The Devil's Rejects

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. (04/02/2018)

A movie about a really great family movie featuring a clown and even Groucho Marx. It’s just crying out to be watched at home with your nearest and dearest. So you can then see which of the family gives up first, then who’s second... Because Rob Zombie proves that he is a regular madman. But talented. He filmed something on the fence between many genres. But this something is stylish, uncompromising, funny just at the right moments and the acting is great in the most important roles. The accompanying roles were more a question of “he says, dude, and I says to him, dude" so in some places it becomes wearing. Rob enjoys his directing immensely, not getting too worried about things like budget. It looks like the first comic book Preacher, but without the irony. The atmosphere is so stifling and dusty that it’s exactly like something from McCarthy’s “Border Trilogy". Even so, I was wondering throughout the movie if he was on the sheriff’s side, on the cast-outs’ or if he was disinterested. What I must applaud Zombie for is that he managed to leave me unsure. In any other movie you can see more perversion and infinitely more violence. But only on the almost forgotten Henry (and in one scene of Fincher’s Zodiac) has a movie murder been this “realistically" disturbing. A few errors can be found here and there, but they are absolutely made up for by the performances of the Haig, Moseley and Forsythe trio. They meet the most stringent standards. Not just in this genre. Which applies to The Devil's Rejects overall. P.S.: The comment about their performance applies only to the original language version. The Czech dubbing remained true to the title of the movie and is truly like this was rejected by the devil himself. (06/25/2008)

A very rough film indeed, very close to Hopper's classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in its rawness and unrefined conception. Dynamic direction and a lethal pace, and for me personally one of the best horror films of this year. PS: And it stars Leoš Suchařípa! (11/26/2005)

As a tough local sheriff, William Forsythe is a capable counterbalance to the boorishness of a group of sadists, who finally (thank God) get punched in the mouth. Together with its predecessor, this sequel thus forms a decent combo-variation on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that brings black humor and slightly perverse fun into the grateful redneck-slasher sub-genre. Minor roles for iconic faces of the genre confirm Zombie’s passion for his work. (01/05/2022)

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. (12/02/2007)