Review:
"3 From Hell"
Release Date: Feb. 13, 2020
Rating: R Running Time: 115 minutes Rob Zombie’s 3 From Hell is the genre equivalent of a rock trio splitting up in the wake of tragedy, only for the two surviving members to reform a decade later under a new name and with a replacement lead guitarist. But the new lineup just does not have the same vital dynamic as the original, and they only play the greatest hits before a small but loyal fanbase. Now streaming on Shudder, 3 From Hell finds Zombie revisiting the Firefly franchise, which launched with the 2003 gorefest House of 1,000 Corpse sand continued with the 2005 grungy thriller The Devil’s Rejects. As you may recall, The Devil’s Rejects found Captain Spauding (Sid Haig) and his psychotic kids Otis B. Driftwood (Bill Moseley) and as Vera-Ellen “Baby” Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie) on the run from the law for the horrific murders they committed in House of 1,000 Corpses. The Devil’s Rejects ended with police firing a hail of bullets at the three coldblooded killers but Zombie smartly did not show them actually dying from their multiple wounds in the event he wanted the option to make a sequel. And that brings us to 3 From Hell, which finds the three alive, well, and behind bars. 3 From Hell opens with the execution of Captain Spauding. Exit the Devil’s Rejects, enter the 3 From Hell. Bill Moseley’s Otis breaks out of prison with the help of his equally vicious half-brother, Winslow Foxworth “Foxy” Coltrane a.k.a. the Midnight Wolfman (Richard Brake). Once reunited with Baby, the so-called 3 From Hell set off a crime spree that takes them to Mexico. So far, so bad. With the exception of bringing Brake into the mix, Zombie does nothing with 3 From Hell that did he do not already do with The Devil’s Rejects. OK, Zombie does kill off Spauding early into 3 From Hell, a narrative move necessitated by Haig’s poor health prior to filming. (Haig would sadly pass away in September 2019, days after 3 From Hell received a special three-night theatrical engagement through Fathom Events.) Needless to say, the cantankerous Haig is sorely missed when the bodies start to pile up, which is almost immediately after his offscreen execution. That said, Zombie regular Brake maintains an intimidating presence throughout 3 From Hell despite being the only family member who seems to have a reasonable grip on his sanity. He also serves to offset Moseley’s still-effective Manson impersonation and Moon Zombie’s manic behavior. Once 3 From Hell moves past Spauding’s execution, Zombie all but restages The Devil’s Rejects’ more striking set-pieces, including a hostage situation that ends badly and a bloody climax that features an antagonist out for revenge against our favorite antiheroes. 3 From Hell boasts a predictably high body count, with Zombie gleefully offering enough inventive deaths to distract franchise fans from this threequel’s woeful shortcomings. And while set in the mid-1980s, 3 From Hell maintains its predecessors’ grimy Grindhouse aesthetic and 1970s rock soundtrack. Zombie clearly is stuck in the decade of polyester suits and unruly sideburns. He also cannot seem to get past the franchise that launched his career as a filmmaker. In the end,3 From Hell is nothing more than an blood-splattered exercise in repetition. Robert Sims Aired: Feb. 14, 2020 Web sites: https://robzombie.com https://www.shudder.com/movies/watch/3-from-hell/ |
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