You've gotta hand it to Rob Zombie: no matter how many complaints he gets about his tropes, the man uncompromisingly refuses to alter his style and continues to churn out tonally similar films as a F.U. to those who bash anything with his name on it. The man has shown he has zero you-know-whats to give when it comes to his "haters" and, over a decade and 6 films into his career, you should know by now whether he's your cup of tea.
"31" continues to expand on the "white trash horror" trope we've all come to expect from Mr. Zombie, focusing almost as a showcase for his greatest hits, if you will. There's the repulsive characters with foul mouths who look like they haven't bathed in five years, the grimy sets, the over-the-top gore, a pulsing soundtrack evened out with some 70s rock hits, shaky cam, extreme close-ups, his wife, 8mm-style footage...name anything in more than one of his films and it's here.
This time around we get: the sheer insanity and crazy kaleidoscopic colors of "House of 1000 Corpses", the grittiness and desert locations of "The Devil's Rejects", the violence of his "Halloween" films, and the lens flares and stylish shots from "The Lords of Salem", which Zombie has thankfully chosen to revisit here on a few occasions. Oh, and it all takes place on...Halloween! Like I said, this literally plays out like a "Best Of" showcase incorporating elements from all of his previous films. Given that, there's something that should be obvious by now: if you didn't care for any of his previous films, your mind still won't be swayed by this one. But that's the beauty of it for his fans: they know what to expect and Rob continues to deliver it.
I would argue that this film is well-directed and I imagine that would elicit a few shocks, but so what? The truth of the matter is that Rob has visited these streets so often that it should be clear by now he knows exactly what he's doing. The man overwhelmingly makes a particular style of film--one many people fail to connect with--and I would argue he does it well. Over the years, he has managed to create a style all his own, to the point I'd argue anyone familiar with horror would be able to pick out a Rob Zombie film if it didn't have his name on it. That's the beauty of directors like Argento, Zombie, Bava, Tarantino, etc.: that even if you don't like their work, you can almost immediately identify it. Some may balk at me lumping him in with those greats, but tell me, how many modern horror directors have such a distinct style associated with them that you can actually pick them out from the herd of other horror directors all making endless cookie cutter mainstream fare? For every James Wan, there's directors making jump-scare films with no personality to them--faceless directors you wouldn't be able to distinguish between had the credits not told you. Zombie, love him or hate him, does not fall into that category.
Is this a perfect film? No. As usual, Rob's dialogue remains his weakest link in the creative chain, but his visuals remain spot-on. Oh, it's all shaky cam, you say? Nonsense. He has developed a distinct use of color and utilizes his aspect ratio admiringly well on some shots, showing he CAN make a conventional "beautiful" horror film should he want to--and indeed "The Lords of Salem" is the closest he's ventured in that direction--but, for most of the running time, chooses to disorient the viewer with crazy angles, hellish images, and the always-present feeling of being dirty. I still can't watch a Rob Zombie film without wanting to shower afterwards.
What did I enjoy about this one? I loved the pacing, I dug the 70s tracks and the thumping music during the suspenseful bits, I appreciated his willingness to revisit the beautiful lens flares and stylish shots from "The Lords of Salem", I admired the desert scenery and the homages to his past work (the abduction scene is immediately reminiscent of the one in "House of 1000 Corpses") and I thought his long takes of dialogue and close-ups really fleshed out his style on this one.
For those that care, there's also a definite "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" vibe going on here that I dug.
So non-fans, sorry: this isn't the one that will sway you and it's looking increasingly unlikely that film will ever come unless Rob completely alters his approach. For those that enjoyed his past work (even just one of them), there may be something for you here.
Keep on rockin', Mr. Zombie. I can always count on you to put on a good show. In the theater, of course. I haven't listened to your music...
"31" continues to expand on the "white trash horror" trope we've all come to expect from Mr. Zombie, focusing almost as a showcase for his greatest hits, if you will. There's the repulsive characters with foul mouths who look like they haven't bathed in five years, the grimy sets, the over-the-top gore, a pulsing soundtrack evened out with some 70s rock hits, shaky cam, extreme close-ups, his wife, 8mm-style footage...name anything in more than one of his films and it's here.
This time around we get: the sheer insanity and crazy kaleidoscopic colors of "House of 1000 Corpses", the grittiness and desert locations of "The Devil's Rejects", the violence of his "Halloween" films, and the lens flares and stylish shots from "The Lords of Salem", which Zombie has thankfully chosen to revisit here on a few occasions. Oh, and it all takes place on...Halloween! Like I said, this literally plays out like a "Best Of" showcase incorporating elements from all of his previous films. Given that, there's something that should be obvious by now: if you didn't care for any of his previous films, your mind still won't be swayed by this one. But that's the beauty of it for his fans: they know what to expect and Rob continues to deliver it.
I would argue that this film is well-directed and I imagine that would elicit a few shocks, but so what? The truth of the matter is that Rob has visited these streets so often that it should be clear by now he knows exactly what he's doing. The man overwhelmingly makes a particular style of film--one many people fail to connect with--and I would argue he does it well. Over the years, he has managed to create a style all his own, to the point I'd argue anyone familiar with horror would be able to pick out a Rob Zombie film if it didn't have his name on it. That's the beauty of directors like Argento, Zombie, Bava, Tarantino, etc.: that even if you don't like their work, you can almost immediately identify it. Some may balk at me lumping him in with those greats, but tell me, how many modern horror directors have such a distinct style associated with them that you can actually pick them out from the herd of other horror directors all making endless cookie cutter mainstream fare? For every James Wan, there's directors making jump-scare films with no personality to them--faceless directors you wouldn't be able to distinguish between had the credits not told you. Zombie, love him or hate him, does not fall into that category.
Is this a perfect film? No. As usual, Rob's dialogue remains his weakest link in the creative chain, but his visuals remain spot-on. Oh, it's all shaky cam, you say? Nonsense. He has developed a distinct use of color and utilizes his aspect ratio admiringly well on some shots, showing he CAN make a conventional "beautiful" horror film should he want to--and indeed "The Lords of Salem" is the closest he's ventured in that direction--but, for most of the running time, chooses to disorient the viewer with crazy angles, hellish images, and the always-present feeling of being dirty. I still can't watch a Rob Zombie film without wanting to shower afterwards.
What did I enjoy about this one? I loved the pacing, I dug the 70s tracks and the thumping music during the suspenseful bits, I appreciated his willingness to revisit the beautiful lens flares and stylish shots from "The Lords of Salem", I admired the desert scenery and the homages to his past work (the abduction scene is immediately reminiscent of the one in "House of 1000 Corpses") and I thought his long takes of dialogue and close-ups really fleshed out his style on this one.
For those that care, there's also a definite "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" vibe going on here that I dug.
So non-fans, sorry: this isn't the one that will sway you and it's looking increasingly unlikely that film will ever come unless Rob completely alters his approach. For those that enjoyed his past work (even just one of them), there may be something for you here.
Keep on rockin', Mr. Zombie. I can always count on you to put on a good show. In the theater, of course. I haven't listened to your music...