"It’s been 20 years since Rob Zombie first shocked and thrilled audiences with his directorial debut, House of 1000 Corpses. Though the artist had a long-running career with his eponymous band and the one before it - White Zombie - creating larger-than-life music videos teeming with nods to his favorite horror flicks, this would be the first time he brought the terror to feature-length form. Based on the real-life story of Kansas’ The Bender Family, better known as The Bloody Benders, Zombie crafted a sadistic and cannibalistic tight-knit unit known as the Fireflys who would find themselves so popular among horror fans they’d develop into a trilogy.
Delivering the same blood and gore-filled mess that audiences gobbled up during Zombie’s first film, more tales of the Firefly family came via 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects and 2019’s 3 from Hell. Now 20 years older than at the beginning of his Firefly journey, with a slew of other titles under his belt including his own take on John Carpenter’s Halloween, Zombie says that he’s burying the family for good. During a recent interview with EW, the 31 director said that while fans may be sad to hear that the murder-hungry characters would likely never see another theatrical release, there’s still a chance for “graphic novels or other things” to arrive down the line. Two decades is a long time, something that Zombie is quick to admit, commenting that “no one’s getting any younger,” adding that due to declining health conditions, the last film was tricky for returning star Sid Haig. Celebrating the opportunity of bookending the trilogy, Zombie says that they “got in just under the wire” to complete the fully fleshed-out story.
As Zombie fans will know, 2022 saw a major milestone for the shock-factor director as he released his very first PG-rated movie to Netflix. Taking what he’s previously referred to as his “gateway” horror story and zapping it back to life in vibrant color, the filmmaker teamed up with several familiar collaborators to bring audiences The Munsters. A longtime coming, the project was one close to Zombie’s heart which is what gave him the drive to see it through even when production came to a screeching halt during COVID. Almost five years later and the film finally crept out of its coffin and into the light of day. But, when it comes to the next chapter in The Munsters’ story, Zombie says there’s a fat chance. “I won’t and I don’t want to,” Zombie says flatly about crafting another story surrounding the friendly family of monsters, adding that his only reason for doing so would be due to his love of “making sequels” which would in turn give him more space to “really jump into what they’re all about.”
What’s Next for Zombie?
As Zombie revealed in his interview, there are unfortunately no plans for another film. “The Munsters was exhausting,” he said, adding that he’s focusing more on the music these days. Following last year’s summer tour with Alice Cooper, the next thing in the cards for Zombie is another album. While this may not be good news for fans of the director, it’s a great one for those waiting since 2021 for another album. A man of many hats, it must be fun for Zombie to seamlessly transition between creative outlets.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie that started it all, House of 1000 Corpses received a Blu-ray and digital re-release which is out on shelves now. Check out a trailer for the bone-chilling feature below.
Rob Zombie Is Done With These Iconic Characters[/QUOTE]
