3 From Hell
4K | Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Rob Zombie
Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Dee Wallace, Danny Trejo, Sid Haig, Richard Brake
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release date: October 15, 2019

Rob Zombie‘s films are hotly debated and highly controversial. The rock star turned director broke onto the scene with his 2003’s House of 1,000 Corpses, a messy gore fest in the vain of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film introduced the world to the maniacal Firefly Family and its three antagonists: Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig), Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie), and Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley). Two years later, Zombie worked out the kinks and created a grindhouse masterpiece, The Devil’s Rejects. Rejects was an epic of dirt and violence and had one of the best endings ever; one that seemingly negated any chance of a sequel. In the decade and a half since, Zombie reimagined the Halloween franchise and made several films sharing his trademarked hellbilly style. But alas the Firefly family has returned, as Zombie completes his trilogy with 3 From Hell. After a limited theatrical run, the film made a return to theaters last week for one day only and is now available on 4k Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack.

I absolutely loved The Devil’s Rejects and my initial response to this sequel was a simple one-word question: Why? If you can get past that and ignore the way this film spoils the perfect ending of Rejects, 3 From Hell is quite possibly Zombie’s best looking film yet and features the best performance from his wife and collaborator Sheri Moon Zombie.

Is the film completely unnecessary? Sure. Is it hyper-violent and to the extreme? Sure. But this is Rob Zombie, a maverick renegade in all walks of entertainment. The film does as a fitting tribute to the legacy of the late Sid Haig, who passed away last month. Haig spent the last 15+ years traveling the horror convention circuit meeting and greeting fans, occasionally in costume as the evil clown, Spaulding.

With Haig reserved in a near-cameo role, he’s replaced by Richard Brake (Rob Zombie’s 31) as Winslow Foxworth Cochrane, an older brother of Otis and Baby. After he helps facilitate their escape from death row, the trio plunder and pillage their way to Mexico leaving a path of bloody vengeance that only Rob Zombie can write and produce.

The 4K transfer sends the blood flying into your face. You can listen to Zombie himself offer audio commentary, but the best part of this collector’s edition is the tremendous 4-part feature-length making-of documentary, “To Hell and Back: The Making of
3 From Hell.” Hear from the cast and crew as they go through the production. The 4K and Blu-Ray contain the whole documentary, whereas the DVD only gives you Part 1.

3 From Hell is not a great film, but it’s Zombie’s opus and swan song to the family of characters who made him famous to an entire generation that doesn’t remember White Zombie metal music. It’s a must-own for collectors for the documentary alone. The 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD combo is available in stores now and on Amazon.

Cover

Trailer

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