Happy Halloween, horror addicts! At long last, the spookiest day of the year is finally here, with monsters of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages set to embark on a journey of delicious candy and ever-present scares. But before the Halloween madness fully takes effect for the rest of the night, it’s only appropriate that WGTC brings you a very special daily horror roundup! Needless to say, the last 24 hours in the massive horror pipeline have been filled to the brim with the scariest updates — which include the brutal unmasking of a legendary horror villain while genre diehards champion an iconic animated character to the catalog.

So, put your spine-tingling Halloween plans on hold for just a few minutes and follow along as we slash through the latest updates in the horror bubble.

Horror fans debate whether a hit-or-miss director hurts or helps the genre

It’s certainly hard to argue with the standpoint that Rob Zombie is one of the most recognizable names in the horror bubble. And while a portion of horror connoisseurs appreciate the filmmaker’s work, other genre diehards are adamant that Zombie’s movies fail to connect with a larger audience, and as a result, his films are often weak enough to be forgotten. Since his directorial debut in horror, Zombie has relied on over-the-top gorefests and unnecessary violence to push his filmmaking agenda across. However, the majority of horror fans have determined that Zombie inadvertently hurts the genre with his ridiculous risk-tasking. Sorry, Rob.

BTS image unveils Michael Myers horrifyingly unmasked

Since the introduction of Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), fans around the globe have been itching to discover what the notable horror villain looks like underneath his iconic mask. True, eagle-eyed viewers do receive a glimpse of Michael for a split second during a scene in the 1978 original, but fans of David Gordon Green’s modern trilogy are always interested to see what the man behind the dark eyes looks like. Luckily, a recently released behind-the-scenes photo unveiled Michael’s appearance, with actor James Jude Courtney in the makeup chair as an army of prosthetics are surrounding his face. Now that’s pure horror.

A Disney and horror collaboration could introduce a classic animated character

With notable characters like Winnie the Pooh and the Grinch earning their own viral trends that have transformed into horror movies, horror veterans are pushing for another classic animated character to receive a slashtastic spin-off — and that would be Disney’s very own Goofy. Rather than his typical fun-loving, jokester self, genre hardcore are yearning for a slasher-esque version of Goofy and gang in an updated version of A Goofy Movie. With a focus on serial killers and sadistic tactics, horror fans are championing Goofy’s introduction into the spooky genre. For now, it’s nothing short of wild fantasy, but stranger things have certainly happened.

Have a safe and happy Halloween, spooky mavens, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow for another horror roundup!

When you pursue a career in the creative world, whether that’s music, filmmaking, acting, or anything in between and beyond, the one thing you can absolutely guarantee is that not everyone is going to like your art; indeed without even considering how different works get re-evaluated over different periods of time, there’s always going to be fans, and there’s always going to be detractors.

But these two sides of the fence rarely get any louder than when it comes to Rob Zombie, the heavy metal singer-songwriter turned film scribe and director, the latter occupation of which has drawn very firm battle lines over the years; some folks adore Zombie’s camp-heavy exploitation shenanigans, while others become instantly exhausted from just seeing his name on a film poster.

It takes all manner of creatives to make a genre flourish, but some are wondering if Zombie’s reputation is poisonous to horror as a whole. With r/horror serving as the perennial battleground for all things spooky, fans have gone back and forth on whether Zombie’s place in the genre is respectable or not.

One suggested that Zombie’s appeal begins to decay past adolescence, noting how his insistence to have his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, in every film is a decision with rapidly diminishing returns.

Another responder said he should just stick to making music, considering Zombie’s scriptwriting to be his most debilitating weakness in an already unimpressive filmmaking skillset.

In the middle of the pack, another pointed out that Zombie has certainly carved out an untouchable niche, with the caveat being that it’s far too much of a niche.

As for Zombie’s proponents, the respect seems to stem from the director knowing what he wants out of his movies, with House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, and Lords of Salem frequently named as the best films to his name.

For those of you looking to bolster your own opinion on Rob Zombie, you can start by checking out his latest film, The Munsters, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

Making your first movie is possibly the toughest task out there, especially in a genre as wide and all-encoming as horror. Some fall flat in their debuts, others catch lightning in a bottle and go on to have storied careers.

Rob Zombie, fittingly with his stage name, made an emphatic cinematic debut in 2003 with the incredibly irreverent and lovingly strange horror film House of 1000 Corpses. The certified genre auteur didn’t strike gold with critics for it, but it’s the fans who have given it a new lease on life.

Nearly twenty years on, 1000 Corpses has got fans talking as one of Zombie’s best ever films and as one of the most criminally underrated films of its era.

Surprisingly stacked in its cast, 1000 Corpses sees the talents of Sheri Moon Zombie (of course), Rainn Wilson, Sid Haig, Walton Goggins, and Chris Hardwick. Yes, the Rainn Wilson who became best known for his role in The Office, was in a Rob Zombie movie.

Zombie’s debut film sees a group of teenagers become subject to immense torture from a psychotic family who take clear inspiration from Rocky Horror Picture Show, as well as the film’s own very obvious nods towards genre classics The Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

1000 Corpses spawned two sequels of mostly deteriorating quality, although there’s still plenty of fan debate over which is the best of the unlikely trilogy. The Devil’s Rejects released two years after, followed by the middling success of 2019’s 3 from Hell. The all-star casts of the trilogy are something to be noted, with Haig’s final role coming in the 2019 film.

Zombie, however, has also been called out by commenters as having gotten progressively worse with each new movie. Most definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, his Halloween films are still one of the most divisive subjects within horror circles, with many decrying them as pointless remakes.

House of 1000 Corpses is available to stream on AMC Plus.

Rob Zombie‘s 2003 horror comedy House of 1000 Corpses has become the topic of discussion over on Twitter, where fans are sharing their opinions on Zombie’s directorial debut.

First and foremost, Rob Zombie is the founding member of the industrial metal band White Zombie, but he decided to try his hand at filmmaking, starting with the aforementioned slasher, the controversial film that he directed, wrote and co-scored in 2000, even if it wasn’t released until 2003. Reddit has mixed reviews on the film, but whether or not it deserves a coveted spot in the best-of category, it still remains a sleeper hit.

As the first film in the Firefly series (prefacing sequels The Devil’s Rejects and 3 from Hell), House of 1000 Corpses follows a group of naive teenagers who are kidnapped and tortured during Halloween. Doesn’t that just sound like a rip-off The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)? It should, because Tobe Hooper’s classic slasher is the direct inspiration behind Zombie’s attempt at a modern revival.

Another named source of inspiration was Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes (1977), another cannibal-centric film. Since its release, House of 1000 Corpses has gained a substantial cult following, and was even developed into a haunted house attraction by Zombie himself. Talk about conceited. Here are Reddit’s thoughts on Zombie’s first-ever swing at the directorial plate.

One major letdown for Zombie-made productions is the editing. Even in high-stakes projects like the Halloween remake and its sequel, Halloween II, the editing is slapdash at best. Although House of 1000 Corpses has repeatedly been named the best out of the Firefly trilogy, it never reached its full potential.

Overall, it was the cast that saved Zombie’s out-of-control vehicle from crashing and burning — and Reddit agrees. House of 1000 Corpses stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson, Chris Hardwick, Tom Towles, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn, and Walton Goggins, In particular, Haig received praise from both critics and audiences alike for his portrayal of Captain Spaulding, a murderous clown who directs the unsuspecting teenagers to the cannibalistic Firefly family. Both Haig and Spaulding have been noted as icons of modern horror cinema.

Backtracking to Zombie’s influence on House of 1000 Corpses, many horror enthusiasts found the trilogy — not just his first entry — extremely unenjoyable for a myriad of reasons. Just like so many horrors that came after, House of 1000 Corpses has been called “cheap, exploitative and gross,” and although it might sound initially harsh, u/elephantinertia makes a convincing argument. Zombie’s Halloween remakes have often received the same criticisms.

Much like Marmite, you either love Rob Zombie or you hate him — there’s no in-between — and to hate the man himself means hating his filmmaking style by extension. As u/fritski22 points out, “you have to like Zombie’s style to enjoy it,” and unfortunately, “more people don’t than do.” However, there are Zombie fans out there, albeit few and far between, that find House of 1000 Corpses purely delightful, going against the crowd of naysayers.

As many Zombie irers have observed, many of the 57-year-old’s films pay homage to ’70s B-horrors, otherwise known as the “Grindhouse” style, defined as “an often shabby movie theater having continuous showings especially of pornographic or violent films.” Honestly, that sounds like a Zombie-led flick summary. In faithful Grindhouse style, Zombie’s films are intentionally graphic, low-budget and over-stimulating. Quite frankly, that’s the appeal that many horror fans crave.

Regardless of where you stand on the House of 1000 Corpses debate, his fans will always agree on one thing: Zombie is a sensational singer-songwriter, and always will be.

Rob Zombie is a legend in the horror community, and his contributions to the entertainment industry as a whole are on another level. Zombie has done it all, from songwriting and singing to filmmaking and voice acting—he’s a man of many hats, and they’re all a little spooky.

Some of Zombie’s most influential works of art are born from his love of all things horror and his experience growing up in the carnival circuit. He lived unique experiences and moments that gave him a keen vision of striking genuine fear in those who would become fans of his work.

One of Zombie’s fans started a Reddit thread that showcased a favorite; the beginning of House of 1000 Corpses, and many agree that it’s one of the most incredible things Zombie has created.

Fans went on to talk about the film as a whole and what they loved most about it.

This fan loved Sid Haig chewing you out for not picking an option via the home screen.

So many people sat around on the home screen of the House of 1000 Corpses. Talk about great marketing.

This fan agrees that the scene is one of the most wonderful he’s directed.

Others say the movie changed their life where horror was concerned.

This gives it five stars, sharing a favorite quote.

Of course, many used the thread to pay respects to Sid Haig, an absolute legend in horror and one of the sweetest guys.

This fan says the entire movie, not just the opening, is their favorite work from Zombie.

While many agreed that the intro was excellent, fans also said that some of Zombie’s other films would be better classified as his most outstanding.

What do you think of House of 1000 Corpses? Do you have another Zombie movie that you’d call your favorite? Let’s talk about it.

Nowadays. Rob Zombie is a name associated as much with movies as it is with music, and his contribution to the horror genre dates back to the depraved House of 1000 Corpses, with yesterday marking 18 years since its initial debut. The film’s ostensible plot involves a pair of couples travelling the backroads of America as research for a book they plan to write about bizarre roadside attractions, but the setup is just an excuse to have a quartet of hapless innocents stumble into a waking nightmare where they’e systematically tortured and murdered by a clan of psychotic sadists in increasingly depraved ways. The aesthetic is heavily influenced by ‘70s exploitation flicks, most notably The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and is intended to evoke the feel of a haunted house attraction, with each scene staged like the rooms of such places and overdressed with gore and grime to pull in those experiencing it. It was such focus on violence that almost led to the movie never being seen, as it was shelved by original studio Universal due to fears it would be rated NC-17. Zombie bought back the rights, though, and managed to sell them to Lionsgate, which at the time was fast acquiring a reputation for distributing material too weird or controversial for major outlets. The release became a modest box office success despite a largely negative reception criticizing the overabundance of gore and derivative nature of the content, and was followed up by two sequels, The Devil’s Rejects and 3 From Hell. Zombie has since freely itted that House of 100 Corpses is an utter mess of a film, one clearly made by an inexperienced director wielding little sense of narrative structure, pacing or characterization. Despite such issues and its critical mauling, however, it’s become something of a cult favorite among many horror fans, and this will be far from the last time it’s given a retrospective once over.

Though Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses is now almost two decades old, it still finds itself coming up in conversation pretty often, with a lot of people holding out hope that the fabled director’s cut will finally surface one day. As fans will know, the 2003 horror pic had a rough journey to theaters. Universal refused to distribute it at first as they were afraid of an NC-17, and so the director bought back the rights and ended up putting it out through Lionsgate. But even then, quite a lot of content was cut to get that R rating. The more extreme footage still eludes us, but at the very least, folks can now revisit the cult classic from the comfort of their own home and as many times as they like. And that’s because House of 1000 Corpses just hit Netflix today. For those unfamiliar with the beloved horror film, Zombie’s directorial debut was a relatively low budget production that took inspiration from genre titans like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for a very bloody but still humorous watch. The story revolves around a group of unfortunates who cross paths with the murderous Firefly clan, led by Sid Haig’s Captain Spaulding, and while it’s not the strongest script, let’s be honest – no one is watching this movie for a compelling plot or fleshed out characters. No, folks love House of 1000 Corpses for its extreme blood and gore and surreal comedy, making it a true cult favorite and still one of Rob Zombie’s best efforts behind the camera. And now that it’s on Netflix, you have no excuse not to revisit it – or check it out for the first time if you’ve somehow never seen it.

Rob Zombie is a titan of modern horror. He’s got a load of awesome movies under his belt, with last year’s 3 From Hell more than living up to his gonzo reputation. I even have a soft spot for his much-maligned take on the Halloween franchise (though the 2018 Blumhouse reboot leaves it in the dust). But it all began for Zombie with the epic cult hit House of 1000 Corpses, which is due to land on Netflix in just a few days. If you’ve never seen it, you’re in for one hell of a watch. It’s the director’s debut feature and kicks off his famed Firefly trilogy (encoming this, The Devil’s Rejects and 3 From Hell). The plot draws inspiration from classic 70s horror like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes and is about a group of innocent teenagers who end up kidnapped by one of the most demented families to ever hit the silver screen. I won’t spoil the particulars of what happens, but every time you think Zombie can’t possibly get crazier or gorier, he somehow manages it. As a result of that intensity, the finished movie took a while to get to cinemas. Universal produced the film, but when they saw the final product, they got cold feet as they believed it was destined for an NC-17. It was then promptly shelved, with Zombie eventually purchasing the rights to it from the studio and shopping around for a distributor. He eventually found one in Lionsgate, who released the pic in 2003 – three years after the shoot had ended. Despite negative reviews dubbing the film “sickening,” “lowbrow” and “ultragory exploitation” (all big positives in my book), it went on to make a healthy profit. Since then, its notoriety has only grown and in a retrospective interview, Rob Zombie discussed its legacy, saying:

“Now, a decade later, it’s become a pretty loved movie among people. It’s great that we have this big celebration. I love seeing Sid Haig and the other actors get such great attention from it. The funny thing is, ten years becomes a long time. I’ll meet someone who’s eighteen years old, and that’s always been a film that they’ve loved. It’s funny that the film’s been around that long to be like that for some people.”

House of 1000 Corpses will be available to Netflix subscribers on October 1st. And if you’ve never seen it and count yourself as a horror fan, we suggest checking it out.

The main streaming services are competing for our attention with a lot of new and returning Halloween titles this season, and one of the most exciting things to look forward to is “Netflix and Chills,” the annual celebration of all things macabre. As part of this event, the platform is adding Rob Zombie‘s House of 1000 Corpses on October 1st, giving us all the chance to catch up on an underrated genre classic from the director behind the 2000s Halloween reboot and many other pictures. Released in 2003, 1000 Corpses was Zombie’s directorial debut, coming alongside a successful musical career. A relatively low-budget production, he took inspiration from the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for a decidedly bloody but still humorous film. The story, for those unaware, sees a group of unfortunates enter into the orbit of the murderous Firefly clan, led by Sid Haig’s Captain Spaulding. It’s fair to say that House of 1000 Corpses doesn’t hold back on the gore or surreal comedy, making it a cult favorite for horror fans. In 2005, Zombie returned to the series with The Devil’s Rejects and wrapped things up with 2019’s 3 From Hell. Over the years, he’s been critical of his first outing as a filmmaker as being less focused than he’d like, but we’d still recommend checking out House of 1000 Corpses as it’s a solid horror flick and a nice a jumping off point for the flawed but enjoyable Firefly trilogy, which arguably achieved its high point with The Devil’s Rejects. You can catch that one on Amazon Prime and Hulu, while 3 From Hell is currently a Shudder streaming exclusive. If Rob Zombie‘s particular brand of mayhem isn’t to your liking, though, there are plenty of other choices available for Halloween, too, including some new material from Blumhouse and a pretty comprehensive range of original content on Hulu and other platforms.

With House of 1000 Corpses, Rob Zombie announced himself as a filmmaker with a visual style that, while not exactly original, certainly made an impact among jaded horror fans. However, it was such visual choices that led to a plot hole between it and its follow up The Devil’s Rejects, specifically regarding the look of Otis Driftwood. In the first movie, Otis is shown to be an albino, having alabaster skin, platinum hair and red eyes, while in the second his appearance is radically different, with a regular shade of white skin and his hair and eyes of more natural hues. The change was intentional, and was due to how the tone of the original film turned out. House of 1000 Corpses was Zombie’s debut as a director and as such he was still figuring out exactly what he was trying to do with his movies. Evidently keen to emulate the stylings of the ‘70s grindhouse sleaze he loved as a young man, its overblown excesses ended up turning what was supposed to be black humor into something far more over the top and camp than he anticipated or even wanted, least of all due to several of its ensemble, including Otis, being dissonantly named after characters from Marx Brothers comedies. In attempting to rectify this in the sequel, Rob Zombie removed Otis’ albino traits as he decided they wouldn’t gel with the intended realism and grittier tone. The problem with the choice though is that since albinism is a genetic condition and thus not possible to be ‘cured’ of, the change cannot have any real justification.

The Firefly trilogy is getting a limited edition Blu-ray release soon, or so its director, Rob Zombie, teased on his Instagram . The trilogy, comprised of horror flicks House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects and 3 From Hell, has amassed somewhat of a cult following over the years, one that will be glad to see these films make their return on home video. “This is a little sneak peek at the limited edition Steelbook bluray edition of the Firefly trilogy!” Zombie said in his post, which showed some stylized artwork from his beloved movies. “Get one before they sell out!” he concluded the message, indicating that the amount of copies available will be small, and the demand for them large.

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Though Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses is now sixteen years old, it still finds itself as the subject of a good amount of hearsay, much of it stemming from the chances of the fabled director’s cut finally seeing the light of day. If you’ll recall, the 2003 horror movie had a bumpy journey to theaters. At first, Universal refused to distribute it due to fears of an NC-17 rating. Eventually, Zombie bought back the rights and put it out through Lionsgate. Even then, though, House of 1000 Corpses was cut down quite a bit to get an R-rating. Unfortunately, the more extreme content from the pic has never been released, and while fans would no doubt love to see it, the filmmaker itted in a recent interview with Bloody Disgusting that he doubts it’ll ever be shown off. And that might be because he’s not particularly fond of the movie in the first place.

“The first film [I directed], which people seem to love, is just a calamitous mess. Well, when it came out it seemed like everyone hated it. Now everyone acts like it’s beloved in some way. All I see is flaw, upon flaw, upon flaw… upon flaw.”

Clearly, he’s not a fan, and though it’s easy to understand where he’s coming from – filmmakers are usually the harshest critics of their own work, after all – many people would still no doubt love to see a director’s cut of Zombie’s first feature-length effort. But unfortunately, it seems that’ll never happen. Still, fans can at least take comfort in the fact that even despite viewing House of 1000 Corpses as a mess, Rob Zombie has gone on to have a very successful career and continues churning out enjoyable efforts in the horror genre on a pretty regular basis. And hopefully, he doesn’t feel the same way about his more recent movies as he does about his first outing behind the camera.