House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
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A group of teenagers traveling across the country to write a book are kidnapped and tortured by a psychopathic family during Halloween.
The story
On October 30, 1977, a group of four friends traveling across the country to write a book on offbeat roadside attractions encounter a local legend and a mysterious hitchhiker named Baby. After their vehicle is disabled, they seek help from her family. However, they soon find themselves in the hands of the Firefly family, a group of psychopathic individuals who take them captive. The story follows the escalating tension and danger as the group faces the horrifying reality of their situation in a remote location during the Halloween season.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On October 30, 1977, four friends—Jerry, Bill, Mary, and Denise—travel to document roadside attractions. After meeting a man named Captain Spaulding and picking up a hitchhiker named Baby, their car is disabled. They seek help at Baby's home, where they are met by the Firefly family: Otis, Tiny, Mother Firefly, and Grandpa Hugo. During a Halloween show, the group is ambushed and captured. Otis and his family begin a series of brutal acts: Bill is mutilated, Mary is tormented, and Denise is treated as a doll. Meanwhile, local police and a man named Don search for the missing girls. They eventually find the house and are slaughtered by the Firefly family. The remaining girls are subjected to further torture. Jerry is eventually separated from Denise and dies during a medical procedure by a mysterious figure known as Dr. Satan. Denise escapes a collapsing tunnel and is picked up by Captain Spaulding, only to be captured by Otis and taken to a final, horrific location where she is strapped to an operating table as the film ends.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Zombie
- Writers
- Rob Zombie · writer
- Cast and characters
- Sid Haig · Captain Spaulding; Bill Moseley · Otis Driftwood; Sheri Moon · Baby Firefly; Karen Black · Mother Firefly; Chris Hardwick · Jerry Goldsmith; Erin Daniels · Denise Willis; Jennifer Jostyn · Mary Knowles; Rainn Wilson · Bill Hudley; Walton Goggins · Deputy Steve Naish; Tom Towles · Lt. George Wydell; Matthew McGrory · Tiny Firefly; Robert Allen Mukes · Rufus Firefly
- Genres
- black comedy; horror
- Themes
- survival; violence
- Tone and mood
- dark; gritty; nasty; weird
- Premise and plot tags
- road trip; hitchhiking; survival horror; cult following
- Franchise connections
- Firefly
- Content notes
- gore
- Reception
- The film received a generally negative critical response but has since gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 21% · scale: percentage · review count: 86; Metacritic · score: 31 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Production trivia
- The Firefly family members' names were inspired by Groucho Marx characters.; The film's production included a scene where a real item, a sign for a missing dog head, was used in a telephone booth.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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