Robert Bartleh Cummings, famously known as Rob Zombie was born on 12th January 1965. He rose to stardom as a musician in a heavy metal rock band that he founded with his then girlfriend, Sean Yseult, called White Zombie in 1985. Although the band released multiple albums,only two achieved commercial success, selling more than two million copies each, and only one reached the Billboards top ten. After the band disbanded in 1998, Zombie continued as a solo artist, producing more than one critically acclaimedand commercially successful album.
After a successful career as a rock star under his belt, Zombie turned his attention to the film industry, mainly as the director of a plethora of horror movies. With his unique and gruesome knack of storytelling, Rob Zombie’s movies catapulted him to stardom, garnering massive cult followings for his wild and bloody thrillers.
His keen talent for violence can be understood by his movie inspirations which include horror classics such as the Bride of Frankenstein, Night of the Living Dead, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We can see how he uses them to churn his own artistic growth; below is a list of well-known Rob Zombie movies, ordered chronologically:
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7. 31 (2016)
After a critical success like Lord Salem, Zombie, inspired by his own Great American Nightmare Show decided to develop a movie based on the statistics that ‘most people go missing on Halloween every year, for whatever reason’. His movie was crowdsourced and released in 2016 to much criticism for its banal predictability. It is widely classified as a mediocre movie with little to show for it, executed in poor taste and with a lack of flair.
IMDb 5.1 / Release Date: 2016
Trailer / Director: Rob Zombie
The film barely amassed enough of a critical reception to bid adieu with respectability, falling far short of its predecessors’ success and failing to recover even half the money invested.
6. Lords of Salem (2012)
Widely acclaimed as the most toned-down Rob Zombie movie, Lords of Salem delivers as a vivid film with strong mental imagery as we delve into the mind of our protagonist, Heidi Hawthorn. Born into a family cursed by the Salem coven of witches, Heidi is terrorized by their mental torture until she succumbs to their evil plans of chaos.
The movie received mixed to positive reviews with most critics praising the film for its staid quality, unlike Zombie’s normal frenzied pacing. Serving as the inspiration for his Great American Nightmare Show- a macabre haunted house for the likes of Zombie-esque horror fans- this movie never fails to deliver on his trademark jump-scares.
The film does, however, have a certain esoteric quality to it that appeals it to hard-core horror movie fans. Falling short on budget, the movie doesn’t deliver with it’s ending and it’s not a surprise that it only earned a meager $1.5 million, barely covering its costs.
IMDb 5.1 / Release Date: 2012
Trailer / Director: Rob Zombie
5. The Haunted World of El SuperBeasto (2009)
After almost a decade dedicated to the world of horror, Zombie decided to take on something a little more lighthearted instead of his usual gritty work. The movie doesn’t break any barriers, instead it is a fun yet violent- after all it is a Rob Zombie movie- and watchable attempt for an animated movie.
IMDb 5.1 / Release Date: 2009
Trailer / Director: Rob Zombie
4. Halloween II (2009)
As far as Rob Zombie movies go, this one is no different in its slash-horror genre barbarism that acts as a double-edged sword for Zombie. Despite being known for its strong imagery and Zombie’s unadulterated horror-ridden vision, it failed to appear to the wider audience. The movie was lambasted by critics for being silly in certain montage sequences despite showing glimpses of true artistic vision.
However, fans of Rob Zombie movies maintain this film to be a solidly fascinating sequel to the first.
IMDb 4.9 / Release Date: 2009
Trailer / Director: Rob Zombie
3. Halloween (2007)
Riding the success of his first acclaimed franchise, Zombie dived headfirst into a remake of John Carpenter’s Halloween, a classic in the horror genre.
With Mr. Carpenter’s blessings, Zombie delved into this remake hoping to make it his own while retaining most of the film’s old plot and dialogue but chose to delve deeper into the main character’s psyche to explain his savageness- a controversial decision in the long run.
The filmfocuses onmain protagonist, Michael Myer,who, from his childhood is seen to be a victim of cruelty from his own loved ones- or perhaps not as loved, seeing as he murders them all eventually. The movie follows him to his extended stay in the psychiatric hospital where he is unable to be helped, instead retreating into a world behind his self-made masks. The rest of the movie follows the same plot as the original where killing ensues once Michael escapes from the asylum, targeting the one sister he left behind.
While perhaps not as suspenseful as the original, Zombie brings his own fresh take to the film with his humanization of Myers. However, while trying to maintain the original feel of the film, Zombie produces two halves that clash with each other in their style. As always, Rob Zombie’s movies never leave much for subtlety, exactly as is the case with this film. In stark contrast to John Carpenters slow, suspenseful patience, this movie takes most of its time psychologically explaining Myers and the other resorts to text book slasher narrative. The movie amassed mixed critical reviews with some slamming the film for not doing justice to the original while some appreciated Zombie for his own depiction of a man let down by all those around him, succumbing to the monstrosity that is his nature and nurture intertwined.
Nevertheless, the movie opened to great commercial box office success, a solid $80 million, making this the highest grossing Halloween franchise film.
IMDb 6.1 / Release Date: 2007
Trailer / Director: Rob Zombie
2. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
Critically acclaimed as his masterpiece of a film, The Devil’s Rejects is a sequel to the House of 1000 Corpses, but that is where the similarity ends. Unlike his first attempt, this film is masterfully executed and delivered. It follows the same protagonists as they flee from a ruthless police force that will go to any lengths to stop their tyranny of murder. With iconic deliveries by the main cast, specifically Bill Moseley for his wild and devilish performance, the film is truly Zombie’s genius put on display. The movie consistently delivers on the shock factor, piling on one bloody kill after another, but the true art lies in how the audience is moved by pity for the protagonists as they are hunted down by the police like prey and barbarically executed despite this being a sort of divine vengeance for their own sickening antics.
Thus, this movie, although not a commercial success, earning a sullen $19.4 million, it remains to this day one of the most critically acclaimed Rob Zombie movies.
IMDb 6.9 / Release Date: 2005
Trailer / Director: Rob Zombie
1. House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
It was a rough start for Zombie’s directorial debut, with his movie being initially shelved because of its controversial subject matter. After three years of struggle and multiple re-shoots, the movie eventually had a theatrical release but was subjected to intense criticism for its macabre nature. Despite that, it garnered a decent $16 million at the box office and in subsequent years developed a cult following as well.
IMDb 6.1 / Release Date: 2003
Trailer / Director: Rob Zombie
However, as far as the plot is concerned, there isn’t much to look forward to. The movie follows two young couples left to the mercy of a twisted family of serial killers and while it has a great music score courtesy of Zombie’s extensive experience, the movie plays out like a standard cliched slasher film with no real plot narrative. But what holds up this movie is the unique aesthetic vision Zombie brings to the table with his dark gore, from wildly inventive killsto perverse rabbit costumes to shock the viewer. Despite its shortcomings, in certain circles, the House of 1000 corpses is widely considered to be the ‘one of the best horror movies of all time’.
However, we hope this isn’t the end of Rob Zombie for he always manages to deliver in his own unique ways. With many commercial as well as suitably praised critical successes in his repertoire of gruesome horror classically Rob Zombie movies, we’ve come to rely on him for sick yet perversely enjoyable features to keep us awake for days on end.
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