One and a half stars
How many gruesome acts can one person withstand? That seems to be the question that must have been running through Rob Zombie's head when he made "House of 1,000 Corpses."
It's not so much a film as it is a festival, a celebration if you will, of blood, guts and gore. Zombie's project stirs strong emotions, whether or not you happen to agree with the message.
"Corpses" follows the trail of four youths traversing the countryside in search of interesting locations for a book detailing places they see on the road less traveled. They stop at a store that boasts of its "Food, Gas and Murder" and hear of local legend, one Dr. Satan. After leaving the gas station, on their way to find the tree that Dr. Satan was supposedly hung from, they encounter a hitchhiker and things get progressively worse for the foursome from there.
Zombie reaches a new level of gross-out with this movie. Not only that, but he manages to mix in classical influences - "The Munsters" and Betty David both fit in prominently to the story - and some very black humor.
Zombie, a solo artist and the former lead singer for the now-defunct White Zombie, has never shied away from the spotlight. However, with this movie, he just may have outdone himself.
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I.D.s were being checked at the ticket sales counter and at the entrance to the theater. The movie was submitted five times to the MPAA to get the rating down from an NC-17 to an R.
The movie's debut has been delayed for more than two years. It was originally slated to open January 12, 2001, but several distributors balked at the concept of releasing it. Lions Gate Films, a production company notorious for its willingness to put out controversial films, finally came through for Zombie.
The plot is loose and the movie only lasts 90 minutes, but the characters all do a superb job with their over-the-top roles, most notably Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding, the owner and proprietor of the gas station/novelty store.
The script doesn't give them that much to work with though, as is the case with most horror movies. After being victimized by the recent slew of "Scream" knock-offs - movies that are too cool for themselves and seep with self-awareness - "Corpses" comes off a bit juvenile.
Some people in the audience obviously agreed with me, as they were laughing for the majority of the film. Other audience members blatantly disagreed, comparing it to old school gore flicks like "Army of Darkness."
For pure shock value, the movie is a goldmine. It's hard to recall a movie that has shown as many disturbing images. But as far as squirminess goes, I felt more nervous watching Colin Farrell sweat it out in "Phone Booth."
Zombie has a particular art form, and he maximizes it here, in his directorial and screen-writing debut. It's not a knockout, but it's an encouraging start and brings a glimmer of hope to his future in the movie business.