The Cult of Rob Zombie

A Case Study of Rob Zombie

In this essay, I will be looking at the cult and extreme film director, Rob Zombie. I’ll be focusing on him as an auteur, his respect for and authenticity to the horror genre, and why his films can be seen as cult due to their badness.

Rob Zombie is an American director and songwriter most known for his films House of 1000 Corpses (dir. Rob Zombie, 2003), its sequel, The Devil’s Rejects, (dir. Rob Zombie, 2005), as well as his successful heavy metal music career.

Zombie can be seen as an auteur, as he uses the same group of actors and has full creative control as he writes most of what he directs, as well as creating and performing his own original soundtracks . In most of his films, Zombie uses the same group of actors, especially Sherri Moon Zombie and Bill Mosely. In addition to using the same cast in his films, Zombie casts actors from well-known horror films such as Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky, and Malcolm McDowell, who plays Alex in A Clockwork Orange (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1971). These casting choices show that Zombie has respect for the cult horror films that have come before. Zombie has helped to create and perform original soundtracks for House of 1000 Corpses and 31 (dir. Rob Zombie, 2016), demonstrating that he has creative control of his films beyond writing and directing.

Part of Zombie’s signature style is a barrage of visual and auditory information, as Zombie frequently uses quick-moving montage sequences, Bernard calling Zombie’s vision “Kaleidoscopic carnage” (14). The reveal of Dr Satan (Walter Phelan) towards the end of House of 1000 Corpses is a good example of is ‘carnage’; the two-minute sequence is filled with inverted colours, rapid zooms, slowed down and sped up clips, distorted sections seen through the eyes of a monster, rapidly switching between shots.

Rob Zombie was a fan of horror before he started to create and direct films. He created music videos for his band, White Zombie, before creating the videos for his following solo career, most of which are influenced by or have references to horror films. The band name itself is named after the 1932 horror film, White Zombie (dir. Victor Halperin, 1932), as well as the Living Dead Girl (dir. Rob Zombie, 1999) music video being heavily inspired by this film. The music video for Never Gonna Stop (dir. Rob Zombie, 2001), a song from Zombie’s solo career, uses imagery, costumes and lines from the extreme film A Clockwork Orange. References to older horror movies aren’t just confined to Zombie’s music videos, in the background of 31, Nosferatu (dir. F. W. Murnau, 1922) is shown playing on a television, one of Zombie’s self-admitted favourite horror films, even having a song inspired by it.

Zombie’s association with horror films is also seen through the use of his music, with him writing Living Dead Girl for Bride of Chucky (dir. Ronny Yu, 1998) and his music being featured in the horror films Urban Legends (dir. Jamie Blanks, 1998) and End of Days (dir. Peter Hyams, 1999).

Much like his casting choices, these references and clear influences show that Zombie has an appreciation and respect for the films and directors before him. This appreciation gives Zombie’s films a sense of authenticity, which is much appreciated by fans, his films don’t feel like they’re made just for profit, but rather made for horror fans by a genuine horror fan.

Zombie’s films tend to focus on the past, Church describing his films as “prominent examples of retrosploitation pastiches” (196). Retrospoitation texts use nostalgia to pull in an audience, often using sexist, racist or homophobic themes from the earlier texts that influence it. This can be seen in House of 1000 Corpses, a film released in 2003 but set in the 1970s. Sexism can be seen through the mistreatment of Baby Firefly (Sherri Moon Zombie) as well as the sexualisation and brutalisation of female victims, and racism can be seen through Otis Driftwood’s (Bill Moseley) choice to wear clothing showing the Confederate flag.

Both House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects feature the “Carnival excess of the ‘hillbilly horror’ subgenre of the 1960s and 1970s”, the carnival and retrosploitation can be seen through the ‘Showtime’ sequence in House of 1000 Corpses. Grandpa Hugo (Dennis Fimple) provides a vulgar story as though he is a comedian and ringmaster, followed by Baby Firefly appearing in a sequined dress with a feather in her hair performing ‘I Wanna Be Loved by You’. This song is most famously performed by Marylin Monroe in Some Like it Hot (dir. Billy Wilder, 1959), a film in which performance is a key theme. This sequence is interspersed with short, animated video clips, both disorienting and intriguing to the audience. All of this is done in front of a background composed of large signs, fairy and neon lights, and a merry-go-round horse, all of which evoke a feeling of the carnivalesque.

Carnivalesque texts tend to celebrate the different and unusual. Thomas describes Zombie as having a “Diane Arbus-like affinity for sleazy, bizarre Americana and schlock culture”. Diane Arbus was a photographer whose subject matter focussed on people on the fringes of society, such as circus performers, the mentally ill and drag queens. These subject matters, especially circus performers, can be seen in Zombie’s films. Clowns are seen in many of Zombie’s films; one of his most recognisable characters, Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) is dressed as a clown for the majority of his appearances. References to old carnival practices are also made, in House of 1000 Corpses, Bill (Rainn Wilson) is turned into ‘fishboy’, a reference to carnival freakshows creating their own mermaids. A large portion of 31 is set in a gory circus tent with the protagonists being chased and assaulted by various clowns and painted ballerinas.

Zombie’s fascination with ‘sleazy schlock culture’ is shown at the start of his take on Halloween (dir. Rob Zombie, 2007), a remake of Carpenter’s Halloween (dir. John Carpenter, 1978). Michael is presented as a “white-trash fallen angel” (Newman) and is given a clear back story, set in a town with homophobic, transphobic characters with thick Southern accents. Fans of the original Halloween often see Zombie’s version as bad as it changes what made Carpenter’s so scary, as well as changing the intended meaning of it. Any film made by a director as unique as Zombie can be expected to have elements of their distinctive style. Though fans of Carpenter’s Halloween may dislike Zombie’s style, fans of Zombie enjoy seeing his take on a well known and popular horror film.

Some cult cinema favourites become favourites due to the badness of them. The ‘bad’ element of these films can be aspects such as gore that can be seen as morally wrong or distasteful, unclear blending and shifting of a film’s genre can lead to confusion and a bad impression of the film. Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects fall into both of these categories of bad. Many reviews of House of 1000 Corpses done by reviewers for mainstream movie audiences discredit the value of the film due to its violence, gore and extremism, with one critic (Partridge) referring to the whole film as “morally objectionable”. Badness is reliant on the audience’s objectivity, cult cinema opposes the mainstream norm, thus leading to cult audiences expecting the content that lies outside that Hollywood norm. Cult audiences can come to expect the extreme in the films they watch, being more accepting of the unusual.

The Devil’s Rejects, the sequel to House of 1000 Corpses, blends the line between genres, with Zombie commenting that he “thinks of the film as more of a western than a horror film” (Bernard, 121), elements of a Western can be seen throughout, with the police chasing outlaws, an intense stand off and bounty hunter like figures being hired. This blending of genres can lead to confusion, which can lead to people thinking the film is bad.

Rob Zombie’s distinct style and casting choices are enjoyed by his fans and his fast paced, violent and chaotic cinematography is accepted within cult audiences. Outside of his fanbase and cult audiences, Zombie’s work can be seen as being made in bad taste and exploitative, with his Halloween remake even being seen as devaluing the original film. Zombie’s respect and appreciation for the horror films that have come before is seen as a valuable trait to fans. His films have a sense of purpose to them, whether it be to explore 60s and 70s ‘hillbilly horror’ or the carnivalesque side of horror, rather than just trying to make money.

Bibliography

Bernard, Mark (2014) Selling the Splat Pack: The DVD Revolution and the American Horror Film. Edinburgh University Press

Church, David (2015) Grindhouse Nostalgia: Memory, Home Video and Exploitation Film Fandom. Edinburgh University Press

Des Partridge (2005) Vile bloodbath a stain on cinema. Courier Mail, The (Brisbane)

Newman, Kim (2009) Halloween II. Sight & Sound, 19 (12), pp. 58–58.

Thomas, Kevin (2003). MOVIE REVIEW; Demented glory or wretched excess? Rob Zombie’s ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ goes heavy on the humour and still heavier on the carnage. Los Angeles Times, 14th April, p. E-4.

Filmography

A Clockwork Orange (1971) Directed by Stanley Kubrick. [Film] Warner Bros.

Bride of Chucky (1998) Directed by Ronny Yu. [Film] Universal Pictures

End of Days (1999) Directed by Peter Hyams [Film] Universal Pictures

Halloween (1978) Directed by John Carpenter [Film] Compass International Pictures

Halloween (2007) Directed by Rob Zombie [Film] The Weinstein Company

House of 1000 Corpses (2003) Directed by Rob Zombie. [Film] Lions Gate Films

Living Dead Girl (1999) Directed by Rob Zombie [Music video]

Never Gonna Stop (2001) Directed by Rob Zombie [Music Video]

Nosferatu (1922) Directed by F. W. Murnau [Film] Film Arts Guild

Some Like it Hot (1959) Directed by Billy Wilder [Film] United Artists

The Devil’s Rejects (2005) Directed by Rob Zombie. [Film] Lions Gate Films

Urban Legends (1998) Directed by Jamie Blanks. [Film] Sony Pictures Releasing

White Zombie (1932) Directed by Victor Halperin. [Film] United Artists

31 (2016) Directed by Rob Zombie. [Film] Saban Films