Rob Zombie’s movies show off the director's distinct filmmaking style, but they have always been divisive with some being much better than others. While some praise his vision of stories full of gore and disturbing characters, others think he relies too much on shock value and doesn’t offer much beyond violent scenes of blood and guts. The truth is, both sides are partially correct: Zombie adds a lot of shocking scenes because of his exploitation influences, and his characters reflect the disturbing worldview often contained within his movies' themes. Combined with music often provided by the artist himself, Rob Zombie's movies are a unique audiovisual experience.
Zombie made his directorial debut with 2003's House of 1000 Corpses, and since then has directed a slew of titles that reflect his shifting tastes. From his fake movie trailer in Grindhouse, Werewolf Women of the SS, to direct-to-DVD animated films like The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, Zombie has proven himself to be more than a shock auteur. Zombie’s filmography runs the gamut from remakes and retellings to original content, with the director creating his own extended universe and mythology. Few artists have made the jump to filmmaking as successfully as Zombie, and though all of his Rob Zombie's movies have been polarizing, they are his own distinct creations.
8 Halloween 2 (2009)
Like many Rob Zombie movies, his take on Halloween 2 was more of a retelling and not a simple remake of the 1981 film of the same name. Exploring both Laurie and Michael Myers’ pasts as well as Dr. Loomis’, the story is set right after the events of Halloween (2007) before a time jump of one year. Laurie is still dealing with the aftermath of that Halloween night while Dr. Loomis takes advantage of the tragedy and releases a new book. Elsewhere, Michael Myers is having visions of his mother, with Laurie also experiencing hallucinations connected to Michael’s past.
Though he kept some details from the original movie, like Laurie and Michael being siblings, Rob Zombie's Halloween films changed the canon and took liberties with the classic story. What hinders Halloween 2 the most is that it has too many things happening in just one movie. The addition of Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie) through visions along with a white horse was a failed attempt to expand on Michael’s backstory and ended up being unnecessarily confusing. Zombie’s intentions were good, but Halloween 2 ended up destroying what his Halloween remake built.
7 31 (2016)
Initially believed to be a continuation of the story of the Firefly family from House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, 31 was actually an original tale completely independent of the others that featured some frequent collaborators from Rob Zombie movies. Set during Halloween 1976, the story follows five carnival workers who are kidnapped by a gang of clowns and forced to play a survival game called “31”. The game lasts 12 hours, and the group is placed in a maze with different rooms where they must defend themselves from the “Heads”, which are murderous clowns whose goal is to torture and kill.
While the idea was nothing that hadn't been seen before, 31 contained Zombie’s typical gory blood-soaked scenes, and the maze established a claustrophobic feeling throughout. The movie had the style of classic exploitation films but spiced them up with a gang of murderous clowns with the character of Doom-Head being particularly nightmarish. Ultimately though, 31 failed to appeal to viewers outside the die-hard fans of Rob Zombie movies, and it generally lacked the imaginative approach that makes Zombie a divisive but distinct filmmaker.
6 The Munsters (2022)
Offering a complete departure from the typical Rob Zombie movies, the Netflix-exclusive film The Munsters was the director's take on the classic nostalgic property. Zombie's The Munsters was a pseudo-prequel to the 1960s show, and it was set in Transylvania where it followed a love-lorn vampire named Lily who falls head-over-heels for a gigantic science experiment named Herman, despite the ardent protestations from her protective father. They eventually move to the United States, and visit many of the familiar haunts from the series.
Though The Munsters was a playful departure for Zombie, it ultimately suffered from many of the same problems that have been plaguing the director's work since the very beginning. Strong on heart and love for the source material, the film fails at telling a straightforward narrative and largely meanders from scene to scene with little motivation. Rob Zombie movies usually feature a low-budget grindhouse style, but large portions of The Munsters came off as cheap and not DIY endearing. Nevertheless, the strong and campy performances helped to keep the movie watchable throughout.
5 3 From Hell (2019)
The ending of The Devil's Rejects made it seem as if the leading trio of Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding had been killed by a hail of police gunfire to the tune of Lynyrd Skynyrd's classic rock staple "Free Bird." 14 years later though, 3 From Hell revealed that the Fireflies were only mostly dead, each having somehow been nursed back to health, then tried and convicted of their many crimes. 3 From Hell sees Otis and Baby escape from prison with the help of Otis' half-brother Foxy (31's Richard Brake). Unfortunately, Spaulding diedearly in 3 From Hell due to the late Sid Haig's failing health at the time.
3 From Hell offered all the violence, gore, foul language, torture scenes, and 1970s music that fans had come to expect from Rob Zombie movies, but it was nevertheless lacking. 3 From Hell's biggest failing was just how closely it stuck to The Devil's Rejects' template without adding anything new. Outside a few key changes, it was almost the same exact movie, and its retconning of The Devil's Rejects' brilliant ending wasted a strong choice made by the director in the previous film. 3 From Hell hit all the marks for those who wanted more of the same, but its unremarkable nature was its unfortunate downfall.
4 The Lords of Salem (2012)
The Lords of Salem stood out from the rest of Rob Zombie's movies, but that didn't necessarily make it a strong piece of cinema. The story centers on witchcraft and satanism, and follows a DJ named Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie) who receives a wooden box containing an album by a band called “The Lords”. As soon as she plays the record, she starts having strange visions and becomes entangled with a coven of ancient witches and diabolical Satan worshipers.
Out of all the Rob Zombie movies, The Lords of Salem had the least amount of gory and violent scenes, and while it was his most compelling film both visually and aurally, it was yet another example of Zombie wanting to tell a bunch of stories and add a lot of backstories in just one movie, which resulted in an overstuffed narrative. The Lords of Salem gathered its own cult following of fans who defend it for being different from Zombie’s usual slasher films, but the flaws weighed the movie down far too much for it to truly succeed.
3 Halloween (2007)
In 2007, Rob Zombie did what many have wanted but wouldn’t dare: take John Carpenter’s classic horror film Halloween and make it his own. 2007's Halloween was both a remake and a re-imagining and gave Michael Myers a backstory by following him during his time at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium after killing a school bully, his sister, and several others. It also expanded on his family life and his relationship with his mother, Deborah, and jumped 15 years into the future with Michael stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night.
What Rob Zombie's Halloween got right was its approach to Myers' backstory, which comprised the first half of the movie. It helped to provide a better understanding of Michael's personality, family background, and relationship with Dr. Loomis, as well as his motivations as a vicious murderer. Most viewers were expecting a full remake of the original movie, and that’s what ultimately hurt Zombie’s unique take. Nevertheless, Zombie built his own Halloween universe and paid tribute to Carpenter’s work at the same time. Of all the Rob Zombie movies, Halloween was his most divisive because of its beloved source material.
2 House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Zombie’s directorial debut was a strong one and set the tone for the rest of his filmography. House of 1000 Corpses took a page from classic exploitation films with strong influences from iconic horror movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Set around Halloween 1977, House of 1000 Corpses introduced the Firefly family and their love for torture and blood. The story follows a group of teenagers traveling across the country who find themselves living a real nightmare when they encounter the dangerous Firefly clan.
House of 1000 Corpses was the beginning of a trilogy that followed the crimes of the Firefly family, and while it initially received a lot of bad reviews, it gathered a cult following. The movie featured abundant amounts of gore and violence and succeeded at shocking the audience in a way that exactly matched what exploitation films aim for. While introducing the most memorable characters from Rob Zombie's movies, House of 1000 Corpses showed the director's deep love of horror cinema, and he left an indelible mark on the art form that helped launch his cinematic career.
1 The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
Two years after the release of House of 1000 Corpses, a sequel titled The Devil’s Rejects arrived with most of the original cast. The story is set in 1978 and reunites the Firefly family, who continue with their reign of horror, but with a few obstacles. After a raid on their home, only two members manage to escape while one is taken into custody and the rest are killed. Meanwhile, Captain Spaulding is somewhere else but reunites with the surviving members of the family to continue their murder spree.
The Devil’s Rejects is the best Rob Zombie movie because it’s better written than the rest, the characters have personalities beyond all the killing, and the acting is much better. The story is cohesive and takes its time without being sluggish, and it doesn’t try to cover too much ground. It’s interesting that The Devil’s Rejects, Zombie’s second movie, is his best in terms of storytelling considering that many of his follow-ups have suffered from major issues in that area. In the end, The Devil’s Rejects proved that Rob Zombie could tell an exciting and terrifying story both visually and narratively, contrary to what many critics have come to believe.