The Devil’s Rejects. Sequel to House of 1,000 corpses.
The double DVD unrated version is out and well worth the watch. I have mixed feelings about the way Rob Zombie tried to humanize the killers and make them seem likable and maybe even foster sympathy for them at the end but that’s one of the things that makes this a very good film; there’s actually something to talk about after watching the movie.
From a film maker’s point of view, what I liked even more than the movie was the 2nd DVD which chronicled the entire 30 day shooting schedule. The behind the scenes “diary” started in pre-production then gave a 3 to 5 minute look at each of the 30 days that it took to shoot the movie. It was very interesting. The Devil’s Rejects documentary ranks very high on my list of well made behind the scenes documentaries. For anyone who has never spent time on a real movie set, this gives you a pretty good idea what goes on. It’s not in-depth enough to show the true logistical side of it. Instead, it’s more like you’re an invited guest who is just standing around watching everyone do their thing.
The director, Rob Zombie, is an interesting guy. I’ve found that different directors like to audition actors in different ways. Some like to have them read sides while others like to have them perform something that they have polished while others want them to improvise a scene. Rob Zombie states that he doesn’t like to meet the actors. He likes to watch them read sides on video tape. His reasoning is that a person may be charming and charismatic in person but come across as dull on camera. By the same token, a shy or boring person might completely come to like on camera. He said he doesn’t want to add bias to his decision making by meeting the person behind the performance until after he has seen them on camera.
The movie is full of actors from the past. It almost reminded me of one of those terrible little films that has nothing going for it except for the has been actors in the cast. Of course, that’s not the case with the Devil’s Rejects. I don’t know many of the actors by name but when you watch, you’ll see actors from The Warriors, The Hills Have Eyes, Dawn of The Dead, Valley Girl, Every Which Way But Loose, and probably some others that I can’t think of right now. Rob Zombie said this wasn’t a conscious choice but rather, more like a coincidence. I’m not sure I believe him.
I hope I get this one for Christmas to add to my collection.
The double DVD unrated version is out and well worth the watch. I have mixed feelings about the way Rob Zombie tried to humanize the killers and make them seem likable and maybe even foster sympathy for them at the end but that’s one of the things that makes this a very good film; there’s actually something to talk about after watching the movie.
From a film maker’s point of view, what I liked even more than the movie was the 2nd DVD which chronicled the entire 30 day shooting schedule. The behind the scenes “diary” started in pre-production then gave a 3 to 5 minute look at each of the 30 days that it took to shoot the movie. It was very interesting. The Devil’s Rejects documentary ranks very high on my list of well made behind the scenes documentaries. For anyone who has never spent time on a real movie set, this gives you a pretty good idea what goes on. It’s not in-depth enough to show the true logistical side of it. Instead, it’s more like you’re an invited guest who is just standing around watching everyone do their thing.
The director, Rob Zombie, is an interesting guy. I’ve found that different directors like to audition actors in different ways. Some like to have them read sides while others like to have them perform something that they have polished while others want them to improvise a scene. Rob Zombie states that he doesn’t like to meet the actors. He likes to watch them read sides on video tape. His reasoning is that a person may be charming and charismatic in person but come across as dull on camera. By the same token, a shy or boring person might completely come to like on camera. He said he doesn’t want to add bias to his decision making by meeting the person behind the performance until after he has seen them on camera.
The movie is full of actors from the past. It almost reminded me of one of those terrible little films that has nothing going for it except for the has been actors in the cast. Of course, that’s not the case with the Devil’s Rejects. I don’t know many of the actors by name but when you watch, you’ll see actors from The Warriors, The Hills Have Eyes, Dawn of The Dead, Valley Girl, Every Which Way But Loose, and probably some others that I can’t think of right now. Rob Zombie said this wasn’t a conscious choice but rather, more like a coincidence. I’m not sure I believe him.
I hope I get this one for Christmas to add to my collection.