31 (2016)
-Watched at Sundance Film Festival-
Hello there. Dawn Borchardt here, reporting live from the slaughterhouse. HOLY SHIT! This movie is gross! But you know, in a pretty good way. Thanks Rob Zombie.
31 is a horror film that stays true to Rob Zombie’s signature vintage slasher style. A group of rough and tough circus performers get captured on Halloween night by a group of wealthy psychopaths. They are forced to play 31, a game in which they are pitted against various terrifying killers. Meanwhile the wealthy psychopaths, lead by Malcolm McDowell, watch and place bets on their chances of living.
At one especially gruesome point I had to look away from the screen because I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I looked around at my friends-one had her hands covering her face, one was rather calmly drinking tea and the other was mildly chuckling. The whole scenario threw me into a fit of laughter. The combination of their mixed reactions and the pure bloody madness on the screen was just too much.
I don’t think this film quite lived up to House of a 1000 Corpses or The Devil’s Rejects, but since I’m already a fan girl, it was fun to watch. The characters made up for a little too much of an eccentric motley crew. I realize this is Rob Zombie’s thing, but they weren’t as convincing as his previous films. However, Sheri Moon Zombie is amazing as always. I could watch her scream and act crazy all darn day. I also appreciate Rob defying general slasher rules by not casting hot young chicks ready to get murdered. Sheri is obviously a babe, but she’s in no way a weak dumb chick. All in all, Rob Zombie has proven himself to be a horror film auteur and I can’t wait to continue watching his nut-so films. Now get your butt out there, put a few beers in ya and get ready to hoot and cringe at the screen.