The Devil’s Rejects

Writer-director Rob Zombie follows up his 2003 psychedelic horror flick, “House of 1000 Corpses,” with this ’70s-style grind house film that chronicles the further adventures of the Firefly clan, a family of oddly likable psychopathic killers. Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe) and a posse of Texas state troopers descend on the Firefly family home to bring the suspects in over 75 homicides and disappearances to justice (or execution); the ensuing shootout results in the capture of Mother Firefly (Leslie Easterbrook) and puts Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie), Otis (Bill Moseley) and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) on the run. After hiding out in a run-down motel (at which they terrorize and murder the members of a touring singing group), the Fireflys seek sanctuary at a brothel owned by Spaulding’s brother, Charlie (Ken Foree), while Wydell employs the services of bounty hunters Rondo (Danny Trejo) and Billy Ray (Diamond Dallas Page) to help him track down — and wipe out — the twisted family once and for all. More of a companion piece than a sequel to “Corpses,” “The Devil’s Rejects” is perhaps best known for its grandiose, blood-soaked finale set to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”; the film was also submitted to the MPAA over eight times, earning an NC-17 at every turn. Horror author Stephen King is a fan of the film, saying it has “No redeeming social merit, perfect ’70s C-grade picture cheesy glow; this must be what Quentin Tarantino meant when he did those silly ‘Kill Bill’ pictures.” – IFC Staff