The Devil's Rejects

The second time around, Zombie, as a director, doesn't try to create such an evil atmosphere as the first time but rather focuses on making an absolute exploitation film that literally sweeps the viewer away. This isn't a mainstream teenage tea party, but fucking sick and twisted entertainment for strong stomachs. For me, William Forsyth's Sheriff Wydell will henceforth personify the most strident stubbornness and intransigence that ever confronted a group of homicidal maniacs. His final solo with the stapler is genius par excellence, as is the rest of the film. True, this is based on the viewer's taste because I admit I didn't really understand this crazy ride the first time. Like with the first film, it’s ideal to have watched a few films like beforehand. (03/12/2007)

I apologize to the numerous community of Rob Zombie fans for often giving a Boo! rating to his work. It is only because the ratings are dangerously high, and an uninformed film fan could accidentally watch the movie. Similarly, I could have given any number of stars, and it would still have minimal informational value. Just like pornography, which, no matter what form it takes, is only about one thing and serves one purpose, and movies like The Devil's Rejects serve solely to elicit a certain type of emotion. Those who enthusiastically give four or five stars obviously have a good understanding of the film world and are aware of the film's minimal value in terms of traditional film values. Understanding the screenplay, observing camera work, editing, and acting performances – that's work for the seasoned. With one exception, and that is the soundtrack – which is understandable given Zombie's past. The actors are a separate chapter – but yes, this film does feature several actors... I pondered for a long time why they would get involved in something like this until I figured it out that they did it out of hunger! Only a terrible hunger on the brink of exhaustion could drive them to be part of something like this. In reality, Zombie's fans can recognize and appreciate the one thing that is worthy of admiration in his work – namely, the maximum undiluted, raw brutality in the smallest amount of space possible. We live in a difficult time full of neuroses, and The Devil's Rejects is a unique therapy for all those who can't afford to have their own torture chamber in the basement. It is truly expensive, believe me, I have calculated it countless times... Sometimes, however, even weaklings who hesitate to slap their mother can enjoy such creations, let alone break the neck of the scoundrel who bullies them... The overall impression for those who can release adrenaline differently should be zero... By the way, The Devil's Rejects has nothing in common with horror as a distinct genre. It is a tutorial for those who need to know how many square meters a human body splatters when run over by a truck or how much meat can be scraped off human limbs. Enjoy your meal! (14/07/2008)

I simply don't care for Rob Zombie's films. I don't like serial killers (Zombie's Halloween), I don't like clowns, I don't like Western films. I was disappointed that they didn't show how the Devils Rejects torture victims until they have the appearance they had at the beginning of the movie in the photos (I am quite morbidly fascinated by corpses). Silly shootouts just don't interest me, and I can hardly bear psychological bullying in movies. It just wasn't exactly my cup of tea. (07/01/2012)

Wow. Rob already showed that he is a bit of a pervert in his previous contribution to the "whoever walks into our house gets his head blown off" genre, but in this addendum he literally puts gunpowder on his controversial status. An over-stylized thriller that takes no bullshit, seeks no compromises and it’s unpacked on the viewer in a rather novel way, expertly keeping their full attention throughout – Zombie is on a rampage and invents dozens of directorial techniques, which, while purely eclectic, are very imaginative and entertaining by their cadence and perfect alignment with the current action and the soundtrack (from editing to stop-motion to overlapping images and subjective viewpoints). Moreover, the story itself is constructed to mock horror conventions and critics (a great cameo by a wacky cinephile), begins with an action passage that could essentially be the ending, and offers four sequential climaxes in the finale. Though most of the characters made me a a bit sick (perhaps every one of them is at least a little bit evil, good is completely absent – which makes it even more unpredictable) and the way Zombie makes almost martyrs out of the disgusting human vermin at the end is just over the top, but otherwise it's a very entertaining and morbid ride full of references and filmmaking flair, which was a stronger lead for me this time. (02/04/2018)

So I finally caught up with this long-delayed film and I am very satisfied. A very raw, dirty, filthy road movie involving so many nasty people you can't even imagine. I also have to praise the very sharp, gritty and funny wisecracks and the decent portion of gore that makes this hixploitation flick very above average. 75%. (24/03/2014)