The Devil's Rejects (2005)

The Devil's Rejects was released in 2005 by Rob Zombie, and stars Sid Haig, Billy Moseley, and Sheri Moon Zombie.

This is one of the best, most complex horror movies I have seen in a long time, and it far exceeds its predecessor, House of a 1,000 Corpses (2003).

Honestly, I didn't really care for HoaTC. I had high hopes for the movie, especially because one of my friends flat out refused to watch it, saying she had heard it was "corpse porn." Of course, after that, I had to see it.

When I sat down to watch it, however, I was disappointed. It seemed just like every other "stranded-in-the-South" killer movie you've ever seen, operating as a freak show display case for the Firefly family, who were simply not freaky enough to carry the movie. A car breaks down, tourists end up trapped with a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style (1974) family, blah blah blah.

The Devil's Rejects is much more intricate than HoaTC, especially in its development of the Firefly family. A few months after the events of HoaTC, the police raid the Firefly Ranch, killing Rufus and taking Mother Firefly into custody. Baby and Otis escape, and later meet up with Captain Spalding, Baby's father. Basically, Baby, Otis and Capt. Spalding go on the run, until they are captured by Sheriff Wydell. Wydell has a particular vendetta against the Firefly clan, as they killed his brother in HoaTC.

What is truly interesting in this film is its moral ambiguity. Though Otis, Baby, and Capt. Spalding are serial killers, they become the victims in the face of Wydell's quest for vengeance. Baby is even shown at one point in the traditional slasher movie victim role, fleeing across a field, pursued by a gun-toting Wydell.

In this movie, good and evil are not mutually exclusive, permanent terms, but mutable concepts independent of one's status or actions. Wydell's status as a cop does not place him on the side of good, just as the Firefly's past homicidal actions do not make them evil in the eyes of the film. One's status really just depends on what side of the fence one is on.

What the film truly values, however, is freedom: from guilt, from fear, and from society's rules. The Fireflys are committed to their actions, and their willingness to go out fighting rather than surrender is portrayed as blatantly heroic, especially the strategic use of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird." Conversely, what makes Wydell the villain are not his actions, but his unwillingness to let go of his hatred.

A+

Also, the mask scene was gnarly. I was seriously horrified, which means the movie did its job perfectly. A++!