House of 1000 Corpses is a
2003The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
exploitationExploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. Thus, films need something to "exploit", such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
horror filmHorror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness...
written and directed by
Rob ZombieRobert Bartleh Cummings , better known by his stage name, Rob Zombie, is a Grammy-nominated American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the metal band White Zombie....
, and is his directorial debut. It was released in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on April 11, 2003 by
Lions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is an American entertainment company that originated in Vancouver, British Columbia and later based in Los Angeles, and is now headquartered in Santa Monica, California, USA...
.
Jerry, Bill, Mary, and Denise are two couples out on the road in hopes of writing a book on offbeat roadside attractions. When the four meet Captain Spaulding, they learn of the legend of Dr. Satan. When the four take off in search of finding the tree that Dr.
House of 1000 Corpses is a
2003The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
exploitationExploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. Thus, films need something to "exploit", such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
horror filmHorror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness...
written and directed by
Rob ZombieRobert Bartleh Cummings , better known by his stage name, Rob Zombie, is a Grammy-nominated American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the metal band White Zombie....
, and is his directorial debut. It was released in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on April 11, 2003 by
Lions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is an American entertainment company that originated in Vancouver, British Columbia and later based in Los Angeles, and is now headquartered in Santa Monica, California, USA...
.
Plot
Jerry, Bill, Mary, and Denise are two couples out on the road in hopes of writing a book on offbeat roadside attractions. When the four meet Captain Spaulding, they learn of the legend of Dr. Satan. When the four take off in search of finding the tree that Dr. Satan was hanged from, they pick up a hitchhiker named Baby. When their car breaks down, Baby invites them into her house. This is where the two couples meet the Firefly family, a murderous clan of bizarre people. As the family attacks the unsuspecting couples, Jerry and his friends try to survive the house of 1000 corpses and its dark secrets.
Cast and characters
The names of the villains were taken from the names of
Groucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit.He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of which he was the third-born...
characters (
Animal CrackersAnimal Crackers is a 1930 comedy film, in which mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding...
"Captain Spaulding",
A Night at the OperaA Night at the Opera is a comedy film starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx and Harpo Marx, and featuring Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Margaret Dumont, Siegfried Rumann, and Walter Woolf King. It was the first film the Marx Brothers made for MGM after their departure from Paramount, and the first...
s "Otis B. Driftwood",
Duck Soups "Rufus T. Firefly" and
A Day at the RacesA Day at the Races is the seventh movie starring the three Marx Brothers, with Margaret Dumont, Allan Jones and Maureen O'Sullivan. Like their previous MGM feature A Night at the Opera, this film was a major hit.-Synopsis:...
"Hugo Z. Hackenbush", among others). While this was left as a subtle allusion in the first movie, the sequel
The Devil's RejectsThe Devil's Rejects is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the sequel to his 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses. The movie is about the family of psychopathic killers from the previous film now on the run...
brought it out into the open, with the names becoming integral to the plot. Dr. Satan was inspired by a 1950s billboard-sized poster advertising a "live spook show starring a magician called Dr. Satan" that Rob Zombie has in his house.
| Actor | Role |
|---|
Sid HaigSid Haig is an American film actor. His roles have included acting in Jack Hill's blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as his role as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's horror films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects...
|
Captain Spaulding |
Bill MoseleyWilliam "Bill" Moseley is an American film actor and musician who has starred in a number of cult classic horror films, including Repo! The Genetic Opera and Army of Darkness His first big role was in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as Chop Top...
|
Otis B. Driftwood |
| Sheri Moon Zombie |
Baby Firefly |
Karen BlackKaren Black is an American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter. She is noted for films such as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, The Day of the Locust, Nashville, Family Plot and Firecracker in a career that has spanned five decades.-Early life:Black was born Karen Blanche...
|
Mother Firefly |
| Erin Daniels Erin Daniels is an American actress, perhaps known most widely for playing Dana Fairbanks on The L Word.-History:...
|
Denise Willis |
| Chris Hardwick Christopher Hardwick is an American actor, television personality, writer and comedian.-Early life:Hardwick was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of former professional bowler Billy Hardwick...
|
Jerry Goldsmith |
| Jennifer Jostyn Jennifer Jostyn is an American actress.Jostyn attended Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts. She has appeared in many movies since the early 1990s, including House of 1000 Corpses, The Brothers McMullen, Milo, Omega Cop, Focus, Dr. Benny, A Perfect Little Man, Rancid and The Life Coach, a...
|
Mary Knowles |
Rainn WilsonRainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor. He is known for his roles as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office, the leading role in the 2008 comedy The Rocker, and assistant mortician Arthur Martin in HBO's Six Feet Under.-Early life:Wilson was...
|
Bill Hudley |
Walton GogginsWalton Sanders Goggins, Jr. is an American actor best known for his role on the FX Networks series The Shield, portraying "Detective Shane Vendrell". Goggins was producer of the 2001 short film The Accountant, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film...
|
Deputy Steve Naish |
| Tom Towles Tom Towles is an American actor.Towles was born and raised in Chicago. He became an actor after a stint in the U.S. Marines, beginning with an uncredited performance in Dog Day Afternoon . He has appeared in film and television extensively since the 1980s...
|
Lieutenant George Wydell |
| Matthew McGrory Matthew McGrory was an American actor, known for his great height.-Early life:McGrory was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. McGrory studied law at Widener University, where he resided in campus housing on the first floor of Howell Hall. McGrory grew to the height of and had size 29 shoes...
|
Tiny Firefly |
| Robert Allen Mukes Robert Allen Mukes is an American actor living in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.Sometimes credited as Robert "Bonecrusher" Mukes, got his start later in life after a failed shot at pro-wrestling .The 6' 10" actor is best known for his role as Rufus "R.J." Firefly, Jr...
|
Rufus "R.J." Firefly, Jr. |
| Dennis Fimple Dennis Clarke Fimple was an American character actor. Throughout his career, he made guest appearances in a variety of TV shows, including Here Come the Brides, Petticoat Junction, M*A*S*H, Simon & Simon, Sledge Hammer!, Quantum Leap, and ER...
|
Grandpa Hugo |
| Walter Phelan |
Dr. Satan |
| Michael J. Pollard -Early life:Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia and Michael John Pollack. He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.-Career:...
|
Stucky |
Reception
The film was completed in 2000, but was unable to find a distributor after
Universal PicturesThis is a partial listing of films produced and/or distributed by Universal Pictures, the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal.-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc...
rejected the initial cut, believing the film would receive an NC-17 rating (which was ultimately the result). As the film was edited to secure an R rating, it spent several years trying to find a distributor before
Lions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is an American entertainment company that originated in Vancouver, British Columbia and later based in Los Angeles, and is now headquartered in Santa Monica, California, USA...
, which was beginning to specialize in releasing horror films, accepted the film.
The film opened on April 11, 2003 without being pre-screened for critics. Those who reviewed it after it opened gave it generally negative reviews. Frank Schrek of
The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood Reporter is an American trade publication of the entertainment industry. During the last century it was one of the two major publications — the other being Variety. Today both newspapers cover what is now more broadly called the entertainment industry.- History :The Hollywood Reporter...
wrote that the film "lives up to the spirit but not the quality of its inspirations" and is ultimately a "cheesy and ultragory exploitation horror flick" and "strangely devoid of thrills, shocks or horror." Clint Morris of
Film ThreatFilm Threat is a magazine and a webzine about independent film, published and edited by Chris Gore. However, the webzine also reviews DVDs of mainstream films such as Man of La Mancha , to which Phil Hall gave a favorable review contrary to those of most critics...
slammed the film as "an hour and a half of undecipherable plot" and found the film to be "sickening" overall. James Brundage of Filmcritic.com wrote that the film was simply "hick after hick, cheap scary image after cheap scary image, lots of southern accents and
psychoticPsychosis literally means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
murders," and was "too highbrow to be a good cheap horror movie, too lowbrow to be
satireSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
, and too boring to bear the value of the ticket."
The film opened in 595 theaters, technically qualifying for limited release, and grossed $3.4 million. The film saw some expansion in later weeks and ultimately grossed $16.8 million worldwide, which was successful based on its $7 million production budget. Though not popular by critics, the film has developed a rather large cult following. It was followed by a
2005The year 2005 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top–grossing films:...
sequel,
The Devil's RejectsThe Devil's Rejects is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the sequel to his 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses. The movie is about the family of psychopathic killers from the previous film now on the run...
.
Sequel
Zombie produced a sequel in 2005 called
The Devil's Rejects. Many cast members returned from
Corpses, except Karen Black. When Black demanded a higher salary to reprise the role, which Zombie could not afford,
Leslie EasterbrookLeslie Eileen Easterbrook is an American actress.-Early life:She was born in Los Angeles and adopted by a family in rural Nebraska, where she was raised. Her father later earned a Ph.D and became a voice/trumpet professor at University of Nebraska at Kearney...
was approached and later cast as her replacement.
The three leads (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie) also made voice over cameos as their characters from both films in Rob Zombie's animated film
The Haunted World of El SuperbeastoThe Haunted World of El Superbeasto is an animated comedy film that also combines elements of a horror and thriller film. It is based upon the comic book series created by Rob Zombie that follows the character of El Superbeasto and his sidekick sister, Suzi-X, voiced by Sheri Moon.-Plot:The film...
.
Soundtrack
Director Rob Zombie composed the
film scoreA film score is an alternative word used for the background music of a film . The term soundtrack is often confused with film score, though a soundtrack may also include songs featured in the film as well as previously released music by other artists, while the score does not...
with Scott Humphrey. It is isolated on the
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
as a separate audio track.
Trivia
The Firefly house has been used by film industries on several occasions, most notably as the Chicken Ranch in the 1982 film
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring
Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best-known for her work in country music....
and
Burt ReynoldsBurton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Paul "Wrecking" Crewe in The Longest Yard, Coach Nate Scarborough in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, J.J...
.