The Devil's Rejects

A family of white-trash psychopaths and serial killers led by Captain Spaulding (Haig) go on the run through the Texas boondocks after their hide-out is discovered by the relentless Sheriff Wydell (Forsythe). When Wydell finally tracks them to the lair, a mock-cowboy town complete with saloon-cum-brothel, the scene is set for a cataclysmic showdown between good and irredeemable evil. At least, it would be if Sheriff Wydell wasn't every bit as nasty, sadistic and murderous as the scum he pursues. Much as I want to love a movie written and directed by someone called Rob Zombie, it's difficult to sympathise with any of the characters on show here. Derived from his mini-budget debut House of 1000 Corpses, the characters get a bigger budget, more screen time and lashings of special effects - but while Zombie obviously knows his movie-making (particularly when it comes to impersonating a deranged Sam Peckinpah), there is absolutely not one single redeeming feature on show apart from the hilarious dialogue. Sample quote: "You gotta stop sometime and when you do I'll be there to stick the wrath of the Lord up your ass". A well-made film by a man who is obviously steeped in graphically realistic horror movie lore, The Devil's Rejects is a treat for connoisseurs of the genre. Whether you'd want to be sitting beside any of them on the bus home afterwards is another matter entirely.