3 from Hell (2019) Lionsgate/Horror-Action RT: 115 minutes No MPAA rating (strong sadistic violence, language throughout, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use) Director: Rob Zombie Screenplay: Rob Zombie Music: Zeuss Cinematography: David Daniels Release date: September 16, 2019 (US) Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Richard Brake, Sid Haig, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Dee Wallace, Kevin Jackson, Tracey A. Leigh, Sylvia Jeffries, Emilio Rivera, Richard Edson, Pancho Moler, Stacie Greenwell, Anny Rosario, Matthew Willig, David Ury, Clint Howard, Daniel Roebuck, Wade Williams, Sean Whalen, Steven Michael Quezeda, Lucinda Jenney, Bill Oberst Jr., Jan Hoag, Dot-Marie Jones, Nancy Linehan Charles, Austin Stoker, Emiliano Diez, Richard Riehle, Tomas Boykin, Alexandra Ella, Rob Welsh, Jackie S. Garcia, Flor de Maria Chahua, Danny Trejo, Barry Bostwick (narrator). Box Office: $2.2M (US)
Rating: *** ½
Rob Zombie’s latest piece of cinematic art 3 from Hell is the completion of his “Firefly Trilogy” that began with his debut film House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and continued with The Devil’s Rejects (2005). Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of hate directed towards him and his cinematic output. I’ve heard his movies described as sick, vile, sadistic and detestable. Some of the comments I’ve heard or read remind me of the knee-jerk reviews that critics used to give slasher movies back in the early 80s. I have to admit I wasn’t always sold on the White Zombie frontman as a legit filmmaker. My opinion changed when I rewatched Corpses and Rejects a few weeks back. I took a good look at them and realized I was looking at the work of a madman artist and deranged genius. He’s also a guy who loves movies, a fact that can be seen in every frame of 3 from Hell. He takes his inspiration from so many different sources that it ends up being several movies rolled into one crazy f***ing ride.
3 from Hell opens with a faux news documentary catching us up on what happened to Baby (Sheri Moon), Otis (Moseley, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) and Captain Spaulding (Haig, Jackie Brown) after their shoot-out with police at the end of the previous film. Despite being shot about 20 times each, they miraculously survive. Their subsequent trial, a long affair that became a cause célèbre, ends with guilty verdicts on all counts. Spaulding is executed by lethal injection while the others pull life sentences. The documentary abruptly ends when Otis escapes a work detail with the help of his half-brother “The Midnight Wolfman” (Brake, 31).
At this point, 3 from Hell becomes a combination women-in-prison flick and hostage thriller a la Desperate Hours. Ten years of being locked up have taken a toll on Baby’s mental state. She appears to have lost her grip on reality entirely. Also, she’s the target of a butch guard, Greta (Wallace, The Howling), determined to break her. Otis and Wolfman have a plan to break her out. They show up at the home of the sleazy warden (Phillips, The Lords of Salem) and take his family and friends hostage. They threaten to kill everybody unless he helps their sister sneak out of jail. I’ll only say that this section ends with a Firefly family reunion and a bloodbath.
The final act of 3 from Hell is a south-of-the-border action-western with Baby, Otis and Wolfman crossing into Mexico where they hole up in a sleazy rundown hotel run by Carlos (Edson, Strange Days), the guy-to-know in town. The trio may have escaped American justice but not Mexican retribution. They’re soon targeted by a cartel leader, Aquarius (Rivera, El Chicano), with a personal grudge. Any similarities to The Wild Bunch and Extreme Prejudice are purely intentional I’m sure.
It goes without saying that 3 from Hell is extremely violent and bloody. Hey, it’s Rob Zombie, what did you expect? While I’m always down for a great abundance of bloody violence, I’m NEVER down for CGI gore which we get a great deal of here. Given Zombie’s affection for old school movies, I’m surprised and disappointed he didn’t go with squibs and fake blood. It’s the only thing I don’t like about 3 from Hell. The rest of it is pretty awesome!
The term “subversive” gets thrown around so freely these days, it’s lost its meaning. However, I can’t think of a better way to describe 3 from Hell especially as it pertains to its three lead characters. In most movies, they’d be the villains. They’re sadistic, cruel and immoral. They kill with reckless glee. Viewers’ sympathies would lie with their victims who, in most movies, are depicted as innocents who don’t deserve to die grisly deaths. It’s the other way around in 3 from Hell. Zombie paints Baby, Otis and Wolfman as anti-heroes. They’re bad, but everybody else is worse. They’re constantly surrounded by scumbags- e.g. opportunistic a**holes, greedy prison officials, sadistic guards, trigger-happy hillbillies, horny perverts and masked gunmen- who make the Rejects look better by comparison. All they want to do is be together as a family, a desire understood and shared by most folks. In essence, Zombie resets our moral compasses in making us root for a trio of mass murderers for two hours.
Sid Haig died shortly after 3 from Hell was released last month. You can tell by his frail, haggard appearance that he was in ill health while filming. It doesn’t stop him from delivering an amazing performance. The monologue he delivers while being interviewed is some of Zombie’s best writing. In fact, the whole opening sequence is brilliant. It brings to mind both Natural Born Killers and Geraldo Rivera’s infamous 1988 interview with Charles Manson. In any event, it’s cool to see Haig one last time playing what’s become his signature role. I admit I’ve been pretty hard on Sheri Moon in the past but I’ve come to appreciate her skills as an actress. I know it’s nepotism that got her in, but it’s the unique way she plays Baby that keeps her in. I can’t imagine anybody else in the role. Moseley is still great as Otis while Brake makes a nice/nasty addition to the clan. He plays it to the hilt. And what a cool supporting cast! Clint Howard (Evilspeak) stands out as party clown/hostage Mr. Baggy Britches. Also, Austin Stoker of the original 1976 Assault on Precinct 13 cameos as a newscaster.
I don’t know what else I can say about 3 from Hell except that it’s brilliant in its own twisted way. It’s a fun, violent movie about three people who don’t give a f*** made by a filmmaker who doesn’t give a f*** about what people think of him or his movies. I really have to admire and respect that attitude; a lot of great art springs from such a mindset. Do you think Picasso or Van Gogh gave a f***? F*** NO! Notice that I put it in terms befitting a Rob Zombie character. Now let’s go for ice cream. I’ll take “Tutti F***ing Frutti!”
