When it comes to making movies for himself, no one does it better than Rob Zombie. Love his films or not, there is a recognition to be had about his style. With his trademark blend of horror, dark humor, and trashy dialogue, Zombie creates a repulsive and fascinating world. After bursting out the music scene with White Zombie and eventually having a very successful solo career, Zombie ventured out and put his money where his mouth was by making his first feature film. House of 1000 Corpses first introduced the world to the Firefly clan and continued a couple of years later with the grittier and character-driven The Devil’s Rejects. While that film ends rather violently, fans have wondered if he would ever return to that world. But that would be impossible right? Fourteen years later, Rob Zombie finally showed us how the Firefly family could return after a pretty solidifying end. And the answer is, well, pretty damn lazy. I’m Mike Conway for JoBlo Horror, and today I’m going to dig through the ditches and burn through the witches with 3 From Hell, released in 2019 (watch it HERE).
3 From Hell follows the notorious “Devil’s Rejects” ten years later. After a decade of being behind bars, they are at it once again and on the loose. After Otis stages a daring escape from prison with his twisted half-brother Winslow Foxy Coltrane, the pair plan to liberate his sister, Baby. With their unholy alliance forged, the Rejects embark on a bloody rampage, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake as they journey south to Mexico. Seeking refuge south of the border, the trio finds temporary sanctuary, only to face a new threat: a horde of ruthless killers hell-bent on revenge and their demise. As the battle for survival unfolds, with their unmatched experience in the art of violence, the Devil’s Rejects are primed for one last joyride of mayhem and murder.
Damn, that actually sounds pretty good. Better than what we got anyway. Let’s put this into my trusty Party Meter database. According to my scale, Mr. Zombie doesn’t quite pull off the hat trick with the trilogy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. And as always, I’ll be making a drink to tie in with the movie. So let’s hop behind the bar and get ready to “feel so good and feel so numb” in ZOMBIE VISION!
3 FROM HELL
½ oz GIN
½ oz VODKA
½ oz RUM
¾ oz BLUE CARUCAO
½ oz GRENADINE
2 oz OJ
2 oz PINEAPPLE JUICE
AD BREAK
TITLE CARD: THE RULES
As with any game, there are some basic rules you can follow or modify. Trust me, you may need to modify. For today’s game, take a drink when:
Every time someone drops an F Bomb. Just Kidding. But if you were to drink to swearing, take a drink when: Dee Wallace says “bitch”
Every time Baby Laughs
When Foxy howls
When there is a slow-motion shot
With every kill
If alcohol isn’t your bag, there are plenty of other things to choose from. Cannabis, if legal in your state, delta 8, 9, 10, or whatever the hell number they’re at now, caffeine, hot sauce, anything. Just know your tolerance. This is supposed to be fun; we don’t want to send you to the hospital. Basically, don’t be a dumbass.
So, does 3 From Hell stand the test of time like the previous two entries? Probably not, but let’s go ahead and get right into this “Spookshow Baby.”
THE MOVIE
The movie opens with the ending of The Devil’s Rejects sans Free Bird in super slo-mo (DRINK). As we all know, that movie ended with a violent shootout that killed off the trio, or so we thought. But fan service came a-callin’, and Mr. Zombie found the perfect way to bring our murderous Firefly clan back from the dead. How did he do it? In the laziest way possible. During a trial deemed the longest murder trial in American history, well, the longest one so far, the three develop a cult following that demands their freedom because they think they didn’t do it or some shit. If you’re like me and thought, “Oh shit, is this cult following going to have a bigger impact with the rest of the film?” Nope. Cut to ten years later, and now they are on death row. A camera crew documents their final moments, and interviews are conducted. We get one last but great moment with Captain Spaulding before he is killed off-screen by lethal injection. We will come back to that.
Later, Otis is sent to do outside prison work with a chain gang when he runs into Rondo, played by Danny Trejo, who was last seen dancing with his shirt off in our Party Movie The Crow: Wicked Prayer. If you don’t remember Rondo, he was one of the “Unholy Two” bounty hunters to catch the Fireflys in the previous film. Now he is in prison for… reasons I guess, and working the chain gang with Otis. Suddenly, Foxy Coltrane, Otis’ half-brother we have never seen or heard of in almost 20 years of these films, shows up to help Otis escape. Don’t get too attached to Trejo, though. (DRINK).
Meanwhile, Baby Firefly is up for parole for some bizarre reason. However, her mental state has gone further south since being incarcerated to the point where she sees dancing kitty cats. Of course, her parole is denied, and she takes it out on America’s favorite mom from the ’80s, causing her to start speaking like Freddy Krueger for the remainder of her screen time.
Now free, Otis and Foxy plan to break out Baby but are still hiding out from people looking for them, including someone looking like post-plastic surgery Mickey Rourke. After killing the pair of hunters, Otis and Foxy devise a scheme to liberate Baby from her prison confines. They take drastic measures by abducting the loved ones of the prison warden, Virgil Dallas Harper. With hostages in hand, Otis and Foxy issue an ultimatum: Harper must aid in Baby’s escape or face the dire consequences of their wrath. Reluctantly, Harper complies, facilitating Baby’s exit by masking her as a guard. However, once Baby is out of captivity, Otis and Foxy decide to tie up loose ends, dispatching the hostages and Harper himself. With a newfound sense of unity, the trio finds themselves at a crossroads, unsure of their next move. Eventually, they settle on fleeing to Mexico, driven by Baby’s escalating instability, which heightens the urgency of their escape. But their newfound freedom comes at the price of being noticed by Rondo’s son, Aquarius, and his henchmen of Rey Mysterio’s. Will this be one last ride for our 3 From Hell?
Rob Zombie’s films are either loved or hated by the horror community. Personally, I’m a fan of the dude and his music. When House of 1000 Corpses first came on to the scene, I was so pumped to see it that I drove two hours to the closest theater showing it. Cut to a couple of years later, and The Devil’s Rejects blew my mind even more. It had a more than satisfying ending, plus it did something I thought would never happen: actually tolerate the song Free Bird. Naturally, I was curious to see the Fireflys once more and how they survived that final shootout, but the end result was, well… Boring. Despite half of the movie being a slog, there are some positives, so “shake your ass, smoke some grass,” and let’s get to it.
First, let’s talk about the beginning. I loved this documentary style, including Sig Haig’s final performance as Spaulding. Originally, this was supposed to be a much larger role, but it was reduced to a cameo due to his illness. Unfortunately, Haig passed away shortly after the film’s release. The script was rewritten and brought in the long-lost half-brother Foxy Coltrane. Now, my first reaction to this revelation was jarring. However, he felt right at home when he appeared on screen. And that’s due to the performance of the great Richard Brake. The man is an absolute legend in the horror community and even made Zombie’s 31 tolerable. It’s just a shame he wasn’t introduced to us sooner in the franchise.
Obviously, Sheri Moon and Bill Moseley continue to be a joy to watch as these characters, but one character, in particular, set this whole film in motion for me. After the pretty awesome opening, what follows is pretty slow. However, when Otis and Foxy hold up the warden and friends, this thing gets interesting again almost halfway through the movie. And that’s all because of the appearance of our favorite killer ice cream man, Clint Howard, as Mr. Baggy Britches. Howard is always a welcoming joy whenever he appears on screen, and having him here as some random ass party clown at the right place at the wrong time is no exception. For him to keep his life, Otis tells him he has to make him laugh, which is pretty entertaining for the audience but not for the man behind the gun. We even get one of the coolest shots in all of Zombie’s filmography. That’s how you effectively do slow-motion, Mr. Snyder (DRINK). Even though the clown makes him laugh when he pisses his baggy britches, he sends this bozo straight to clown Heaven, saying, “I hate clowns.” Oh, c’mon man. Even Spaulding? Don’t we make you laugh? Aren’t we fuckin’ funny?
From here on out, once Baby reconnects with Otis and Foxy, the film becomes a little more tolerable. Another fun scene is just before they decide to travel south of the border. While putting themselves up for the night at a shitty motel, Baby goes out for a soda. However, she runs into this taco Tuesday horndog, played by Sean Whalen, who was last seen for my Party Movie of Idle Hands. He gets seduced by Baby (which is a weird thing to say out loud), but first, she wants that soda. He then ends up making the mistake of saying she looks like that prisoner who escaped like a dumbass, which costs him his life. Once they get to Mexico, everything that plays out is entertaining…. buuuuut:
It’s also just a reminder this is a complete rehash of The Devil’s Rejects. The only difference is they end up in Mexico. Also, it lacks being backed by a bigger studio, so there’s no room in the budget for a better soundtrack. No, sir, this one is backed by Saban. You know, the Power Rangers folks. What makes the first two so unique is there are completely different styles. Maybe Rob ran out of ideas. At least think of a better way to bring them back to life than miraculously surviving a shit load of bullets. Like, literally make them 3 From Hell. Hmm…I wonder what that would look like…
“In a world where evil knows no bounds, where darkness reigns supreme, comes a tale of resurrection and revenge. They were thought to be gone forever, but death could not contain them. Now, they’re back with a vengeance. Their followers turned to the one who dared to defy the natural order, Dr. Satan. Rob Zombie invites you to prepare for a descent into madness, unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed. The Devil’s Rejects have risen, and they’re ready to unleash hell.” 3 From Hell. Unleashing Hell this Summer.
And that’s it. 3 From Hell had a limited theatrical run in September 2019. Believe it or not, this has the highest rating over his other films on Rotten Tomatoes, so take that with what you will. Like I said, I’m a fan of his films; yes, even The Munsters was dumb fun (don’t unfollow). What’s your favorite Rob Zombie film? Let us know in the comments, and we will see you on the next one.
A couple previous episodes of the Best Horror Party Movies series can be seen below. To see more, and to check out some of our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
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