much as I hated his first film House of 1000 Corpses, he knocked the follow-up out of the park. All the issues I had with his pacing, cinematography, character development, and focus were thrown out the window and he produced a modern day cult classic. The southern-fried 70's rock soundtrack is great, as is the score by Tyler Bates (even if it doesn't sound too different from his work on the Dawn of the Dead remake). And Bill Mosley as Otis Driftwood was incredible. One of the best portrayals of charismatic evil I have seen in a long while, and it doesn't hurt that Zombie gave him all of the best lines. It's a gory, graphic and surprisingly funny homage to the drive-in films of the 70's and it's a classic in its own right.