THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (Zombie, 2005)

Much has been written about what a visceral film THE DEVIL'S REJECTS is, but upon my initial viewing of it in a movie theatre in July 2006, the only emotional reaction I had was that of disappointment. I had seen HIGH TENSION in a theatre with my girlfriend only a month or so before, and that French film had left me shocked and numb, thrilled and disgusted. LAND OF THE DEAD had followed shorly thereafter, and while it was no DAWN OF THE DEAD, it was Romero's most political and (possibly) gory film to date and had been satisfying to be sure. It seemed like the Summer of Grind for a short little while, and REJECTS, from all I'd read, was only going to expand upon that. Reviews claimed it was hard to watch at times, that the violence was gritty and realistic, and that there were no heroes, only those with the least blood on their hands.

REJECTS was all of these things, but just not to the degree that I would have liked. Hardened viewers have seen all of the film's tricks in the past, and done better, too. I came out feeling gilted and let down. Where were the limit-pushing scenes? Yes, REJECTS has the hotel room sequence, which is scary and effective, but if you've seen LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, then you've seen it before, where it was scarier and more effective. I saw it with a large group of friends, and my girlfriend and I seemed to be the only ones who enjoyed it. I felt the desire to defend it later on that night to my friends, placing it into a larger cultural context and explaining the pedigree of films like this. It's a very different type of horror film, especially to those used to long lines of FRIDAY THE 13TH sequels and WHITE NOISE. I tried my hardest to argue in favor of THE DEVIL'S REJECTS because, deep down, I still wanted to love it. But I didn't, and wouldn't, for a couple more months.

I got it on DVD and re-watched it, and immediately I picked up on things that I missed the first time. I spent the entire first viewing waiting for the film to go further, to make me uncomfortable and queasy, but that never happened. But in November, in my bedroom, watching the film alone, it was a different experience. I was able to enjoy it. Listening to the commentary track, one can plainly see Zombie is a smart guy who knows cinema and what he's doing. I enjoyed THE DEVIL'S REJECTS the second time around, when there were no expectations to be met and I could view it on its own terms, rather than mine.

I've had a weird relationship with this film, but now I think it's one of the finest horror films of the 00s (incidently, how do you say that? The Aughts? The Oh-Ohs? The Double Zeroes? They all sound like 1977 UK punk band names.). I can appreciate it with a degree of distance, rather than as THE MOST EXXXXTREME FILM YOU'LL EVER SEE! Zombie has created characters that are funny and likeable and ruthless serial killers, and you're left to process how you feel about that. The violence is intense and realistic, and the soundtrack is great. The opening sequence, set to "Midnight Rider" is terrific and a wonderful mood-setter. Ken Foree, Michael Berryman, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, PJ Soles, Priscilla Barnes, Danny Trejo, DDP, Brian Posehn, and Ginger Lynn Allen all have roles, giving fans of trash culture the chance to play Spot the Cult Figure.

But ultimately, that's what bothers me about THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. Not so much the star-borrowing, but the references to the past films of the genre. It's obvious that Zombie has a deep affection for the grindhouse drive-in classics of the past, but right now, everyone else does, too. Grind is the flavor of the month (SAW I, II, and III, THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake, HIGH TENSION, WOLF CREEK, HOSTEL, the new TEXAS CHAINSAW pictures, the upcoming TURISTAS and LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT remake) and REJECTS, in the end, just feels like another 70s influenced horror flick. This is not a slight against the film, but rather the oversaturation of the grindhouse aesthetic at this point in time. If this were released in 2001, then it would feel revolutionary and classic. I still recommend it and love it, but I think that it's just a victim of circumstance.