By Jared Curtis jared@dmcityview.com
‘The Haunted World of El Superbeasto’
Directed by Rob Zombie
Rated R, 80 minutes
Nearly three years in the making, “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto,” based on a comic by Rob Zombie, has finally been released on DVD. El Superbeasto (Papa) is a former professional wrestler and a “world famous man of action.” Helping him out of numerous jams is his sister, Suzi X (Moon Zombie), a stunning, bosomy blonde who is tough as nails, with a robot sidekick named Murray (Posehn). Velvet Von Black (Dawson) is a stripper who El Superbeasto likes, but is taken prisoner by the evil Dr. Satan (Giamatti). The best part of the film is the music, courtesy of Hard n’ Phirm — I still can’t get the Scooby Doo-ish zombie Nazi theme out of my head. This film is not for children; it’s filled with naked girls, plenty of gore and a cast that cusses like sailors. “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto” is a little slow, and at times boring, but if you spend your nights watching Adult Swim, this raunchy and ridiculous cartoon is right up your alley. CV
‘The Devil’s Rejects’
Directed by Rob Zombie
2005, Rated R, 109 minutes
Although director Rob Zombie had already built a fan base from his years fronting White Zombie and his Hellbilly Deluxe solo albums, it wasn’t until he released “The Devil’s Rejects” that the film community took notice. Continuing the story of the crazy and creepy Firefly family, Otis (Moseley), Baby (Moon Zombie) and Captain Spaulding, from Zombie’s 2003 “House of 1000 Corpses,” “The Devil’s Rejects” is a masterpiece when compared to its predecessor. Zombie doesn’t hold back any punches and creates an atmospheric horror film in the vein of the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “Last House on the Left.” Otis and Baby escape a police shootout and meet up with Captain Spaulding at an old, run down motel. Throughout the film, a number of unlucky people cross the Firefly’s impeccable path of doom. This film is gory, gruesome, unrelenting and could be hard to even watch by some squeamish filmgoers. But it also is an amazing film, and, sadly, Zombie’s peak as a filmmaker (his Halloween films have continually worsened). “The Devil’s Rejects” is intense, filled with uncomfortable situations and numerous cover-your-eyes moments, but it’s also one of the most disturbing and entertaining films of the decade.CV
