31: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
From the visionary mind of Rob Zombie comes the horrific story of five carnival workers who are kidnapped on Halloween and held hostage in a large compound. At the mercy of their captors, they are forced to play a twisted game or life or death called 31. For the next 12 hours they must fight for their lives against an endless parade of homicidal maniacs.
Much like everybody else I’ve waited soooooo long to see this film. The plot to the film isn’t overly complex and kind of gets to the point fairly quickly which was a good thing. We are then treated to the most insane and fast paced horror films that I’ve seen in quite a while. It’s very unapologetic in its violence and that’s what makes it a Rob Zombie movie. Say what you will about Zombie and his filmography (probably because of Halloween II….still) but there is a real artistry to his films. As a fan of horror you can see that he is too and it shows with all the details that are added to his films. Everything from the set production, the wardrobe and even the lighting has the Rob Zombie touch which allows you to appreciate the feel of the film a whole lot more. There were a few things that I did have an issue with though. One was a continuity error that was small but it was front and center and so close up that it couldn’t be ignored. To top it off it was in the first few minutes of the film and I felt like something like that shouldn’t have been missed considering the rest of the film paid a lot of attention to detail. The other thing was the ending. I felt like the entire film was building up to a momentous showdown only to have it end on somewhat of a cliffhanger. I can understand why it was done (to let the viewer have their own ending) but I really don’t think it should’ve happened the way it did. Those two things didn’t break the film though and I still really enjoyed every moment of it. Is it the best Rob Zombie film? Unfortunately not BUT it definitely up there as one of the best and I do see sequel potential here in the likes of The Devil’s Rejects. If you’re a fan of Zombie’s work or just horror in general then you’ll love it without a doubt so I suggest grabbing it as soon as you can. 7/10
Special Features:
In Hell Everyone Loves Popcorn: The Making of 31 – A fantastic, in depth documentary about the production of the film. It covers pretty much everything from start to finish. Super interesting and informative.
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Rob Zombie
