Director: Rob Zombie
Year: 2005
Country: Germany/USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Exploitation
Plot:
Following a police raid on their house, the Firefly family is divided as some are captured while others manage to escape and take to the roads as a means of getting back at the police officers who captured their family while still carrying out a ruthless rampage on anyone they come across.
Review:
This here does have a few good things about it. One of the biggest improvements over the first one is that the film really amps up the grindhouse feel and atmosphere from the original. That comes through quite readily here with the family’s actions come across far more vile and cruel than before which is shown quite readily throughout their treatment of the random people they come across along the way, from the whorehouse to the robbery of the car from the family. Also quite nice was that there was one sequence that was quite inventive and torturous. Holding a family hostage, one of them bursts into the room where the face of one of the family members is masked. Strapping it to their face, they leave it on them, who later runs out of the room screaming hysterically until a kill from a sudden, unexpected source in the film’s one true jump scare. It’s quite cruel and creative, all for the sheer amount of joy they have with the concept of it, and the fact that it’s done in a sadistic, downbeat tone makes the scene stand out quite nicely.
The other really shocking part is that this kind of enjoyable grindhouse setup allows for this one to dole out a lot more blood and gore. The opening shootout is one of the greatest ways to open a film, with tons of gunfire and a lot of smashed up furniture from bullets, causing a great mood right from the get-go, while the aftermath of their rampage at the motel or the sheriff’s torture methods provides much more throughout here. With tons of gunshots, a slit throat, innumerable amounts of bloody beatings, and some stabbing as well as a scene where a character has nails thrust into their hands, the fact that it’s still a pretty bloody film before getting to the amount of damage taken that doesn’t result in fatalities also bringing in some gore as well The finale, which is so over-the-top and exciting that it stands out more than anything else, stands out from the rest of the film’s antics. When it really wanted it, it was quite entertaining.
As good as it could’ve been, there are still some things in here that need to be brought up. The most obvious and glaring problem in this one is the extremely annoying and aggravating camera movements used in this one. The camera shakes around wildly and uncontrollably during most of the scenes, often at tilted angles to begin with, rendering it nearly impossible to figure out what is going on in the scene. The fact that this goes on during the film’s money shots is quite a big let-down, as it’s for all the chasing and torture scenes that this happens during the big moments is a huge distraction. The on-screen tortures are pretty brutal and clever, but the fact that they’re all distorted with the wild and obnoxious camera movements means that it’s impossible to get a sense of what’s happening, rendering all the torturing mute when you can’t see it happening.
Another big headache is the way that the film occasionally uses slow-motion during non-sequitur scenes. Every now and then, for no reason, the film would slow down and just feature the scene going on in slow motion without anything playing in the background. It’s a nice, stylish choice, but it doesn’t serve any real purpose to the film for it to be so. It doesn’t help us understand the film anymore, and it’s a really weird and confusing move. The slow pace really drags this out as well. So much time is spent with the family doing random things that aren’t that important in moving the plot along, as an argument over getting ice cream or a stop-off at a chicken farm being the prime factors for this. It really could’ve been trimmed significantly and cut down, as this is a good fifteen minutes too long. Beyond these, though, this wasn’t that bad of a film.
Overview: ****/5
This was way better than the first one was, but there are still a few glaring problems with this one. It’s still very brutal and quite graphic at times, but there’s plenty to nitpick at, so this is really only recommended for those who liked the first one, Rob Zombie fans, or those who might be interested in the more brutal side of the genre, while most others should heed caution.
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