Rob Zombie’s Firefly Trilogy

Rob Zombie’s Firefly Trilogy

          

      This trilogy of films established Rob Zombie as a legitimate horror director. Were it not for the incredible success of the Conjuring franchise, this franchise would stand as the most important contribution to 21^st century horror. Certainly, nothing else in the 21^st century has created characters as important to horror culture as this franchise (although the Conjuring’s Nun probably comes in second). The 1980s were filled with horror icons; Jason, Freddy, Michael, Leatherface, Pinhead etc.  This saga has given us a trio of characters nearly as recognizable, at least to the younger generation of horror fans.

     

      All 3 films center on a family of serial killers, the Firefly family. Various family members appear in all 3 parts, but 3 members in particular are the centerpiece. Otis (Bill Mosely) while, not the patriarch, is at least the charismatic leader. He is a brutal sexual sadist who is as clever as he is malevolent. He enjoys psychologically torturing his victims and shows a predilection for wearing his victim’s skins. Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) is the femme fatale of the family. She enjoys flirting with her male victims and seems as much psychotic as psychopathic. Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) is Baby’s father and an evil clown. He exists on the periphery of the family, uninvolved in their day to day shenanigans but a loyal part of the family none the less. Their characterizations change slightly with each film, keeping the characters fresh but also allowing for each film to have a different feel.

House of 1000 Corpses

2003

Director- Rob Zombie

Cast-   Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson, Walton Goggins, Tom Towles, Chris Hardwick, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn, Matthew McGrory, Robert Mukes, Irwin Keyes, Harrison Young, Dennis Fimple

            

    This was Rob Zombie’s first movie, and for me, it’s still my favorite of his. It’s the kind of film that only a first time director can make. There are no rules, no conventions, no adherence to a style. Everything is fair game. This is not so much a narrative story as much as it is a brain dump of themes and images strung together with enough plot to keep you engaged.

           

   

 Slasher film and music video conventions, homages, classic horror, low brow art, all mix together to form a 90 minute nightmare.  The plot is a typical slasher plot; city kids get kidnapped and brutalized by inbred, vicious country folk. None of that really matters. The plot is just an excuse to put a whole lot of cool, terrifying, disturbing and funny stuff on the screen. The movie proceeds along with a very predictable slasher plot until in the last 20 minutes when it takes a hard right turn into a direction you don’t see coming. Slasher conventions are tossed out the window and the movie turns into a crazy, illogical nightmare.

            

    Otis is presented as manic, a Mansonesque ,albino, demagogue, spouting apocalyptic rhetoric. Baby is an immature brat with a quick temper. Captain Spaulding is a sarcastic curmudgeon. The legacy of the movie may be more important than the film itself. It created the trio of Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding, the new horror icons of the 21^st Century.

 

The Devil’s Rejects

2005

Director- Rob Zombie

Cast-   Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Ken Foree, Leslie Easterbrook, Dave Sheridan, E. G. Daily, Geoffrey Lewis, Michael Berryman, Priscilla Barnes, Kate Norby, Lew Temple, Danny Trejo, Diamond Dallas Page, Ginger Lynn Allen, P. J. Soles

           

     This film begins with a shootout. A cop (William Forsythe) whose brother was one of the victims of the first film, has led a posse to the firefly house and assaults the family with a hail of bullets. Otis and Baby escape. They capture a traveling band of musicians, torture and kill them. They later team up with Spaulding who leads them to a long lost member of the family, his brother (Ken Foree).

           

   This is a brutal movie. 1000 Corpses was violent, but it was so far out you couldn’t take the violence seriously (think Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). Rejects is gritty and realistic. It all seems like something that could have happened, which makes it that much harder to handle.

           

   Captain Spaulding is still the sarcastic curmudgeon but his loyalty to the family, especially to Baby becomes evident. Baby is much less psychotic in this film. Otis’ characterization is probably the biggest change. He is more cold and calculating. The albino look from the first film is replaced with a more rugged appearance, complete with a long beard that makes him seem like some rugged survivalist.

            

   The genius of this film is that it turns the trio into sympathetic protagonists, even after they have done some pretty horrific stuff. This is accomplished through the use of the cop (Forsythe) who is own their trail. He is just as sadistic and cruel as his quarry and turns the tables on the trio.

           

    Though it’s the middle film in the franchise, this is the film, in my opinion, that most people think of, when they think of these characters.

3 from Hell 

2019

Director- Rob Zombie

Cast-   Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Richard Brake, Dee Wallace, Jeff Daniel Phillips,  Emilio Rivera, Clint Howard, Pancho Moler, Flor de Maria Chahua, Sylvia Jefferies, Anny Rosario

            

   The latest installment in the saga begins several years after The Devil’s Rejects. The trio has survived their run in with the law but has been in prison ever since. Though Sid Haig appears at the beginning of the film, the script writes him out pretty early. Of course, we all know now that it was because Sid was in failing health. It was sad to find out, less than a week after I saw the film that Sid had passed away. Still, Sid had a 50+ year career and left behind a catalog of genre films and TV episodes large enough to satisfy an army of horror and sci-fi fans.

            

   

 

 Rob had to do some re-planning at the last minute to make up for Sid’s absence and brought in a new character, Foxy (Richard Brake who has appeared in Zombie’s 31 and Halloween 2).  Foxy is a good character and Brake does a good job. It never feels like he is trying to replace Sid. The change feels natural, and I imagine that was pretty hard for both the actor and director. I don’t want to reveal much more as the film is new and I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it, suffice to say it is an enjoyable film.

            

   To be honest, I didn’t like 31 that much. It felt like a compilation of recycled elements from previous Zombie films. I feared that 3 from Hell would be the same but it was not. It had enough of the elements from the previous two films that it didn’t seem incongruous, but still brought in new things. This was helped by Sheri and Bill changing their characterizations, to account for the long time the characters had been in prison.

           

   In terms of tone, I would put it between the first two films. It’s more fun than Devil’s Rejects but not as fun as 1000 Corpses. It’s more intense than 1000 Corpses but not as much as Devil’s Rejects.  Whether there will be any more installments, only time will tell. I think it’s safe to say that Zombie won’t do another one as a cash grab, but if he thinks he can do something new, we may see another. If not, this film was a fitting, and enjoyable end to the franchise.