‘3 From Hell’ Movie Review

Rob Zombie’s 3 From Hell is the completion of his slasher trilogy about the Firefly family, preceded by 2003s House of 1000 Corpses and 2005s The Devil’s Rejects. After miraculously surviving a shootout with the police, Baby Firefly (Sherri Moon Zombie), Otis “Driftwood” Firefly (Bill Mosley), and Captain Spaulding (the, as of recently, late Sid Haig) are all put on death row. But following a bloody prison break, assisted by a new member of the Firefly clan, their half-brother Winslow Foxworth Coltrane, AKA “the Midnight Wolf-Man” (Richard Brake), the titular killers attempt to make a break for Mexico.

Rob Zombie’s filmmaking career has been rather interesting. Every movie he’s made has been, to varying degrees, pretty flawed. But I always love what he’s trying to do, and there’s something to be said for that. The only movies of his that I would really consider bad would be his Halloween films, but even then, I could at least respect what he was attempting. Well, much like most of his movies, I can report that 3 From Hell is, objectively, merely okay, but I had an absolute blast watching it. I don’t really have very many guilty pleasures. I typically either have movies that I think are incredibly underrated or movies that I like to watch for the purpose of laughing about their ineptitude. But Rob Zombie’s films (with the exception of The Devil’s Rejects and The Lords of Salem, which I would actually consider to be pretty good) are some of my few guilty pleasures. I really enjoy them, unironically, despite their lack of refinement.

One of the many things that all of Zombie’s movies have in common is their rather sadistic nature. He is brazenly, unapologetically an exploitation filmmaker, and all of his movies are flagrantly grotesque. This is polarizing for obvious reasons, but a lot of horror fans like myself find this kind of refreshing, even fun at times. 3 From Hell has no shortage of brutal violence, and it’s very effective, whether it’s played for scares or laughs. But I also have to point out that his writing is kinda spotty. Aside from the fact that he struggles with pacing, his dialogue is just so unabashedly vulgar. I’ve got an incredibly strong tolerance for profanity, but it is impossible to ignore, and there are parts where it can be a little exhausting. Say what you will about his films’ absence of taste, Rob Zombie is a truly fearless writer and director.

The two actors that I would say truly own this movie are Bill Mosley and Richard Brake. Both actors, regardless of what movie they’re in, are insanely watchable, and their chemistry here is delightful. Putting these two in a movie together was a genius move. As with all of Rob’s movies, his wife, Sherri Moon Zombie, plays a prominent role. Along with Mosley and Haig, she has been in all three parts of the Firefly trilogy. Her character, Baby Firefly, can be a bit annoying at times, but her performance is very convincing. We don’t get quite as much time with Sid Haig’s Captain Spaulding as we did in the previous films (due to his declining health), but he remains as enjoyably demented as ever. Another one of Zombie’s trademarks is the involvement of iconic horror veterans in various roles. In addition to the obvious inclusion of Mosley and Haig, we also have appearances from Dee Wallace, Danny Trejo, Sean Whalen, and even Clint Howard. Horror fans are sure to appreciate these.

The way Rob Zombie directs has always been a little iffy for me, because he can be a bit sloppy. The camerawork is always a bit chaotic, and it can sometimes make it a bit difficult for the audience to fully understand what’s going on. There’s one scene in particular in which said chaos makes sense, as it is supposed to be hard to tell what’s happening, but the rest of the time, it’s kind of annoying. On the other hand, he does have a couple of directorial trademarks that are pretty cool. He likes to do a lot of freeze frames during fight scenes, like right before impact, which is actually really effective. The look of the film is also pretty awesome. They’ve added film grain to give it a gritty, retro feel, which especially adds to the intro. The film actually opens as a serial killer documentary, following the arrest of the three. This added yet another element of gritty realism to the movie. As amateurish as some elements of the film may be, Zombie certainly understands how to make the audience enjoy the sleaze.

Rob Zombie’s finale to the Firefly clan trilogy is rough around the edges, to say the least, but that doesn’t stop it from being a damn good time for fans of good old-fashioned exploitation cinema. It’s bloody, sadistic, vulgar, and yet, in a sick sort of way, it’s fun. Zombie may not be a particularly good filmmaker, but he’s certainly one hell of an entertainer.

SCORE: 4/5

PS This review is dedicated to Sid Haig, who passed away shortly after the film’s release. The film was made knowing he probably didn’t have much longer, so keep an eye out for a quick little tribute during the movie. He was a true horror icon, and he will be missed.