Rob Zombie films, why do you hate or love them? in Current Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films Forum

0 Points

Forum Jump

Rob Zombie films, why do you hate or love them?

Author	Comment
TREVOR1369	Rob Zombie films, why do you hate or love them?	Lead	[-]
Jun 26 12 10:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	There is a lot of complaining amongst horror fans about Zombie's films. I enjoy them and others loose their minds with hatred every time he announces a new project. I voiced my opinion after the recent announcement of a Hockey film by him. http://www.sinfulcelluloid.com/2012/06/to-zombie-or-not-to-zombie-is-there.html What are your views? Do you hate his work and if so, why? Just a topic I find interesting. I look forward to your thoughts. Trevor1369 http://sinfulcelluloid.com/
	Remove this ad
Uncle Bingo		#1	[-]
Jun 26 12 11:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm a huge fan of his music, so much so that I joined American Hellbilly, a Rob Zombie/White Zombie tribute band. His albums are always fun and completely rock. Unlike most metal, it usually has a good groove to it. However, the films I have seen have left me a bit flat. House of 1000 Corpses took FOREVER to come out and was delayed so many times. I was totally pumped to see it and when I finally did....I was so disappointed. The man seems to know horror so well, but EVERYTHING about that film bugged me. I think my love of his music perhaps made me set my standards very high - but even still, that movie was a turkey in my book. Devil's Rejects was a major step up, but still, just not my thing. I watched the first 10 minutes of the Halloween remake and turned it off. It was ruining the classic for me. Seeing Michael Myers as a serial killer who starts with animals took away all the supernatural mystique from "the Shape." Lost all interest. Many of my friends like it though. The cast of Lords of Salem makes me extremely hopeful that this might be his best film. Being a New Englander and knowing the background of the witch trials should really give it a shot of being an interesting movie. The fact he is doing a hockey movie seems completely weird to me. And shouldn't he be a Bruins fan? Again, really enjoy his music... Movies, eh. I'll give Lords of Salem a shot and see. Whenever the man is interviewed about horror, he really seems knowledgeable. However, I don't think we've seen a movie that truly represents that knowledge onscreen.
terrymichaelpierson	Zombie	#2	[-]
Jun 27 12 12:51 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I grew up listening to his music, and like it for what it is, but I think he is a much better film maker than musician. I often make the case for Halloween being one of the best horror movies of the 2000s. It's scary, brutal, cerebral, iconic, and obviously crafted by someone with a deep love not just of the source material but horror in general. In contrast I really didn't like Halloween 2. I only saw it once, a long time ago, so I need to rewatch it. But I remember being very disappointed. I like his original stuff, though I don't think it's all that notable in significance. For some reason, even though I haven't seen it in quite a while, House of 1000 Corpses grows fonder in my memory. I think Devil's Rejects is a better film, and at parts approaches greatness, but is held back by an unnecessarily ham fisted first 45 minutes or so and too abrupt and complete of character 180s afterward.
Dr Acula		#3	[-]
Jun 27 12 8:52 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I think he shows promise that nothing quite delivers yet. I prefer supernatural horror, and the only one that is slightly in that vein is House of 1000 Corpses. It was overlong and confusingly told, but it was still okay - and I'm a Sid Haig fan, so that was a plus, as well as Karen Black (though she wasn't at he best in the film). Devil's Rejects was interesting, but I really don't enjoy watching tons of realistic torture and that is the main gimmick of the film, dropping the hints of the supernatural from the first film (Dr. Satan was dropped mostly in the released version, as I remember). He also fixates on the cult of the serial killer in entertainment, which is a story I'm not that interested in. The Halloween films I haven't seen, but from what I understand, they are more like Devil's Rejects, where all hints of mystery and horror for the character of Michael Myers has been stripped away to show a more "realistic" take on what would make a maniac killer... whereas I feel like the unknown qualities of Carpenter's original work so well that I can't work up any interest in what Zombie did for this film. I had a friend who acted in one scene in Halloween 2 (as one of the waitresses in a bar) who said it didn't look too good to her, and she was in it! I haven't seen Haunted World of El Superbeasto, but I'd like to - the stories in his short lived comic of El Superbeasto were among the best there. I'm very interested in Lords of Salem though, because it appears that he will be making an obviously strong supernatural horror. If it turns out to be more serial killers who were abused as kids masquerading as witches, I'll be disappointed. My God, what's Bond doing?... I think he's attempting re-entry, sir. http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/ Cole's Comics: All About Jack Cole http://colescomics.blogspot.com/
flashback		#4	[-]
Jun 27 12 1:19 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	i enjoyed the rob zombie movies. i did not like his take on halloween as much as carpenters,i do not see the neeed for detailed versions of events mentioned briefly before of backgrounds of charactors.i still do not.but in their own way his halloween movies were compelling. i liked house of 1000 courpses and the devils rejects.they were good takes on two types of old school drive in-movies.the way i saw it.the first one had the family in control.the second they were on the run.the circumstances and way they do things are diffrent. superbeasto was an interesting cartoon.i liked it but it is not in my list of favorites. Last Edited By: flashback Jul 9 12 4:05 PM. Edited 1 times.
Carl Eyesnheart		#5	[-]
Jun 27 12 3:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I don't like his characters at all. He fits in with a lot of modern film makers in that they have forgotten how to make us actually care about the characters. I do NOT want the villains to be the heroes or to be the ones I am expected to cheer for. I will admit to the fact, however, that I have a very low tolerance for white trash. My fanzine all about Rock N Roll: www.sonicruin.com
Mora		#6	[-]
Jun 27 12 3:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Cruel, vicious and overall boring. In a "nut"-shell, I sat through some of his crap and IMO it truly is sh**. Right up (or down there) with "Wolf Creek" or "Eden Lake".
Uncle Bingo		#7	[-]
Jun 27 12 5:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Dr Acula wrote: I think he shows promise that nothing quite delivers yet. I prefer supernatural horror, and the only one that is slightly in that vein is House of 1000 Corpses. It was overlong and confusingly told, but it was still okay - and I'm a Sid Haig fan, so that was a plus, as well as Karen Black (though she wasn't at he best in the film). Devil's Rejects was interesting, but I really don't enjoy watching tons of realistic torture and that is the main gimmick of the film, dropping the hints of the supernatural from the first film (Dr. Satan was dropped mostly in the released version, as I remember). He also fixates on the cult of the serial killer in entertainment, which is a story I'm not that interested in. The Halloween films I haven't seen, but from what I understand, they are more like Devil's Rejects, where all hints of mystery and horror for the character of Michael Myers has been stripped away to show a more "realistic" take on what would make a maniac killer... whereas I feel like the unknown qualities of Carpenter's original work so well that I can't work up any interest in what Zombie did for this film. I had a friend who acted in one scene in Halloween 2 (as one of the waitresses in a bar) who said it didn't look too good to her, and she was in it! I haven't seen Haunted World of El Superbeasto, but I'd like to - the stories in his short lived comic of El Superbeasto were among the best there. I'm very interested in Lords of Salem though, because it appears that he will be making an obviously strong supernatural horror. If it turns out to be more serial killers who were abused as kids masquerading as witches, I'll be disappointed. Agreed! El Superbeasto is amusing but it's like a Warner Brother cartoon...which isn't a bad thing. Nothing I feel the need to run out and revisit. Good point on the supernatural angle....I'm much more interested than that than seeing serial killers on a rampage. I can read the news and get that.
Adolf Kitler		#8	[-]
Jun 27 12 5:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	In my opinion he's pretty worthless as a director. I wanted to like Devil's Rejects because of the great cast but it left me cold. But as an employer I'm glad he's around, at least guys like Sid Haig, Michael Berryman and Ken Foree got a paycheck. http://allstarchampionshipbelts.webs.com/
borchabob		#9	[-]
Jun 27 12 5:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	House Of A 1000 Corpses, even though I felt the acting could have been better , I did enjoy the film. Devils Rejects, thought it was better than House. Halloween is a favorite, I was hesitant before seeing this. I felt nobody could measure up to Carpenters film. I was glad to see that I was wrong. I'm not saying it was better, it was just a different take on the film, and I liked it. Didn't like Halloween 2. I want to see more of his films. Last Edited By: borchabob Jun 27 12 6:12 PM. Edited 1 times.
Rick		#10	[-]
Jun 27 12 6:23 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I don't hate his movies, but I don't like them either. Rob shows some basic ability and talent at filmmaking, I think. Maybe someday he'll make a good movie. But for me to like his stuff he's gonna have to shake that grimy, grungy, redneck, junkyard sensibility which colors, dominates, and infects everything he does. Horror can be whatever you make of it, and an occasional dip into the toothless, tattooed hillbilly territory he loves so much might be effective. But I find that milieu to be not scary, but just unpleasant. I don't enjoy spending time with those characters in those surroundings. So there's some competence in Zombie's films, but, for me at least, not a hint of pleasure or enjoyment.
	Remove this ad
Uncle Bingo		#11	[-]
Jun 28 12 12:38 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Rick, That's a great analysis. The first two films totally have that "Texas Chainsaw" vibe...the redneck sensibility you speak of. That is why am hoping Lords of Salem will be a departure from his normal scope of interest. What's funny is that Rob is a northerner...why the profound love of rednecks? In his live shows, he often has visual references to the Universal classics. I'd be interested to see him remake Frankenstein or even Dracula.
theuglyinsect		#12	[-]
Jun 28 12 4:06 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I grew up listening to White Zombie as well as his solo stuff and always thought it was good for what it was. Additionally, I always thought the guy seemed really down to earth and I loved his enthusiasm for horror films. Listening to him talk about horror films, he really seemed to "get it" when discussing why he loves the horror film genre. With that said- I couldn't wait for his feature film debut, I really thought after listening to this guy...this is exactly the type of director the horror genre needs, someone with this kind of enthusiasm, knowledge and love for the horror genre. Boy, was I wrong. It pains me to say this, but Rob Zombie is easily this generations Ed Wood. His films are that bad, in my opinon. House of 1000 Corpses was a complete mess in almost every aspect of the film. Immature & amateurish in every respect. I thought the Devil's Rejects was much improved, to the point where I actaully enjoyed that film and some of the performances, but so much of the films best moments were cribbed from other iconic horror films. I realize Zombie's intentions are to pay homage, but he downright steals the best bits from other films. Someone mentioned his films having a Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibe- that's because he seems to routinely steal moments from Tobe Hoopers Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Also - his remake of Halloween was embarrisingly stupid- from the WWE style Michael Myers, to a script in the first half of the film that seems written by an angry, hostile 13 year old. Just a complete and overall mess that totally misses on what made the John Carpernter original so great. Honestly the dialogue in that film is easily some of the worst writing I've ever seen in a mainstream horror film. I live in constant dread whenever I hear his name attached to some high profile remake- he's that bad.
Python		#13	[-]
Jun 29 12 11:42 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	What's there to love? My major gripe, as Carl put it, is Zombie's inability to temper his unlikeable characters. A horror film fails when you don't care what happens to the victims. Can anyone say Hostel? That worthless franchise suffers from the same plight as Zombie's films. All kills, no style or substance, and characters that you dislike. In his defense, I will say that there's been a couple of near misses. House of 1,000 Corpses was watchable. The Devil's Rejects came close, but suffered from a chronic case of Tarantino Syndrome.
G Vallejo		#14	[-]
Jun 30 12 2:12 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I thought I liked his music, but when I heard the White Zombie box set I discovered I could only tolerate about three songs... and I love metal and hard rock. Basically I like the three big singles, "Thunderkiss 65," "Black Sunshine," and "More Human Than Human." I love the look and the design of the product though. And I loved Sean. Zombie solo I can give or take. I like "Dragula" and a few other songs. I was actually looking for some kind of Essential Rob Zombie at the store the other day. I think that might be all I need. I was a bit excited about his directorial debut, because I knew he had a strong visual sense and that I liked it. But when I saw House I was unimpressed. It was a Texas Chainsaw Massacre pastiche, with a few weird moments slipped in. It needed to be either blacker and more comedic than it was, or else the whole family needed to be more likeable. But they were all scuzzes. The second movie was a bit better, but now it was a grindhouse pastiche. I could only stand about three minutes of his cartoon. The Halloween movies never convinced me that Myers was real or that a somewhat sad home life could turn him into pure evil. And all the films had a 70s stoner metal kid vibe that wore itself out after a while. So I'm just not excited about him anymore, although I definitely agree he's a fan and has great taste in movies. Having said that, he's never done a supernatural-type horror film, or a period piece (outside 70s suburbia), and it could be a nice change of pace for him. (I don't know anything about Lords of Salem, so I don't know if the film will be like that, but one can hope.) If he gets or writes a good script it could be interesting, since he's obviously seen enough good movies to have a wide body of reference. A perfect Monster has no end...
reddog122		#15	[-]
Jun 30 12 5:57 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've always liked his music, but as a filmmaker he's hit or miss. All his films have some good ideas and are visually interesting , but, save for The Devil's Rejects, none of them work as a successful whole. Usually the problem is ill defined and basically unlikable characters, heroes and villains both.
CreepyRick		#16	[-]
Jul 6 12 2:57 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've seen House of 1,000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects. Really wanted to like them, but was disappointed. He strikes me as a guy who has some real talent to set up effective horror scenes, but plot and characters are very weak. He needs someone to write a decent script for him, or a co-director/editor to guide him. IMHO.
Joe Karlosi		#17	[-]
Jul 6 12 5:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The first movie of his I ever saw was THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. And I thought it was excellent -- that is to say, it really captured the slime and grit of a vintage 1970s exploitation flicker. A really strong homage. After that I saw his HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN 2 and I didn't like either one of them. I've started to get the feeling that this kind of 'trailer park trash' routine is about all that Zombie can do. "Guy named Squeamy got thrown from the fifth floor. He's deader'n a mackerel."
n0s4a2		#18	[-]
Jul 6 12 8:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've only seen two Zombie-directed films, and they struck me as being mean-spirited and sadistic in an off-putting, Jeffery Daumerish way, like he was way too affected by Texas Chainsaw Massacre as a kid. His editor also had to resort to a lot of dissolves and other fancy tricks to bridge gaps in the action, which at times I liked, giving the films a grainy, gritty, drive-in amateur porn feel, like a sleazy small town carnival. And the grind-core sound was nice, too. But overall, too sick. Shouldn't encourage that kind of thing.
lencandraw		#19	[-]
Jul 6 12 8:56 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Not a fan of the films. Story was weak in my mind and I found them to be like loooong music videos.
Dudley Manlove		#20	[-]
Jul 9 12 3:58 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Devils Rejects is undeniably brilliant. That we feel for this family of psychos is a feat in itself. They love each other, treat each other like a real family - no incest or any crap like that - they are played for real.
	Remove this ad

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Yuku free message boards

Rob Zombie films, why do you hate or love them?

Rob Zombie films, why do you hate or love them?