The Devil's Rejects (2005) More at IMDb Pro »

Let me start off by saying I was very, very disappointed with "House of 1000 Corpses". It was overly-fast-paced to the point where it seemed like the only people who could enjoy it were those with ADD. It was also suffering from a lack of gore and carnage, something rather surprising from the horror aficionado that Mr. Zombie is. On top of that, it was a complete rip-off of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), which is a much better film anyway. All Zombie did differently was add neon lights.

So, my expectations for "The Devil's Rejects" really weren't very high. But I began hearing reviews from people who saw the film before it was released saying that it was very different and much better than "House". And then I saw the previews, which looked promising. So, my expectations went up just a little. However, I was still pretty weary. I just wasn't sure if I could trust Zombie. But I went into the theater with an open mind. The lights dimmed. And what I saw was the glorious return of the true horror film. Rob Zombie more than redeemed himself with this brutal, funny, and utterly spectacular film. He worked out all the pacing kinks of "House", took away the flashy neon-light look, and replaced them with a gritty, violent masterpiece of terror.

"The Devil's Rejects" follows the three surviving members of the psychotic murderer family from "House of 1000 Corpses", who have been given the nickname "The Devil's Rejects" by the locals. They're on the run from the police, and along the way, they just happen to engage in murder, blasphemy, and sexual abuse. The exploitation fan inside of me rejoiced. In a twisted away, I loved everything I was seeing. And on top of all of this, Rob Zombie managed to put together just about the best mix of snappy dialogue and music I've witnessed since "Pulp Fiction". He even made me dig "Freebird", and I REALLY dislike Lynyrd Skynyrd.

This has been a truly wonderful summer for horror fans. First, the French terror masterpiece, "High Tension", then George A. Romero's excellent return to form, "Land of the Dead", and now, Rob Zombie's truly glorious coming-into-his-own-as-a-filmmaker, "The Devil's Rejects". Let's just hope Lion's Gate has the balls to give him another film.

9/10