Movies
[Deleted Screams] Dr. Satan Attacks in ‘The Devil’s Rejects’
Deleted scenes have always fascinated me. Some of them are totally useless, while others would’ve made for interesting additions. We focus on the latter scenes in Deleted Screams.
As much as I love House of 1000 Corpses, Rob Zombie’s debut film, it’s The Devil’s Rejects that I consider to be his masterpiece – it’s also, for my money, one of the best American horror films released in the last twenty years. You can say what you want about Zombie as a filmmaker post-Devil’s Rejects, but there’s just no denying that he hit a home run with his second tale about the murderous (but oddly lovable) Firefly family. The ’05 film, a horror/western/road movie, is absolutely brilliant from top to bottom, capped off by one of the genre’s all-time great finales.
House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, though technically part of the same franchise, couldn’t possibly be more different. Like Tobe Hooper’s two Texas Chainsaw Massacre films, they both feature the same characters, but one is an over-the-top cartoon while the other is a gritty, grounded-in-reality experience. Fans often compare House of 1000 Corpses to the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but it actually has way more in common with Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. As for The Devil’s Rejects, it’s a complete tonal departure in every sense of the term.
And it’s because the two films are so different from one another that Zombie had no choice but to nix certain aspects of House of 1000 Corpses when it came time to bring the characters back for the sequel. His 2003 debut introduced Firefly family member S. Quentin Quale (aka “Dr. Satan”), a character who was originally supposed to return for an appearance in The Devil’s Rejects.
Portrayed by Walter Phelan, Dr. Satan appeared in the final act of House of 1000 Corpses – with a medical mask over his face and gnarly surgical apparatus’ attached to his arms, Dr. Satan needless to say made a huge impression in his brief appearance. Naturally, The Devil’s Rejects being a sequel to Corpses, Zombie initially figured that he’d have to bring Dr. Satan back with the rest of the surviving Firefly family members. His idea was that Dr. Satan would be wounded in the opening shootout sequence and then taken to the hospital to commit one last barbaric act.
As you’ve surely seen by now, Zombie filmed that hospital scene, wherein Dr. Satan literally rips a nurse’s (played by Rosario Dawson) throat out. The bloody scene was like something out of a Lucio Fulci film, and the imagery of Dr. Satan in a hospital setting was incredibly cool. In fact, it’s one of my favorite deleted scenes of all time. That said, I’m glad Zombie got rid of it.
The Dr. Satan attack scene may be cool on its own, but I just don’t think it would work within the confines of The Devil’s Rejects. Zombie himself has stated that the reason he cut it is because the character of Dr. Satan would’ve tonally clashed with his vision for the follow-up, and I completely agree. As perfect as he was for House of 1000 Corpses, he just doesn’t fit in the real world that The Devil’s Rejects takes place in. It’d be like Chop Top showing up in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre; the scene, cool as it may be, would’ve stuck out like a sore thumb.
Go figure. An awesome deleted scene that the movie was actually better off without. Just goes to show that sometimes cool ideas are left on the cutting room floor for good reason!
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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