chris’s review published on Letterboxd:
About two decades ago, Rob Zombie was a big name in metal music. In 2003, when House of 1,000 Corpses was released on the big screen, Zombie quickly became a household name with his controversial film debut.
Terrifying, sick, and above all disturbing, this film is a wonderful demonstration in the art of the gory "cinema nasties" of the 70s, with the short television vignettes throughout the film helping the film give off a 70s sleaze vibe, which works really well with the film.
The acting, for what it is, is sub-par. I didn't think it was great, but then again, it wasn't bad. Sure, the acting got a bit cringey at times, but that's what makes the movie fun. It's what gives it its fun factor. Sid Haig is easily the best part of the entire film, his character being one of the sickest and most inappropriate characters I've ever seen grace the screen.
The dialogue, much like the acting, isn't that great. It's a bit cliche at times, but it also helps the film feel like a film from the 70s. There's a few cool lines sprawled throughout here and there, and some are enough to make you chuckle a little bit.
Overall, I found House of 1,000 Corpses to be a really strong directorial and writing debut. It's fun, campy, disturbing, and a bunch of other things. However, I don't think scary can be one of them. In fact, I don't even think the film was trying to be scary, per se. I think it was just trying to be a throwback to the sleaze-fests of the 70s and 80s, which it excels at with great measure. I definitely recommend this film to any horror fan. Chances are you'll either love it or hate it.
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