After the Firefly family got caught in a hail of bullets at the end of their little road trip in The Devil’s Rejects, I don’t think anyone really foresaw a sequel. But it turns out these characters have a life of their own now that defies expectations: House of 1000 Corpses and Devil’s Rejects are the best things Rob Zombie’s ever put out, and the Firefly family – though obviously based in part on other famous horror families – have broken through to garner long-term appeal. So, unlikely it might all be (though it seems silly to quibble over cold, hard facts in what is so obviously a piece of exploitation cinema), turns out Otis, Baby and Spaulding survived the shoot-out, got patched up and sent to jail, where they’ve been languishing ever since. Ten years have passed.
And not that much has changed in the interim. Well, Baby’s covered in jailhouse tattoos now and has gone ever so slightly stir-crazy from spending so long in solitary, but Otis is the same as he ever was and – in a part which was sadly, hastily re-written due to Sid Haig’s health problems – Spaulding is still a wisecracking lunatic who finally meets his maker very early on when he is executed for his crimes. Something has to give from this point on; Otis is sick and tired of jail and doesn’t much relish the same fate as his old man. He begins to formulate a plan, which of course involves a spot of horrendous cruelty and hostage-taking: taking the warden captive, he manages to persuade him to go and get Baby out of her respective cell and bring her out into the world.
Reunited again, the Firefly kids are accompanied on their new jaunt by a relative – Foxy Coltrane (Richard Brake), in a role which was very obviously intended for Sid Haig ; Brake is perfectly respectable in his role and engaging enough on screen, but it really does feel like a hasty swap, and a lot of his lines are noticeably reworked for him. Anyway, now that they’ve murdered and outraged their way through the warden’s house, they need to be moving on pretty quickly. The three decide on Mexico. When they get there, they hole up in the middle of nowhere, but they’re about to find (again) that their host isn’t to be trusted.
In 3 From Hell, Rob Zombie makes it blindingly obvious that this is an homage to the great low-brow exploitation cinema of the 70s and early 80s: the cut scenes, the addition of on-screen text and the shooting style all scream cheap, nasty cinema, even though a lot of the rest of the film is actually rather slick, but if you’re find of that type of tribute – we’ve seen a fair few in recent years – then you’ll likely enjoy what 3 From Hell does with its style. The film feels closer to House of 1000 Corpses than Devil’s Rejects in terms of that style – however, in terms of plot, it is noticeably similar to the 2005 film, to the point of being a re-tread in several key respects. Consider the similarities, even at a basic level: fugitives head onto the road looking for somewhere they feel they’ll be safe, but find out that danger and dangerous people follow them there. The whole home invasion/torment the warden scenes are themselves very similar indeed to the motel scenes from Devil’s Rejects. There’s no great progression here, at least in terms of what happens. If you like the characters and you’re just happy to see more of them, then this won’t be too much of a problem, but if you wanted a brand-new spin, then you won’t find it here. A few tantalising lines offer the suggestion of something more – such as Otis remarking on how traumatised his sister has become since he saw her last, or the remaining siblings commenting on the fact that everyone they loved is gone, with a touching cut scene to Sid Haig with them in the previous outing – but these aren’t developed in any depth, somewhat frustratingly, as this would have been interesting.
Still, if it sounds as if the verdict on 3 From Hell is negative, then really, it isn’t: there’s lots of straightforward, grisly fun here, with Bill Moseley showing once again that he was born to play the part of Otis, and getting the majority of the best lines for his pains. It’s clear he’s having an absolute blast; Brake is able to enact a close relationship with him, too, giving us two characters who are affable as much as they are awful. And that’s what Rob Zombie does very well with his most famous creations; you end up rooting for them, because everyone else is worse anyway. Sheri Moon Zombie does a decent turn as a deeply messed-up individual – that is, worse than she was before, someone used to being toyed with by a malicious warden (Dee Wallace) who has made it her business to destroy her; all in all, it’s just good to see these characters again, and if they’re not reinventing the wheel as they go, then so what? It’s hardly the point. The set pieces alone are enough entertainment.
3 From Hell looks every inch the Rob Zombie movie; its aesthetics follow a familiar pattern, and he seems quite content to just let his characters amble on through their days, resurrected largely to take one more road trip. It is, of course, a real shame that Sid Haig got to spend so little time reprising his role as Spaulding here, as like Moseley, it’s a role he clearly loved playing. So it’s a fairly simple yarn, but 3 From Hell an enjoyable enough nod to the glory days of exploitation cinema, with some warped humour, a chance to see some now-established horror film characters reprise their roles and indulge themselves in a spot of ultraviolence. If you’re happy with that, then you’ll likely be happy with this, even whilst it won’t replace The Devil’s Rejects in your affections anytime soon. And will they be back for more? Without Haig, it would be something of a shame now, but as we’ve learned -never say never.
3 From Hell will be released on 14th October 2019 (UK).