3 From Hell (at Monster Fest ’19)  ★★★½

FANS of Rob Zombie’s Firefly trilogy  are going to be divided on 3 From Hell, the latest instalment.

This was the Perth opener of the 2019 Monster Fest horror film festival held on October 30.

There was a good round of applause following the film which is more in keeping with the content, tone and style of 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects than the original 2003 film, House of 1000 Corpses.

This trilogy started in the pure horror vein but has since become more action oriented, although still with copious blood and gore.

But there are several specific reasons that may leave fans a little flat.

Firstly, and this is no fault of the film, the much-loved Captain Spaulding character barely appears.

The late Sid Haig’s terminal illness at the time of shooting meant he could only manage one speaking scene – but still, it’s a terrific one. RIP Sid.

Secondly, the polarising presence of Zombie’s wife Sheri Moon looms large. In fact the actress some fans think has been the weakest cast link for the entire series has top billing here and appears a lot.

I’ve been critical of her acting talents as well, although less so in this series, but in 3 From Hell she is quite good and benefits from the fact her character Baby has become even more unhinged (if that’s even possible) while in prison.

The third issue – and I think the main one – is that the story seems to spin its wheels and very much resembles the last film.

Having written all this,  I actually disagree with all of it.

I knew Sid Haig was barely in the film, so no disappointment there. and the trio of Moon, Richard Brake and of course Bill Moseley are all suitably gross, ruthless and effective.

The film is split in almost two equal acts.

Incredibly, the trio have survived the final shootout in The Devil’s Rejects and spent the ensuing years on death row.

Spaulding is executed but Otis escapes courtesy of  the new character played by Brake, and together they also break Baby out.

The second act of the film has the reunited wild bunch hiding out in a small town in Mexico. Their location is revealed to somebody, whom I won’t reveal, and a masked death squad, known as The Black Satans, is sent to rid the world of them for good.

The resulting confrontation is another of Zombie’s trademark, stylised bloodbaths.

Zombie has again delivered. As usual the story isn’t thoroughly satisfying, but it’s still a full-throttle, ultra-violent experience.