WIKIPEDIA: 3 from Hell is a 2019 American horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the third and final installment in the Firefly trilogy, which began with House of 1000 Corpses (2003), and stars Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Richard Brake, and Sid Haig. Ten years have passed since the events of The Devil's Rejects (2005). The plot follows an incarcerated Otis Driftwood and Baby Firefly being freed by Otis's half-brother, after barely surviving a police shootout a decade ago.
IMDb SYNOPSIS: "After barely surviving prison, the demented Firefly clan go on the run, unleashing a whole new wave of murder, madness and mayhem."
IMDb STORYLINE: "After being imprisoned for 10 years, the "Devil's Rejects" are back at it again. Otis (Bill Moseley) escapes prison, meets Winslow (Richard Brake), and devises a plan to get his sister Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) out too. The Rejects make their way down the road and into Mexico, killing countless people on their way. They find a place to stay, but are soon bombarded with a large group of killers- killers who are after these Three From Hell. Only one group can come out alive, and with the experience these three have, it'll just have to be one great killing joyride."
Unlike the previous installments, 3 from Hell was given a special three-night theatrical engagement through Fathom Events from September 16–18, 2019, and received a mixed response from film critics. Since it grossed nearly $2 million, Fathom Events gave it a one-night release on October 14, before the film was released on home video the following day. This was the last film of Haig's released before his death on September 21, 2019, five days after the film's release.
PRODUCTION: Principal photography began on March 13, 2018, and wrapped on April 10, 2018. The Sybil Brand Institute in Los Angeles, a decommissioned women's prison, served as one filming location.
Post-production was postponed five months to allow completion of Zombie's and Marilyn Manson's tour. The editing process began on September 11, 2018, with sound mixing commencing on March 15, 2019, and completed by the end of April.
According to Rob Zombie, Sid Haig was originally going to have a larger role but was unable to commit for the whole film due to health issues. As a result, the script was rewritten to introduce Richard Brake's character to take his place. Haig died on September 21, 2019, shortly after the film was released.
MUSIC: The soundtrack was composed by Zeuss and was released by Waxwork Records on vinyl.
RELEASE: The first trailer was released in June 2019. Fathom Events held an unrated three-day theatrical release from September 16–18, 2019. The first night featured a special video introduction with Zombie and a commemorative poster. The second featured a behind-the-scenes look at a making-of and all Cinemark locations will be distributing an exclusive bumper sticker designed by Zombie. The third night included a double feature of 3 from Hell and The Devil's Rejects.
The film earned $1.92 million, which was successful enough that Fathom Events announced plans to return the film to theaters on October 14.
CRITICAL RESPONSE: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "3 from Hell may be of interest to fans of the trilogy, but those not already on board with Rob Zombie's gory saga will find little to lure them in here." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Scout Tafoya of RogerEbert.com awarded the film four out of four stars, referring to it as Zombie's "most earnest and laid back nightmare yet". Shawn Garrett of Rue Morgue, while conceding that there are "no surprises here", deemed the film "a fitfully entertaining exercise in 'more of the same' as grimy crime film". Cody Hamman of JoBlo.com awarded the film seven out of ten, writing: "While I do still wish the ending of The Devil's Rejects had been the end for these characters, I did find 3 from Hell to be a decent sequel." During the premiere, Kevin Smith called the film "horror heaven".
Luke Y. Thompson of Forbes said of the main actors "all three deserve better than re-quel hell". Meagan Navarro of Consequence of Sound wrote, "Having been down these exact same roads before, the climax is bereft of any tension and stakes...by the time the end credits roll, you feel it." A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club found the film unnecessary, giving it a D+ and calling it "a slow death by nostalgia". Similarly, John Squires of Bloody Disgusting awarded the film one-and-a-half skulls out of five, writing: "3 from Hell is proof that sometimes in horror, dead really is better." Comics Beat reviewer Edward Douglas deemed the film "easily, the worst movie of the year".
HOME MEDIA: It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 15, 2019.
Rob Zombie's 3 from Hell is streaming now free with ads on Tubi, Fawesome and Roku. The spaltter horror action western B-movie was released in theaters for a special three-night event on September 16–18, 2019, followed by a one-night encore screening on October 14, 2019, and then released on VOD, Digital, DVD, and Blu-ray on October 15, 2019.
SYNOPSIS: "After barely surviving prison, the demented Firefly clan go on the run, unleashing a whole new wave of murder, madness and mayhem."
STORYLINE: "After being imprisoned for 10 years, the "Devil's Rejects" are back at it again. Otis (Bill Moseley) escapes prison, meets Winslow (Richard Brake), and devises a plan to get his sister Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) out too. The Rejects make their way down the road and into Mexico, killing countless people on their way. They find a place to stay, but are soon bombarded with a large group of killers- killers who are after these Three From Hell. Only one group can come out alive, and with the experience these three have, it'll just have to be one great killing joyride."
Directed and written by Rob Zombie and stars Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Sheri Moon Zombie, Richard Brake, Emilio Rivera, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Dee Wallace, Richard Edson, Danny Trejo, Kevin Jackson, Pancho Moler, Steven Michael Quezada, Clint Howard, Barry Bostwick, Dot-Marie Jones, Richard Riehle, David Ury, Sean Whalen, Tom Papa, Daniel Roebuck, Sylvia Jefferies, Tracey A. Leigh, Anny Rosario, Austin Stoker, Bill Oberst Jr., Lucinda Jenney, Christopher B. Duncan, Wade Williams and Billy Blair.
"And so the first half of 3 from Hell is a confused potpourri made of women's prison, television excerpts that are probably aimed at a media criticism Γ la Natural Born Killers and finally Home Invasion... In the second half, 3 from Hell seems like a substitute: As soon as it goes after the massacre “on the road”, the whole film gains momentum and finally finds the rhythm that The Devil’s Rejects also wore. Ingenuity, funny anecdotes, interesting-abstruse minor characters like here the small Sebastian (Pancho Moler, 31) and make a lot of fun on the movie, which now shines through again. All of a sudden, Otis’ sayings are funny again, suddenly baby is cool instead of annoying and suddenly the viewer catches himself again celebrating these shornesses despite everything... Rob Zombie is not a Tarantino (Kill Bill). He's not even a Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn). He has no millions and millions of dollars. He has no endless possibilities to assemble the illusion of smury trash cinemas in the best conditions with concentrated star power and all the necessary collateral. Due to the consistently overqualified cast and its well-known name, we unfortunately forget this all too quickly. 3 from Hell is not a grenade. He's a mangy B-movie with everything that goes with it: boredom, bad dialogue, strange pace. croken. But also ingenuity, good splatter effects and countless small curiosities, which also make this zombie lovable. Deal with it. Was the predecessor much more inspired – Rob Zombie was never different. This time, no one is crying because no Lynyrd Skynyrd snouts are running." [translated from German] ★★★ yearsofterror.eu
"Of all the many movies that Rob Zombie has brought to the screen, his 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses and its 2005 sequel The Devil’s Rejects probably have done the best with both audiences and critics... Since then, Zombie has made two divisive Halloween reimaginings, The Lords of Salem (a Ken Russell-influenced movie that completely misunderstood black metal on a level that you’d think a non-musician made it) and 31. He almost made two other films — Tyrannosaurus Rex and a remake of The Blob — while continuing his music career. Which brings us to 3 From Hell, a movie that I quite frankly had no interest in after the abysmal drivel that 31 assaulted my eyes with. I get it — I’ve seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Eaten Alive and Warlock Moon. I just haven’t made it my life’s mission to continually remake these films to progressively less returns." BAndSAboutMovies.com
"If you’re a fan of Zombie’s work, 3 From Hell is definitely worth checking out on rental or VOD, as there is some good stuff in here. But the average moviegoer would probably do well to avoid this and even the aforementioned fan would enjoy this more with severely mitigated expectations. I really wanted to love this, but as it stands it’s merely alright." ★★½ BloodBrothersFilms.com
"The best thing about 3 From Hell is the social commentary on violence and the idolization of serial killers by the media and in turn ‘fans’... Otis is sprung from prison by newly introduced half-brother Winslow and from here the dynamics change as Otis tries to take on Spaulding’s almost father-like role with Winslow feeling completely out of place... Sadly Richard Brake doesn’t have the gravitas of Haig and so any sort of monologue he carries is extremely flat... And so we come to Baby, who after ten years in prison (under the guise of Dee Wallace nonetheless) has gone even barmier and it’s her reckless actions that ultimately put them in more danger as they once again go on the run... There is an overarching plot here that comes full circle as the Three find their way to Mexico... 3 From Hell is just too long too, clocking in at just under two hours there are long stretches where nothing really happens and because of the limited dialogue of the characters that we have come to expect, there’s nothing here to really keep us interested... It’s a tough act to revisit a former glory and make it work, but sometimes it’s best to leave well alone." Bloody-Flicks.co.uk
"I genuinely love Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects. I find his 3 From Hell to just be solid. It feels more like a love letter to his fans than a creative continuation of the series. I wish he would’ve done something completely different with the tone and aesthetic, as House of 1000 Corpses and TDR feel completely different from each other and have a certain vitality because of that clash. This is total speculation, but I’m guessing this project was Zombie attempting to boost his profile after a series of projects with diminishing budgets and box office returns. Though it’s not my most popular opinion, I find most of his films to be entertaining (The Lords of Salem is highly underrated), but I understand that they will likely continue to be divisive amongst fans. Recommended, with caveats, to fans of the earlier trilogy installments, Spaghetti Westerns, and ‘70s grindhouse flicks." CineDump.com
"Verdict: 6/10. With an awesome soundtrack and the craziness and violence you would expect from this franchise, 3 From Hell delivers to its captive audience. Will it draw it any new fans, I’m unsure, but it remains both gruesome and funny at its core and try to the vision it has grown and developed from. With awesome cameos from Clint Howard as Mr. Baggy Britches the party clown, Dee Wallace as prison guard Greta, Danny Trejo, and the always reliable Emilio Rivera each scene delivers both unnerving uncomfortable action as well as some sort of sick humour you know you shouldn’t be laughing at. A welcome addition to the franchise, whilst not the strongest, does carry its own weight. Sadly the only thing missing can never be replaced. R.I.P. Sid." CultFaction.com
"3 From Hell is indebted to sweaty Italian westerns far more than the horror genre, and for this reason many fans have disliked its rather langorous approach, when compared with earlier Zombie fare. And it's true that at two hours the movie does kind of overstay its welcome, but Zombie's three amoral, ruthless but still funny characters sustain interest. It's Baby who gets most screen time here, Otis remarking that her spell in prison has changed her, made her slightly more crazy. Sheri Moon Zombie's toss of a coin transition from whimsical cutie to psychopath on occasion treads a thin line between credibility and ham, but her scenes with fellow scream queen Dee Wallace as sadistic prison warden Greta are a hoot. An ok film then, not great but not the travesty some have made it out to be." DarkEyesOfLondon.blogspot.com
"Zombie is an auteur in every sense of the term. He has a specific vision, an instantly-recognizable voice, and a stable of actors who reliably play it all out. 3 From Hell is smart and committed exploitation filmmaking–discomfiting and surreal and fully-engaged in creating a universe where the only way to win is not to play. The picture functions as the shadow to Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood in some ways, painting an alternate universe in which Manson gets away with everything, breaks out of prison, and rampages through the country, riding waves of madness, blood, and lust. It’s a pungent, filthy, feel-bad film that has at its heart a family that cares about each other and a madwoman who recognizes the nobility and necessity of monsters. Zombie stirs the pot, and if his work is doomed not to be fully appreciated in his time, it’s consistent and smart enough for an eventual reconsideration. Lords of Salem is his masterpiece–one of the finest portraits of depression I’ve ever seen captured on film–but there’s a story unfolding of who we are at this moment in our history when considering his work as a whole. Should we survive it, it’s a complete journal of our plague years, and essential for it." ★★★ FilmFreakCentral.net
"I believe Rob Zombie, when he’s at his best, was put on this planet to test your sensibilities and boundaries and make you appreciate the universal truths of the world through an exceedingly violent palette. He once told Bill Moseley (after a take of that motel room scene in The Devil’s Rejects) that “art isn’t safe”. Make zero mistakes about it: Zombie is at his best here, and his art is so far from safe that it feels a bit like parading through a pen full of starving dogs covered in raw steak... An unrepentantly violent and nasty family story is exactly what 3 from Hell is. If House of 1000 Corpses is the heavy metal, Day-Glo horror show homage to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Devil’s Rejects is Zombie’s starkly beautiful Western, then 3 from Hell is National Lampoon’s Vacation with unapologetic shootings, stabbings, sexual assault, torture, gratuitous violence, gutter language, and criminal insanity; a true road movie with heart. Does that sound like lunacy? I mean, it is…but it’s also a movie that’s so true to the spirit of family bonds and the pursuit of happiness, those bonds produce that it’s hard not to be a little touched while you’re marveling at the dedication to hardcore excess... 3 from Hell perfectly caps off the trilogy with horror that doesn’t blink, mince words, or apologize. For Christ’s sake, it’s Rob Zombie. The man took 14 years to get us here. Did you expect anything less?" ★★★★½ HorrorDNA.com
"Rob Zombie's films are a bit of an acquired taste, and while I admit I am not a fan of his Halloween films I sort of dig his white trash aesthetic, he's got good feel for scumbags characters and a good eye for stuff that looks cool on film, though his dialogue, while entertaining on a base level, is oftentimes ridiculous, and this film is no exception. It was great to see Bill Mosely back in his Otis wig, after Chop Top from TCM2 I think this is his defining role. I also love having Sherri Moon Zombie back as the shrill-voiced Baby, this is a role that she was born to play, the demented killer-girl with a maniacal laugh, and this time she plays it even more detached, so strange in fact that Otis feels the need to make comment of it! With Captain Spaulding is largely missing from the film newcomer Winslow 'Foxy' Coltrane (Richard Brake) manages to capably fill the void, my favorite scene of his is a brain-splattering encounter in the woods with a hunter played by Bill Oberst Jr. (Dis), with a fun bit of trashy dialogue exchanged... If you're one of those people who love seeing familiar faces in small roles be on the lookout for Danny Trejo returning as as Rondo from The Devil's Rejects, Austin Stoker (Assault on Precinct 13) as a newscaster, Sean Whalen (The People Under the Stairs), Richard Edson (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), and Clint Howard (The Funhouse Massacre) as an unfortunate party clown named Mr. Baggy Britches... 3 From Hell (2019) will likely please die-hard fans of the first two films, if you're a Rob Zombie hater though this is not the film that's gonna change your opinion. I dig it, it's not on par with The Devil's Rejects but I'll watch this ten times before I watch House of a 1000 Corpses (2003) again, in fact I enjoyed it enough to order the unrated 4K UltraHD release, because what Lionsgate sent for this review was only the R-rated theatrical version DVD, which is cut and only includes the first-part of the four-part making of documentary." McBastardsMausoleum.blogspot.com
"... 3 From Hell, a film that just never quite seems to make a case for itself. There's almost a sense of resignation about it, as if Zombie is resorting to doing this simply because he feels like this is the only product anyone will fund. He holds obvious ambitions beyond this: not only was The Lords of Salem a mature step forward, but he's also bandied about other projects over the years, including a Broad Street Bullies movie and even a Graucho Marx biopic... It's a shame that nobody seems willing to take a risk on Zombie and allow him to move beyond his comfort zone. If both 31 and 3 From Hell are any indication, this is a filmmaker desperately in need of a shock to his own system, or, at the very least, a vote of confidence from investors and fans that they're willing to follow him wherever he goes and not just back to his familiar haunts. 3 From Hell ends with an unwittingly appropriate shot of a meandering, winding road: not only is it an exact retread of The Devil's Rejects, but it also captures the rambling, aimless quality of the film itself'and, perhaps, of Zombie's career at this point." Carnage Count ★★★★★ Skin Scale ★★★★ Oh-The-Horror.com
"While the new film can’t match “House of 1000 Corpses” in terms of shocking violence, there is still plenty here to satisfy fans of gore. Sadly, though, there isn’t much else here to appreciate. We learn little new information about the characters. While it’s passably interesting to watch the group dynamics between three sociopaths – and see how one of the undeniably crazy group is forced to behave almost normally to keep the others in check — the story does little to advance their legacy or legend. To the extent any part of me wanted to see more of these three before I saw “3 From Hell,” that part of me was sorely disappointed. Very few directors have been successful in following up a critically-acclaimed movie with a film that is a worthy successor. “3 From Hell” is sadly no exception." ★★ ScreenZealots.com
"Notorious serial killers reassemble to continue their deviant ways. The first hour is an absolute riot that builds on the lore of the main cast while furthering their inventive insanity. The second half, however, merely mimics the third act of The Devil’s Rejects. Still, there are plenty of reasons to rejoice over the resurgence of characters who are at their best when behaving their worst." ★★★ SplatterCritic.com
"It took me a while to get into the other two that preceded this one. I have been a fan of Rob Zombie's music for as long as I can remember, but my relationship with his films have been more complicated. If I’m honest, I’m still not feeling the Halloween redux series, but after The Lords of Salem (2012), and some self-reflection, I have been fully converted on the House/Rejects duo. With some well-timed rewatching, I have enjoyed them quite a bit and for strikingly different reasons. Three from Hell takes a little from both cinematic melting pots but once again switches the motivations... By technical terms, 3 from Hell is rough compared to the previous film and lacks the attention to detail, but the nihilistic road trip thrived best with simple grime. It’s probably not my favorite of the trilogy (in fact it may come in third) it is, however, the most original of a tribute laden group, if only for ruthlessly disregarding expectations. I have a feeling it might lose a few fans; it certainly divided the small, faithful crowd that attended here in the Mormon desert. Either way, that isn’t something I call a negative indicator." VideoReligion.net
"Overall, 3 From Hell doesn’t ruin the legacy of The Devil’s Rejects, as I know others have said, but it doesn’t do much to help it either. This was a monumental task to begin with. There was a lot of heavy lifting required to come up with a worthy successor that would have given a clear reason to bring back characters we had already long-since said goodbye to. I don’t think, ultimately, that this was the story that needed to resurrect the Firefly family, I don’t think this is anywhere near the trilogy capper we could have had. But there are moments where it almost is, and at the end of the day, even seeing these actors return to these characters—who have become so iconic over the past fifteen years—has its own charm." WICKED RATING: 6/10 WickedHorror.com
![3 Z PEKLA [3 FROM HELL] (2019) - ShrnutΓ + KomentΓ‘Ε](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X4gfR8UXbvU/hqdefault.jpg)
