AMG Review of House of 1000 Corpses

Wade Kergan
All Music Guide

The soundtrack to Rob Zombie's much-delayed carnival-horror film directorial debut comes packed full of dialogue soundbites from the film and a few classic country and punk tunes -- no doubt used to maximum ironic effect in the film -- but the draw here are five new songs from Zombie and the incidental music he wrote and produced with Scott Humphries. New, that is, except for "House of 1,000 Corpses," which appeared on Zombie's 2001 solo album, The Sinister Urge. And considering that the original release date for the film was January 2001, it's likely that these songs have been in the can since then. The effects of a few years are inconsequential, though; the musician/director has carved out a singular metal-punk-industrial niche, and while his songs' sense of "timelessness" has yet to be proven, Zombie's consistency at creating horror-fueled industrial rock has already. The only step outside of the formula proves to be a surreal misstep, "Brick House 2003." Joined by original "Brick House" singer Lionel Richie and Dirty South-mouthed rapper Trina, the song is a truly original take on the funky classic, but not likely to inspire repeated visits. Outside of die-hard fans of Rob Zombie, neither are the grim soundclips between selections from country stars Buck Owens, Slim Whitman, or '20s flapper Helen Kane likely to warrant returns. Still, as a souvenir of the film it works very well and will be much-appreciated by anyone thrilled and chilled by the film.