House of 1000 Corpses (UMD, 2005)

Rob Zombie is the heavy metal hero who has released such albums as SINISTER URGE and HELLBILLY DELUXE as a solo act, and ASTRO-CREEP 2000 with his band, White Zombie. Here, he takes on the world of horror movies in this very bloody, very entertaining tale. The old car-trouble scenario comes in handy, as a group of unsuspecting travelers must spend the night in a place of demented evil--in this case, it's the Museum of Monsters and Madmen. Zombie makes the movie work for the same reason his music career has been so successful: He knows he's going way over the top, and he's not afraid to go as far as he can. So, eager viewers should put their tongues in their cheeks and go along for the raunchy ride.The always beguiling Karen Black, who starred in one of the all-time great horror classics, BURNT OFFERINGS, turns in another terrifically offbeat performance as Mother Firefly, the marvelous matriarch of a murderous family. Other fabulously gruesome characters include the crazy clown Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) and the oddball "lady killer" Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley); Marx Brothers fans should note that many of Zombie's characters are named after roles played by Groucho. One of the advertising lines for the movie calls it "positively the most horrifying film ever made!" Zombie does his best to try to live up to that demanding tag, upping the gore quotient with numerous inventive killings that involve lots of blood and innards.