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Kane Hodder, Eli Roth & Real Corpses: 10 Interesting Pieces of Trivia About The Devil’s Rejects

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We’re approaching the ten-year anniversary of The Devil’s Rejects, which was released on July 22, 2005. It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years already, but the time has passed, and the movie is still a bonafide classic.

Today, we’re looking at some trivia about the movie in celebration as one of a handful of articles we’ll be posting in honor of the Firefly clan and Rob Zombie’s landmark film.

Otis

1. Kane Hodder was in it.

Kane Hodder is best known to horror fans as Jason Voorhees and Victor Crowley, but as you’re also probably aware, he’s a stunt guy. He was the stunt coordinator on The Devil’s Rejects, but he also appeared in the film as an uncredited “officer with gas mask”. You know the scene. The cops enter the Firefly house after throwing tear gas in before they go head to head with the killers. Hodder is one of those cops.

Screen shot 2015-07-15 at 7.12.02 AM

2. Sheri Moon Zombie’s brother was in it too.

Sheri Moon Zombie’s brother also played the role of a police officer at the beginning of the film. He was hanging around the set, and since he was a military guy and knew about guns, Rob Zombie had him stand in as an extra during the big shoot out. You can see him standing behind William Forsythe firing away as the cops shoot up the house. The shots go by so quickly it’s hard to capture the right screen grab, but I think it’s one of the guys in the pic below.

Screen shot 2015-07-15 at 7.16.19 AM

3. Eli Roth was also hanging around on set.

As far as I know, he didn’t appear anywhere in the film, but Eli Roth was apparently on set at some point. From a JoBlo set visit and interview with Zombie:

JoBlo: Is Eli Roth here trying to pick up some tips? (Eli Roth standing nearby)

Rob Zombie: (Laughs) I don’t know he just lingers and write things down (From afar with much sarcasm Eli starts praising Rob as his reason for directing) I’m having trouble sitting with Eli’s face attached to my ass. (Rob looks down). What? Eli what? (Laughs)

JoBlo: How important has the internet been to your film’s success?

Rob Zombie: The internet is such a mystery. You know it’s important but it’s really hard to gauge and you don’t know what it’s reading sometimes because you just don’t know. I feel it more on this movie because it seems like in the last four years it’s gone from, “Oh there’s this horror website that mentioned you.” Now it’s like you can really feel the effects when people mention us because it’s so fat. Like tonight, I’ll go home and read, “Eli Roth was on the set of the movie”, where it would take a magazine two months to mention it, where it would be on someone’s website tonight. You know you can really feel it.

eli roth
4. Those photos of Wydell’s corpse were of real dead bodies.

If you’ll recall, there’s a scene in which Mother Firefly is in police custody, and she and Wydell (Forsythe) are looking at photos of his brother – who was killed in House of 1000 Corpses – played by the late Tom Towles. In a director’s commentary track on the DVD, Rob Zombie explained that he had photoshopped Towles’ mustache and eyes onto pictures of real dead bodies. Consider the desired effect achieved, because they look pretty gruesome in the film.

Screen shot 2015-07-15 at 7.22.14 AM

5. That pig head was also real.

Speaking of real dead bodies, the pig head that sits up on top of the gate to the Firefly abode was a completely real pig’s head. As Zombie explained in the commentary, it continued to rot and become more maggoty as shooting went on. It was pretty disgusting, but according to him, it didn’t bother anybody too much because it was up so high.

Screen shot 2015-07-15 at 7.23.32 AM

6. That abandoned chicken farm was full of petrified chicken corpses

Yes, there was a lot of real death surrounding The Devil’s Rejects – real dead people in photos, real dead, maggoty pig heads, and a farm full of dead chickens.

This is the scene in which Otis takes Banjo and Sullivan out to murder them. They go to an abandoned chicken farm. As Zombie explains in the commentary, it was just full of chickens that were also abandoned. Unfortunately, they were also all dead. According to his telling of it, they weren’t even decayed, but petrified. Just a bunch of petrified chicken corpses lying around in the heat.

Screen shot 2015-07-15 at 7.25.10 AM

7. The movie is full of CGI.

Films considered to be horror classics and fan favorites typically don’t make a ton of use of CGI. We all love practical effects. However, The Devil’s Rejects proves that when used right, the medium can be used effectively and convincingly without taking the viewer out of the movie. There are plenty of practical effects as well, but pretty much anytime you see a wound directly on somebody’s skin, it was created with CG.

A lot of people are no doubt aware of this one, but the movie is so good, and the effects blend in well enough that it’s easy to not think about it when you’re watching it, unlike say Land of the Dead, which came out the same year.

Screen shot 2015-07-15 at 7.27.11 AM

8. Natasha Lyonne was nearly in the movie.

The role of Candy, which was played brilliantly by EG Daily, was originally going to be played by Natasha Lyonne of American Pie and Orange is the New Black fame, but something happened at the last minute and Daily was brought on board on pretty short notice. Luckily she completely nailed it, and it’s hard to imagine the role being played by anyone else.

natasha

9. David Hess wanted to be in the Unholy Two

According to IMDB, David Hess of The Last House on the Left, whom one could easily consider an original “devil’s reject,” auditioned for one of the bountyhunter parts. These parts of course went to Danny Trejo and Diamond Dallas Page, who knocked their respective roles out of the park. Still, with Zombie’s penchant for casting horror greats of yesteryear, it is a little surprising he didn’t find a place for Hess in the film. From the viewer’s perspective, he certainly would have been a welcome addition.

hess

10. The Firefly house was also Leatherface’s house.
The house used as the Firefly house, which is located in Santa Clarita, California, is the same house that was used as the Sawyer house in Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.

house

A lot of this is probably common knowledge to hardcore Devil’s Rejects fans, but hopefully you at least learned something. I know I actually forgot about a couple things over the years. Either way, here’s to celebrating one of the best films since the turn of the century on its tenth anniversary.

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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