Editorials
Rob Zombie’s ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ Turns 15!
One month ago, Rob Zombie began filming the highly anticipated follow up to The Devil’s Rejects, 3 From Hell. It’s news that feels even more timely considering 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of Zombie’s feature debut and first introduction to the Firefly family, House of 1000 Corpses. A nihilistic, gonzo horror film full of homages and numerous genres while still retaining a distinct style that’s pure Zombie, House of 1000 Corpses offended critics and lodged its way into the hearts of horror fans on April 11, 2003.
Though the film saw theatrical release in 2003, production ended in 2000. The film sat on the shelf for three years once Universal Pictures refused to release the film out of fear it would receive an NC-17 rating. Zombie eventually purchased the rights to the film himself, made a deal with MGM, and then finally Lionsgate acquired it once MGM got cold feet as well. Trimmed down to an R-rating, Lionsgate released the film, quickly made back their investment and then approached Zombie for sequel plans. Despite the uncertainty around the film’s release, that three-year delay actually worked in its favor. When production ended in 2000, violence in media was under scrutiny by Congress after the Columbine High School shooting that took place on April 20, 1999. Many major studios were pulled in to testify in front of Congress about marketing violent movies to children, which included Universal Pictures’ chairman at the time, Stacey Snider. The political climate around media during that period might have meant a very buried release for Zombie’s debut had Snider pushed forward with release, with the likely outcome that we never would’ve gotten The Devil’s Rejects.
The initial partnership between Zombie and Universal Pictures stemmed from Universal wanting a haunted house designed by Zombie for Halloween Horror Nights. While designing the haunt, the concept evolved into the basis for the film. It was a huge success for the theme park event, triggering Universal’s desire to keep their relationship going. They quickly greenlit the project, and Zombie warned them time and time again how extreme he intended to take it. Their abandonment of the project was ultimately their loss.
Following a similar trajectory to the gritty horror of the ‘70s that influenced House of 1000 Corpses, the theatrical release was instantly reviled. A gory, brutal sort of slasher in the vein of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 with Manson family leanings, the narrative centered around a sadistic backwoods Texas family torturing an unwitting group of travelers that cross their paths on Halloween night. That family, the Firefly family, were as colorful in personality as the beautiful neon glow that washed over many of the scenes. That many were named after characters in the Marx Brothers comedy films is indicative of the campy roots behind Zombie’s serial killing clan. Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) from Animal Crackers, Rufus T. Firefly (Robert Allen Mukes) from Duck Soup, Otis (Bill Moseley) from A Night at the Opera, and “Baby” Vera-Ellen (Sheri Moon Zombie) possibly named after the actress who played Maggie in Love Happy.
Zombie’s reverence for film wasn’t just limited to the comedic origins of the characters’ names or in the ‘70s horror that played influence narratively. Even Zombie’s love of Westerns would find its way into House of 1000 Corpses, particularly in Spaulding’s consistent references to John Wayne. There’s a clip of 1932’s The Old Dark House featured in the film, and Baby Firefly also exhibits cinephile tendencies with her odd vaudeville performance and sharing her favorite actress is Bette Davis.
Zombie’s mishmash of cinematic inspirations and the film’s dark house conception were matched in style. The gritty handheld footage of Firefly clan inflicted torture against the pristine neon haze of Spaulding’s dark ride and Dr. Satan’s underground layer is just as manic as the Firefly family themselves. Tonally dark and gory as it is dementedly funny, a late supernatural twist by way of Dr. Satan keeps the entire story off kilter. That Zombie in actually shot dual versions of the film, one far gorier than the other, only furthered the eclectic aesthetic.
House of 1000 Corpses was a bold debut with a distinct style comprised of so many cinematic influences. It wasn’t a flawless film, but it was one steeped in passion and love of cinema. The uneven bits were smoothed over and tethered together by the tremendous performances of its cast. Sig Haig made Spaulding instantly iconic. Bill Moseley made Otis memorably terrifying. Matthew McGrory injected an enormous amount of sympathy toward the Firefly family as quiet yet imposing Tiny. Dennis Fimple gave an energetic, rousing performance as Grandpa Hugo, even when he was very ill and dying of heart disease.
In 2005, the Firefly family would tone down their theatrics for a much grittier grindhouse journey that further embedded themselves into horror fandom, earning a much stronger reception than its predecessor. Even still, House of 1000 Corpses is a bold declaration in horror even 15 years later. As unrelenting and dark as it is twisted and humorous, there’s nothing else like it.
The problem with filming sequels back-to-back is that, unless you can afford expensive reshoots, there’s no easy way to adjust course in between movies if fans react badly to where the story is headed. That’s why it’s important to have a complete narrative thought out well in advance lest you accidentally kill a budding franchise.
However, this isn’t always the case. Every once in a while, it seems like the cinema gods smile upon certain chaotic productions and gift moviegoers with complete franchises that feel like more than the sum of their hastily produced parts. Ted Nicolaou’s Bloodlust: Subspecies III is precisely one of these miraculous pictures, with the raw talents of the artists involved (as well as the continued support from Romania) turning the feature into an effective conclusion for a series that kind of made things up as the filmmakers went along.
That’s why I’d like to invite my fellow readers to join me on this third part of our journey through the Subspecies franchise as we look into Bloodlust and talk about how it remains a surprisingly satisfying finale to the original trilogy.
A Trilogy Planned on the Fly
Released only a year after Bloodstone found plenty of success in rental stores and mail-in VHS catalogues worldwide, 1994’s Bloodlust was produced at the same time as its predecessor in (mostly) the same locations and with the same team. This means that the movie benefited from all the same upgrades as Bloodstone, with the crew now being more experienced with the ins and outs of surviving a low-budget Romanian production and the cast really settling into their characters.
At this point, everything from location scouting to the makeup process had been streamlined, with Wayne Toth and Norman Cabrera, the main duo behind special effects, even switching out time-consuming prosthetics for latex gloves in order to speed up Anders Hove’s monstrous transformation. The titular “subspecies” demons were also once again relegated to a mere cameo appearance due to the laborious puppetry required to bring them to life.
The only real hiccup came from the fact that actress Denice Duff had replaced the first film’s Michelle (Laura Mae Tate) and was immediately expected to portray the character as both an innocent victim in part II and as a secondary villain in part III. According to behind-the-scenes interviews, the hectic production schedule that blended two different movies meant that Duff would often find herself having to alternate between two incredibly different versions of Michelle during the same shooting day – though it’s obvious that she’s having more fun with Bloodlust’s more traditionally vampiric version of her character.
In the finished film, we pick things up immediately where the previous entry left off as Rebecca (Melanie Shatner) is forced to leave her vampire sister Michelle (Duff) behind in the dungeons of Castle Vladislav due to the rising sun. This allows Mummy (Pamela Gordon) to use Michelle’s blood to revive the vicious Radu (Hove) so that he may continue his quest for the coveted Bloodstone – a magical artifact that perpetually drips the Blood of Saints.
Meanwhile, the dreamy US embassy agent Mel (Kevin Blair) agrees to help Rebecca plan a rescue mission, though they’re unaware that Radu has become infatuated with Michelle during his attempts to guide her growing bloodlust. This all culminates in a climactic confrontation meant to tie up all of the series’ loose ends in one of Full Moon Pictures’ most ambitious productions.
The Evolution of Radu
Like its predecessor, Bloodlust: Subspecies III was also warmly received by fans who argued that the series was an even bigger success than Full Moon’s other major horror franchise, Puppet Master. This praise wasn’t unanimous, however, as 1994 had seen the rise of a more modern breed of sexy vampire popularized by Anne Rice, with old-school Nosferatu like Radu being viewed as obsolete when compared to the likes of Lestat and Gary Oldman’s take on Dracula.
In a way, one might argue that Nicolaou’s film is something of a swan song for the classic vampire story, as Bloodlust combines all of the traditional elements we tend to associate with these tales into a single tragic yarn that ties a neat little bow on Radu’s story as well as the old-fashioned monster movies that he represents. The finale remains shocking despite the fact that this is the third time we see Radu get brutally killed onscreen, with the brief tease that he may one day return feeling more like a nod towards the nature of evil rather than sequel bait.
The film dabbles a bit in gothic romance and even explores the inherent power fantasy behind transforming into an immortal creature of the night, but the filmmakers never lose sight of Radu as a demonic force even when he’s willing to betray his beloved Mummy for Michelle’s sake. In fact, his twisted “love” for his fledgling makes him even creepier as we get the feeling that his passion comes from a dark and disturbing place.
Anders Hove is at his absolute best in this film, with the effects department boosting his moments of what the younger generation would call “aura farming” whenever Radu emerges from shadows like a 90s version of Count Orlok. There are even a couple of surprisingly effective jump-scares here, which is why I’d argue that Bloodlust cements Radu as one of the most memorable cinematic vampires of all time despite his humble origins.
Subspecies Saves Its Best For Last
Nicolaou and Vlad Panescu also saved the best for “last” (more on that in a bit) regarding the film’s visuals, with the cinematography and overall atmosphere of Bloodlust absolutely surpassing what we saw in the previous films. Everything feels appropriately climactic this time around (including the wonderful soundtrack that was co-composed alongside an authentic Romanian orchestra), and I appreciate how this is the fastest-paced entry in the trilogy since the film doesn’t need to waste time setting anything up.
Bloodlust still suffers from some of the same low-budget blemishes as its predecessors, but there’s so much creative passion here that no amount of wonky effects work or stilted dialogue can get in the way of appreciating the flick’s gothic grandeur. That’s why it’s not surprising that the movie’s definitive(-ish) ending would later be retconned as fans begged for more Radu.
Of course, the next entry in this series would be a different kind of vampiric endeavor altogether, with the filmmakers attempting to engage with the same trends that ultimately killed Radu and his antiquated kin. That, however, is a story for another time. For now, I’ll merely insist that Bloodlust: Subspecies III remains a highlight of Full Moon’s expansive catalogue and is definitely worth seeking out today.
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