A few months back, word began to circulate that writer/director Rob Zombie is planning to make a new entry in the series he started with his debut feature HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES and continued with the movie I believe is his masterpiece, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. Even though their characters were shot multiple times at the end of REJECTS, somehow Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, and Sheri Moon Zombie would be returning as the homicidal trio of Captain Spaulding, Otis, and Baby.
Now Bloody Disgusting's Brad Miska has heard, and he specifies that this is just a rumor, that the sequel is very close to happening – so close that it might start filming in March.
Miska also hears that the project is going by the title THE DEVIL'S REJECTS 2: THREE FROM HELL – which I don't like very much, because this isn't just THE DEVIL'S REJECTS 2, it's also HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES 3. THREE FROM HELL by itself would be a decent enough title.
The "THREE FROM HELL" subtitle stirs up speculation that the film could have Spaulding, Otis, and Baby escaping from Hell after their deaths, which would explain why the actors have aged a decade since their characters were killed but is also way too ridiculous for me. I don't want to see a DEVIL'S REJECTS sequel with that level of supernatural shenanigans going on.
While I am up for seeing Zombie work in the CORPSES/REJECTS world again, if it's handled right, I'm starting to feel a bit worried about this potential project… mainly because I saw 31, a lazy film made because Zombie was frustrated that he couldn't get any projects that were different from what he has done before into production. So he just went through the motions with 31, pressing all the buttons people expect him to press. Now I wonder, was he really inspired to tell another story about the CORPSES/REJECTS characters, or is this another act of desperation because he couldn't get anything else made? Is he in a rut, or does he have a better reason for bringing these characters back?
It's "wait and see" time.