The _Empire Strikes Back_ of the Firefly Family franchise. Firstly because they're both the middle entry in their respective trilogies, and secondly because I gave them both the same rating. And I say that knowing full well how much the film community at large will look down on me for admitting it. But I don't care. This is a fantastic movie. Probably Zombie's best. Mm, second best. After _Halloween II_. Which is also the best _Halloween_ movie.

...Now they're really coming for me.

_Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite._

**Between black comedy and disgusting horror, it's not a movie that wants to be taken seriously.**

Rob Zombie is a decidedly strong stomach man. His musical curriculum could be enough to prove it, but we still have his horror films, full proof of his taste for blood and shocking scenes. Personally, I'm not a fan of excessively bloody films, I think that the blood and deaths in a horror film shouldn't be indiscriminate, it ends up being counterproductive and having a perverse effect, as if we got used to it, making this type of resource less effective.

This film is the sequel to “House of 1000 Corpses”: starting where it ends, it shows us the siege of the decrepit Firefly house to arrest or massacre that family of degenerates. They manage to escape and will spread panic in the region, while the local police try everything to catch them. To understand this film, therefore, I recommend first seeing the film that gives rise to these events (and which is just as violent and disgusting as this one). However, I felt that this film has a slightly better script than its predecessor and that it tries to at least create a good story, "Bonnie & Clyde" style, with cultural references to Ned Kelly, Ma Barker and others.

The slash subgenre, to which this film belongs, has a legion of fans and some renowned films, namely the “Saw” franchise. They are films filled with violent deaths, infamous acts, obscenities and graphic content. I already expected this here. What I really don't understand is how Zombie tries to introduce comedy into a movie like this. Even dealing with black humor, attempts to introduce humor end up cutting the atmosphere.

Back to characters they already knew, Sid Haig and Bill Moseley continue to do a great job as actors. They dominate the film and their characters are both comic (it didn't work for me but…) and brutal and sadistic. Sherry Moon Zombie, who is the director's wife, gained more prominence in this film, where she appears naked (or almost) in several scenes. The veteran and prestigious Leslie Easterbrook (who most people will remember for her performance in the comedies of the “Police Academy” franchise) replaced Karen Black, but I confess that I felt at various times that the actress did not fit into this type of material. The film also features other well-known actors such as William Forsythe, Ken Foree, Danny Trejo and Taylor Maine.

Technically, the film has some points that deserve to be highlighted, starting with the use of good special effects and good digital resources, which the director took full advantage of. We cannot fail to observe with some pleasure the richness of detail in the sets and costumes, and the good work of the camera. The soundtrack features several well-known songs, and contributes to not taking the film too seriously.

Why was this not nominated for any awards? I'm being genuine, why not? There are parts of the story I would tweak (it's basically Rob Zombie's Bonnie and Clyde), but everything else is masterfully done. Phil Parmet's signature claustrophobic and dirty cinematography had me commenting how great the shots were every other second. The dialogue is sharp and on point, as usual, like, I will be quoting some of the shit in this movie for years on end, this is one of the best scripts ever written. "Boy, the next word that comes out of your mouth better be some brilliant fuckin' Mark Twain shit. 'Cause it's definitely getting chiseled on your tombstone." Zombie has made a reputation for himself of only doing "low-brow" Grindhouse type films, but there's something about them I'm hopelessly attracted to. Zombie's main goal is to entertain the viewer, and I think he excels in doing that in every project he's done. I walk away marveled at the direction, remembering the characters, and downloading the soundtrack. It is unfortunate, I will say, he doesn't take on more accessible genres, so his work gets seen by more people. Even though I loved this, I wouldn't recommend to, say, my grandmother. A shame his clever screenplays are limited to a niche genre within a niche genre. But to say his filmmaking is bad is just dishonest. You want to see a bad movie? Compare the shoot-out openings from both Texas Chainsaw 3D and The Devil's Rejects. You may not have realized it, but the difference is that huge. At least he gets enough funding from his fans and album sales to continue doing whatever he wants. So, the question, should you watch it? Depends how sick you like your horror, or if you'll like be morally conflicted about liking these psychopathic murderous leads. It's the equivalent of genuinely caring for Leatherface and not wanting to see him die. That's why I compare it to Bonnie and Clyde, it takes the side of the criminals, this movie being a huge risk, but pulls it off. There's a bearing resemblance to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid too; example, the final shot is exactly the same. It may sound weird, but once you see Captain Spaulding and Baby clamoring for Tuity Fruity ice cream, there's no going back.