House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Okay, so it's not really a scary movie. But then, if you expected it to be so, you missed the point. Rob Zombie's favorite films aren't necessarily the scariest ones but the sleaziest ones -- he's like the Joe Bob Briggs of heavy metal. And that's exactly what he's made for his big directorial debut... a sleazy, grimy throwback to the days of grindhouse cinema. For what it's worth, this ghoulish concoction just might be the most devilishly enjoyable thing I'll see in a multiplex all year. It's got problems, for sure (it borrows far too heavily from Texas Chainsaw, for one, and there's not nearly enough of Sid Haig's awesomely over-the-top Captain Spaulding), but I liked it anyway. The best way I can sum it up is that it feels like a really neat haunted-house ride -- it's got the gaudy, creepy-campy vibe you expect from that sort of thing. And, if nothing else, you should see it for one extraordinary, audience-defying shot (you'll know it when you see it -- it's like, for a minute, the film becomes Rob Zombie's version of Gerry).

Grade: B+