First of all lets get this films major flaw out of the way. There's no-one in this film to root for! Is the audience supposed to side with the cruel sadistic psycho family? And if so, why? They humiliate and torture an innocent family of Banjo players, and then when the sheriff does the same to them, we're supposed give them sympathy! Yeah right.
The film starts brilliantly with the opening shootout between the psycho gang and the cops, unfortunately it can't keep up the momentum for the duration. Director Zombie hasn't a clue about pacing and as a result the film kind of limps to its conclusion. What should have been a heart-racing final 20 minutes (chainsaw anyone?) is swapped for a rushed and silly climax. Also the film stops to many times for Tarantino-lite dialogue. Conversations about Chicken f*****g, Princess Leia fantasies, and Groucho Marks are all very well, but not when they grind the film to a halt.
Zombie certainly likes to riff on his favourite horror movies.There's plenty of similarity with TCM, Last House on the Left, and The Hills Have Eyes. The film IS very violent and some of the more sadistic scenes will have some viewers heading for the exit. One scene in particular has the character of Baby forcing two women to hit each other for her amusement. Its a nasty and distasteful scene, one that this particular viewer found quite sickening.
On a plus note the film looks great, with a washed out gritty look to the photography. Zombie really captures the 70's horror vibe, making it rather frustrating as its obvious the film could have been so much better.
The acting in the film is superb considering the content, with William Forsythe stealing the film as the God-fearing sheriff on a rampage. Director Zombie can obviously handle actors well, and his film looks great, its just a shame the rest isn't up to scratch. It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with for his 3rd movie.
The film starts brilliantly with the opening shootout between the psycho gang and the cops, unfortunately it can't keep up the momentum for the duration. Director Zombie hasn't a clue about pacing and as a result the film kind of limps to its conclusion. What should have been a heart-racing final 20 minutes (chainsaw anyone?) is swapped for a rushed and silly climax. Also the film stops to many times for Tarantino-lite dialogue. Conversations about Chicken f*****g, Princess Leia fantasies, and Groucho Marks are all very well, but not when they grind the film to a halt.
Zombie certainly likes to riff on his favourite horror movies.There's plenty of similarity with TCM, Last House on the Left, and The Hills Have Eyes. The film IS very violent and some of the more sadistic scenes will have some viewers heading for the exit. One scene in particular has the character of Baby forcing two women to hit each other for her amusement. Its a nasty and distasteful scene, one that this particular viewer found quite sickening.
On a plus note the film looks great, with a washed out gritty look to the photography. Zombie really captures the 70's horror vibe, making it rather frustrating as its obvious the film could have been so much better.
The acting in the film is superb considering the content, with William Forsythe stealing the film as the God-fearing sheriff on a rampage. Director Zombie can obviously handle actors well, and his film looks great, its just a shame the rest isn't up to scratch. It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with for his 3rd movie.