Rob Zombie: All Movies, Ranked!

Say what you will about Rob Zombie, but the man knows how to keep people talking. Any publicity is good publicity, right? Rob Zombie had been well-known through his music for a long time, but it wasn’t until 2003 that he began to shock people with his intense and bloody films. He’s raised the bar in the horror community since, creating bizarre, extreme and gory stories that have his fans screaming for more. Not everyone is a fan of Rob Zombie’s skills as writer/director because some deem his trademark shock value moments unnecessary, saying it cheapens the genre. I disagree. He’s always been a Go Big Or Go Home kind of guy, and for many of us, it works.

 

With his newest movie 31, soon to be released, we here at Pophorror have decided to take a look back on all of Rob Zombies movies so far and rank them from lowest to highest. So, here we go!

6. Halloween 2 (2009)

A follow-up to Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Laurie Strode comes to grips with the reality of her past life and who Michael Myers really is to her.

I really wanted to love this movie as much as I loved the first one, but it just never happened for me. I appreciate what Rob Zombie was trying to do, but like most fans, I wasn’t impressed and was slightly disappointed after the strength of his other movies. It was a bit all over the place and if he would’ve just stuck with the main storyline of “Laurie is reunited with her brother,” all could have been well. Instead, he threw in these bizarre, dreamlike flashbacks of their mom and little Michael. It just seems like such a missed opportunity to give fans a clean and concise story.

5. The Lords of Salem (2012)

A gift containing a record from the band “The Lords of Salem” is sent to a Salem, MA radio DJ named Heidi. After she begins to listen to it, the sounds bring back flashbacks of her town’s violent history. She starts to lose her grip on reality, wondering if the Lords of old have come back to destroy Salem.

Fans of Rob Zombie were pumped up for this movie; hoping he would redeem himself after Halloween 2. Sadly, a high percentage of his audience was disappointed with this movie and fans started questioning his skills as a director and writer. The Lords of Salem felt too bizarre and trippy even for Zombie and the story line had several faults. This was another movie with too much going on, distracting the viewers from the main story. The question, “Do I need to be on drugs to enjoy this movie?” popped up in my mind on more than one occasion while watching this.

4. The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)

Did you know Rob Zombie made an animated movie as well? This crazy story follows the adventures of El Superbeasto, a former luchador and extreme exploitation film director, and his sultry sidekick stripper sister (try saying that 5 times fast!). In their travels, they meet a werewolf Nazis, a mad scientist and a stripper with a satanic birthmark.

Although weird, this is a naughty yet fun movie, one not to be taken too seriously. The characters are voiced by many known actors such as Tom Papa, Zombie’s wife Sheri Moon Zombie, Paul Giamatti, Rosario Dawson, and more, along with more than a few meta references to his other films.

3. House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

In his directorial debut, we’re introduced to Zombie’s infamous Firefly clan – never has there been a family quite like this! Two teenage couples writing a book on offbeat roadside attractions and looking for the site of a long-ago murder stumble across Captain Spaulding’s Museum of Monsters and Madmen, where they are captured and tortured by the sadistic Firefly family.

Rob Zombie did a great job with this movie, creating a family with lovable yet horrid characters that have become iconic in the horror franchise. The blood is heavy in this movie, enough to satisfy even the biggest of gorehounds. The costume design and special effects are amazing – you can see all of detail in the crazy concoctions throughout this house of 1,000 corpses, including the scene where Rainn Wilson sits after being turned into a half man, half fish monster by the family.

2. The Devils Rejects (2005)

Our favorite murderous family, the Fireflys, are back once again! As per usual, they are causing mayhem and destruction everywhere they go, but the cops are finally on their case, determined to seek justice.

I love this movie from beginning to end: the revenge story, memorable one-liners, fun unique charismatic characters, and mostly, the ending. These things are what makes The Devils Rejects phenomenal. Not all movies have you rooting for the killers, but in this one, you can’t help but love them. Even my Mom teared up when the Rejects were getting tortured by the cops. But, like I mentioned, the ending is the selling point of this movie. One of the greatest endings to a movie ever, as the Devil’s Rejects go all out to the song “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

1. Halloween (2007)

Rob Zombie reinvents the silent psychopath Michael Myers in his own version of the legendary Halloween (1978) by John Carpenter.

I’m sure this is bound to ruffle some feathers, but horror audiences either hate or love this movie. I personally never was a huge Halloween fan… A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) was always my favorite, but I could still appreciate the Halloween franchise and “the mask” that changed the face of horror. What Rob Zombie did with his movie did not take anything away from the original, although he did give fans what they’d been asking for – a backstory for Michael Myers. Not everyone likes the idea of a history for Myers. Some appreciate the mystery behind the little boy who just snapped one day and killed his family. However, many fans love knowing what made Michael into the man he became, along with all of the psychological reasons behind his transformation and every step that paved the way to his legendary status. Beyond the backstory, there was a lot of blood, which, while fun, is not always necessary. It was also fun to see Danielle Harris play an original character as an adult after watching her play a little Jamie Lloyd in the original franchise. Last but not least, Michael Myers was a beast in Rob Zombie’s Halloween, making him completely intimidating…a terrifying force to be reckoned with.
That wraps up our ranking system of Rob Zombie’s movies. Do you agree? If not, let us know how you would rank them down below in the comments!