The Devil's Rejects (2005)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Rob Zombie

Writers (WGA):

Rob Zombie (characters)
Rob Zombie (written by)

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Hell doesn't want them. Hell doesn't need them. Hell doesn't love them. This world rejects them.

Plot:

In Ruggsville, Texas, the police under the command of Sheriff John Quincy Wydell attack the house of the sadistic serial killers Firefly family (a.k.a...

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Revenge | Captain | Murder | Sequel

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Sid Haig	...	Captain Spaulding / James Cutter
Bill Moseley	...	Otis B. Driftwood
Sheri Moon Zombie	...	Baby Firefly / Vera-Ellen
William Forsythe	...	Sheriff John Quincy Wydell
Ken Foree	...	Charlie Altamont
Matthew McGrory	...	Tiny
Leslie Easterbrook	...	Mother Firefly
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Roy Sullivan
Priscilla Barnes	...	Gloria Sullivan
Dave Sheridan	...	Officer Ray Dobson
Kate Norby	...	Wendy Banjo
Lew Temple	...	Adam Banjo
Danny Trejo	...	Rondo
Dallas Page	...	Billy Ray Snapper (as Diamond Dallas Page)
Brian Posehn	...	Jimmy

Also Known As:

House of 1000 Corpses 2 (USA) (working title)
House of 2,000 Corpses (USA) (working title)
TDR - The Devil's Rejects (Germany)
The Devil's Rejects: House of 1000 Corpses 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sadistic violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use.

Runtime:

107 min | 109 min (unrated director's cut)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R18 | Portugal:M/18 | Iceland:16 | Germany:18 (nf) (also director's cut) | Argentina:18 | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Canada:R (Ontario) (unrated version) | France:-16 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 (DVD) | Italy:VM14 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | UK:18 | USA:R | Ireland:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:R (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

The anchorman is named Derek Sanderson after the NHL player of the same name who played for the Boston Bruins during the '70s. Director Rob Zombie has mentioned during multiple interviews his affinity for the Bruins as a child growing up in Massachusetts.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Otis, Baby and Spaulding are riding in the car toward the road block, after the incident with officer Wydell, there is blood all over the car, except not on the lower part by baby's leg where she was shot previously.

Quotes:

[Wydell prepares to chase Baby with an ax]
Sheriff John Wydell: RABBIT!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (2005-11-14)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Rock On

The Devil's Rejects

Back in 2000 former White Zombie front man/ avid horror fan Rob Zombie made a loving tribute to the 70's and early 80's exploitation/ horror films he grew up watching called "The House of 1000 Corpses". It had major studio backing (Universal, known for its rich horror history) and looked like it would be able to get a wide release and hopefully movie horror away from the trendy ascetics of the late 90's "Scream" offspring and back to its darker and more primal roots. Apparently Zombie did too good of job because after seeing the film for the first time Universal executives saw no way for the film to escape with anything less than and NC-17 and dropped it like a hot potato. Luckily Zombie was able to buy it back and eventually sold it to Lion's Gate in 2003 who ran it in American theaters where it gained a small cult following. It was however successful enough to warrant a sequel two years later.

"The Devil's Rejects" continues the story of a gang of vicious killers known as the Firefly family. After shootout with the cops only two family members are able to escape, Otis B Driftwood and Baby Firefly. On the run the meet up with fellow family member Captain Spaulding, who also runs a gas station and side show. Chasing them is Sheriff John Quincy Wydell, the brother of one of the family's victims in the first movie. As he chases the killers down he looses more and more contact with reality as he slips into madness and becomes just as sadistic as the scum he claims to be cleansing the world of in the name of justice.

"The Devil's Rejects" is everything you could possibly want in a movie like this. It's violent, dirty, and unfriendly. It even contains a lot of sex. Zombie even combines sex and violence in several scenes which as any horror and exploitation fan can fell you is something that has been missing from mainstream American movies for the past several years. This movie is unabashed in its portrayal of violence and it's quite obvious Zombie refuses to hold back to avoid offending someone. Good call Rob. This is also a very dirty film filled with plenty of trashy looking characters that no one would want to meet in a dark ally.

Technically this film is fine as well as it features crisp cinematography, creative camera work, an awesome soundtrack filled with 70's arena rock staples and excellent acting. Yes, I said excellent acting. Bill Mosley gives the finest performance as Otis B Driftwood, but so does Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding. Those two really should have won an award for their performances as they managed to take two of the most vile and despicable characters imaginable and give the audience a good deal of sympathy for them. Bravo, check it out.