Cinema: 31 by Rob Zombie

It's been a very long time since I wrote a movie review, and I kinda miss that. Yesterday evening I went to the BIFFF in Brussels to see the last Rob Zombie film: 31.

To put things in context, you have to know that, at this Film Festival, the atmosphere during a movie projection is quite unique and crazy. People are laughing out loud and making joke to the entire audience, for example. It's like watching a movie with 300 friends: very funny and comfortable. So when you're out to see this kind of gore movie you find yourself laughing and enjoying some really hardcore scenes, because it's part of the show.

It really helped me enjoying the movie, to be fair.

The plot is so simple I can resume it in one sentence: a group of friends is being captured by rich aristocratic psychopaths who put them in a horror killing maze.

If you are just a bit familiar with Rob Zombie's work, you know that he likes to work with his wife Sheri Moon Zombie and his friends that you probably already saw in the famous The Devil's Rejects. It's almost the whole team that is back on screen for this new movie. And you can actually feel that Zombie and his crew had a lot of fun shooting it. I almost had the impression that he made the film "just for fun". Let me explain:

The plot is so weak that it's like there no plot at all. But clearly that is not that problematic as you are not seeing this movie for the story, but for what your eyes will capture. I mean, people trap into a maze trying to survive is probably the simplest storyline ever for a horror movie. It's so simple to put into action that it can even be a small scene of a larger movie, like in The Purge: Anarchy.

Rob Zombie clearly did not go beyond that, and made a movie for his fans, and that's it.

On the other hand, there are very good points to notice:

All actors take their roles very well, especially Richard Brake who's playing Doom-Head. Incredible character!

Also, the camera, the picture, the lights, it is all very neat and precise. Zombie has a very good sense for making beautiful images and taking incredible shots.

The movie is quite long (1h50 I think) but it flies really fast. The rhythm is very nice and your breath will be taken away during the entire time.

No Pause. No Stop. No Mercy.

Even if it is not his best movie, and even if it could have been far more than just a gore, horror but empty movie, I really enjoyed it.

Take a couple of friends, a pack of fresh beers and go watch it.

Have fun!