Lions Gate Films released House of 1000 Corpses to US audiences on 11 April 2003.

It was Rob Zombie’s first feature film. Before that, he made a number of music videos. They are all visually interesting so nothing in his feature film catalogue is too surprising. But his Ozzy video is kind of boring. Still, it shows how well he understands different visual styles.

I’m not a huge Rob Zombie fan. I admire his work. But he clearly doesn’t make films for me. I wrote about House of 1000 Corpses, “This film is everything you expect from a Rob Zombie film: visually gorgeous, plenty of gore, good performances, and a lame script.” They guy just doesn’t care much for characters and plot. Everything is in service to the visuals. And that’s fine. Like I said: I’m not exactly the target audience.

But I do appreciate the visuals, gore, and acting — especially in 1000 Corpses. And he gave Sid Haig some of best roles he got later in his career. He brought in other greats for this one: Bill Moseley, Karen Black, Walton Goggins, Tom Towles, Dennis Fimple, and Michael J Pollard.

House of 1000 Corpses is inspired primarily by Two Thousand Maniacs! But I’ve never heard anyone say this. Obviously, the plot is closer to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, itself inspired by Lewis’ classic. But while Chain Saw is realistic in its black comedy, Corpses and Maniacs are very blunt. And while Chain Saw features characters you can remember, the other two don’t. That’s not a criticism, of course. All three films work.

So, on this 23rd anniversary, let’s watch House of 1000 Corpes!

Other April 11th Anniversaries

Filmmakers:

• Norman McLaren (1914-1987)
• Howard W Koch (1916-2001)
• Joel Grey (1932-)
• Duane Jones (1937-1988)
• Louise Lasser (1939-)
• John Milius (1944-)
• Peter Riegert (1947-)
• Bernd Eichinger (1949-2011)
• Vincent Gallo (1961-).

Films:

• Scarecrow (1973)
• Critters (1986)
• The Toxic Avenger (1986) — general US release
• Anaconda (1997)
• Grosse Point Blank (1997)
• The House That Screamed (2000).

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House of 1000 Corpses (2003) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.