Rob Zombie horror films, ranked from worst to best
As the release of the highly anticipated follow-up to The Devil’s Rejects, 3 From Hell, creeps closer, we’re obsessing over the past filmography of director and musician Rob Zombie.
Zombie went from industrial metal king to horror movie director over a decade-and-a-half ago, building a collection of classic films. While some films have hit on a larger mainstream scale, others were pushed to obsession by dedicated genre fans. Through remakes of classic horror movies, original standalone films and his crowning achievement of the trilogy (which is coming to an end soon), Zombie has solidified his status within the genre.
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With 3 From Hell arriving soon, we ranked every Zombie film out right now. Take a look below to see where your favorite ended up.
6. Halloween II
While many Halloween purists felt Zombie’s initial reboot was a waste of time and largely unsuccessful, Halloween II was a genuine failure in just about everyone’s mind. Diving into Michael Myers’ backstory didn’t sit well with a lot of people in the first film, but revisiting it in this one was a huge mistake. Furthermore, shoehorning in an appearance from Zombie’s wife, Sheri Moon Zombie (who portrayed Myers’ mother as a ghost), felt like he wanted to include her but couldn’t think of a good way to do it.
If you didn’t like the first Halloween reboot, Halloween II is even more infuriating because it corrected some of the faults of the first while creating more problems. Sure, they don’t rely on loud noises quite as much to scare viewers, but diving further into Myers’ backstory isn’t what people want to see with this series. Dr. Loomis’ (Malcolm McDowell) role in the first film at least had a purpose, but this time around, it just feels like filling time that could be better spent on scaring the hell out of viewers.
5. The Lords Of Salem
The very premise of this movie leaves little room for success, so it’s not surprising how bad this turned out. The Lords Of Salem tackles the Salem witch trials through a cheesy plot involving a DJ (Sheri Moon Zombie) playing a record by a band called the Lords which causes the woman in the town to be targeted by newly awakened demons and witches.
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On first look, the film, seems like an excuse to dress up Zombie’s wife to look vaguely like he did in his ’90s heyday. At its best, Lords makes viewers feel like they’re experiencing the emotions of the characters in real time. At its worst, it’s a hot mess of satanic stereotypes where you can completely predict the plot at every moment.
4. Halloween
Remaking a classic horror movie is no easy task, and while a lot of people feel strongly opposed to the Zombie recreation of Halloween, it isn’t as bad as many make it out to be. The first half-hour or so of the film is largely a waste of time building a backstory for Michael Myers through his childhood, but even though it turned into a confusing bit of fan fiction, it wasn’t a horrible idea. The execution of the ideas was the real problem and showed Zombie hadn’t thought through a lot of details in the film.
As it gets going, viewers start to feel like they’re watching a genuinely revamped version of the original film (though with a new direction). Myers goes on his killing spree, hunts down his biological sister and is eventually defeated (even if he doesn’t die). The heart of the problem with this movie, though, is the execution of the big moments. Loud noises and vague shots of people looking horrified stand in for showing the actual violence throughout the film.
3. 31
Who doesn’t love psychotic gangs of murderous clowns and carnies? Zombie’s latest film, 31, follows five carnival workers who are kidnapped by a gang of clowns called “The Heads” who force them to play a game of survival through a maze of rooms for someone else’s entertainment. Though the premise is pretty basic, 31 sees Zombie doing what he does best: taking backwoods villains and turning them into sadistic monsters.
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Fans have compared this movie to Zombie’s hit film The Devil’s Rejects, and though it’s not quite as good, it does feel like the director got back into the swing of things with this one. It’s largely easy to guess the events of the movie as they happen, but nonetheless, it’s a fun film to watch and is genuinely shocking with its violence. Zombie does a fantastic job of making you feel for the characters throughout the film, even if they aren’t good people.
2. House Of 1000 Corpses
Zombie’s debut film set him up to be the next big thing in horror. House Of 1000 Corpses is a fantastic story that feels as gritty and shocking as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes felt back in the ’70s. When the movie was first released, it was largely written off, but horror fans brought it to cult classic status as recognition for the story’s success in building a new “horror family” to follow.
The introduction of the Firefly family, the individual member’s sadistic personalities and the ’70s horror themes really sell this movie. While not the best Zombie film of all time, House Of 1000 Corpses is easily a must-watch for old-school horror fans. It does a great job paying homage to its predecessors while making something new.
1. The Devil’s Rejects
With all the questions left in the air after House Of 1000 Corpses, Zombie couldn’t leave the Firefly family to simply be put to rest. He continues their story in The Devil’s Rejects, and it’s even more shockingly captivating than the first installment. While the family feels almost untouchable throughout much of their time onscreen, things finally get tricky for them as their actions start to catch up to them—which only builds more suspense for viewers.
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Everything about this film takes the successes of the last movie and builds them into something better. The characters already feel familiar, so there’s more time to develop the story while still having plenty of gore-filled moments. The movie’s ending felt like a final moment for the characters even if it didn’t show the outcome, but we now know there’s more to be explored with 3 From Hell.
What do you think of our ranking of Rob Zombie’s films? Let us know in the comments below.
