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3 From Hell

The Firefly Clan is back!  That’s right, they survived the shootout that marked the end of The Devil’s Rejects and, for the past decade, they have been rotting behind bars.  Except, as the movie begins, there seems to be a change of direction in the condemning wind circulating these killers.

"Zombie takes us on quite a journey in this film and, at times, it feels like two separate films and it probably could have been"


There is a key sequence early on in 3 From Hell which features Sid Haig that best encapsulates why this movie will find its audience.  Captain Spalding is behind bars.  He is being interviewed and the reporter, grinding away to get his soundbite, asks him to tell him the difference between a dead squirrel laying in the road and a dead clown laying in the road.  The reporter shrugs. And Spaulding tells him, “there are skid marks in front of the squirrel.”

And he’s not wrong.  Captain Spaulding, the Killer Clown, suggests he’s just dancing for the man.  And his death, which happens early in the film due to Haig’s life-threatening illness (which took his life), echoes through the Firefly Clan’s fanbase.  It isn’t too long before the surviving members of the Firefly Fam, Otis (Bill Moseley) and Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) – now supported by Richard Brake as Winslow Foxworth "Foxy" Coltrane – figure out how to get out of jail and continue you their murdering, merry way down the road.

Otis is still the preacher.  Baby is still insane.  But time has not been kind to either of them and now their characters are just this side of crazy.  While Baby is completely out of control here.  She’s been in solitary confinement for a number of years and it shows.  Otis has mellowed out a bit, but he’s still completely psychotic. {googleads}

One of the great story pieces in this film is the choice that writer and director Rob Zombie made in how to present the last ten years of the group’s containment.  He does this with a very smart-looking documentary styled opening.  In fact, the film’s grit and its style is very restrained this time out and it creates a great effect because when there is a killing on the screen (and there are plenty of them), its impact is felt more thanks to Zombie’s choices in style and in substance.

Now, Zombie takes us on quite a journey in this film and, at times, it feels like two separate films and it probably could have been.  We get the prison sequences and then, once everyone is out, we have a cool sequence in Mexico.  Had there been a bit more money behind the project, perhaps Zombie could have separated the movies.  Instead we have a near 2-hour ride with the Firefly family. 

But it is totally worth the trip.

I find myself ALWAYS defending the films of Rob Zombie.  As violent and as off-putting as his horror films  are, there is also a mad genius behind each and every one of them that is responsible for putting them together.  His films, even the Halloween remakes, are properly centered around strong characters and he usually gets some damn good performances from his cast, creating violent B-themed epics that few understand or appreciate.  But his casts – usually featuring memorable cameos from Dee Wallace, Malcolm McDowell, Clint Howard, Brad Dourif, and Danny Trejo (as we get here) – are damned dedicated in ushering a new breed of horror . . . 3 From Hell

Zombie’s first two films, 2003’s House of 1,000 Corpses and 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects, are cult classics.  They now have their third act in his latest offering, 3 From Hell, which catches us up with this trio of sadists that slay together.  This is not a disappointing film at all if you are a fan of the series.  Throwing an actor like Brake into the low-budget mix and, combined with Zombie’s cinematography, makes for a narrative that we want from this series. 

Free the three!  The budget might have been slashed, but the spirit of the Firefly Family lives on in this flick and Zombie absolutely delivers a film worthy of disrupting The Devil’s Reject’s classic ending.

3 from Hell is now on blu-ray thanks to Lionsgate.

4/5 beers

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

3 From Hell

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Lionsgate
Available on Blu-ray
- October 15, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, Spanish
Audio:
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Lionsgate and Saban Films releases 3 From Hell with a nicely-detailed slipcovered release.  This disc contains both the rated and the unrated versions of the film and includes a 4-part documentary about the making of the movie.  Fans will be pleased with this release.

Video:

Heavily stylized, thanks to Zombie’s gritty camera, prepare to be wowed by the details in this release.  Black levels are crisp and deep, and colors are saturated.  With stunning results, Lionsgate presents Leprechaun Returns on blu-ray with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.  The color palette is naturally well balanced with warm and rich hues. Contrast is excellent, with solid and deep blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Flesh tones are naturally cast.  The special effects and gore are quite rich and, especially when the kills start happening, the effects top notch. 

Audio:

The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix kicks a whole lot ass.  The music and the violence are both equally thunderous and LOUD.  The atmospheres are wonderfully realized, too.  This is good stuff, with the dialogue front and center and ready to be quoted.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • The commentary from Zombie is classic stuff!  Fans will love what he has to say and what fondness he speaks of Sid Haig about.

Special Features:

There is a feature-length making-of the movie attached to this release.  It is full of candid looks at the crew and the cast and is great fun.  For Fans of Haig, this one is going to bring a tear or two or three (or an entire well of water) to the eyes.

  • Audio Commentary with Rob Zombie
  • To Hell and Back: The Making of 3 From Hell (95 min)

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 4/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

4/5 stars

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[tab title="Film Details"]

3 From Hell

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
111 mins
Director
: Rob Zombie
Writer:
Rob Zombie
Cast:
Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
The evil returns.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Um... some old broad next door saw me gut that bitch. Um, think we should think about rolling out of here soon."
Theatrical Distributor:
Lionsgate
Official Site:
Release Date:
September 16, 2019
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 15, 2019
Synopsis: First there was House of 1000 Corpses. Then there was The Devil’s Rejects. Now, from writer-director Rob Zombie, comes the next blood-soaked chapter in the most violent crime saga in movie history — 3 From Hell. After barely surviving a furious shootout with the police, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley), and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) are behind bars. But pure evil cannot be contained, and a firestorm of murder, madness, and mayhem will be released in this terror ride to Hell… and back.

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[tab title="Art"]

3 From Hell

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