PopHorror Let's Get Scared
After 14 years, Rob Zombie finally reintroduces the Firefly Family to the world in 3 From Hell. Immediately picking up where Rejects left off, we find out that the 3 family members survived the deadly shootout, were convicted, and sent to prison. However, much like how villains don’t stay dead long in horror films, they don’t stay locked up long either. What follows is a tale of carnage, pitch-black humor, and the importance of family.
I was incredibly skeptical of this sequel as it seemed to be as divisive as House of 1000 Corpses. Some people hated it, others were “meh” about it, and a few loved it. I heard a lot of “it didn’t feel like it was worth the 14 year wait.” Well, that may be true, I’m not gonna debate that. However, it was never intended to be made to begin with and it was more of a thank you to fans for supporting the first two films so heavily. It’s not like it ever claimed to be “an epic final confrontation” like Halloween 2018 (thanks a lot, Blumhouse). It is simply another adventure with characters we fell in love with a long time ago and, my god, did I enjoy myself immensely.
Sheri Moon Zombie by far steals the show! Baby Firefly has been slowly losing her grip on reality, in 3 from Hell, and Sheri makes it very entertaining. Watching her evolve from completely unhinged to insane, but comprehensive, is a hilariously sadistic treat and never provides a dull moment. She remains one of my favorite villains of all time.
I seen a lot of people commenting that Otis seemed “restrained” but I felt like he was the same Otis we got in The Devils Rejects. Bill Moseley still provides us with the society hating, conspiracy theorizing, deranged psychopath who claims to be “Satans Killer”. The only thing I can deduce is he probably does seem more restrained compared to how psychotic Baby is in this film. Hasn’t he always been the most sane out of the family though?
It was disclosed yesterday that Sid Haig’s health problems prevented him from being in the movie as much as originally intended. Hope you feel better Sid. You were definitely missed on screen.
Richard Brake joins the fuckery as the half-brother of Otis and Baby. I want to give a super shoutout to him for stepping in and providing a 3rd sadistic member to the firefly clan so we could still receive this film. I don’t think I would ever be satisfied with this franchises end but having a very intriguing character added really makes me want them to at least do one more to really expand on his character. We need more depth.
The only criticism I had of this film is the second half feeling like a complete “re-shelling” of The Devils Rejects scenes and plot. Does it make it less enjoyable? No. Did it mildly disappoint me that after 14 years we couldn’t receive a completely original story? Not gonna lie, yes. However, knowing what I know now about Sid’s health, and the strenuous nature of having to completely rewrite a script multiple times, I am very pleased with what we got.
Despite the previously mentioned, 3 From Hell was an incredibly fun ride that I enjoyed from start to finish. It was comedic, brutal at times, and very very nostalgic for me. I would place it as my second favorite in the franchise and can’t wait to buy it on Oct. 15th, 2019
****Tickets for the September 16th/17th/18th nationwide release of 3 FROM HELL are available at FathomEvents.com/3FromHell.
