Whether or not you like Rob Zombie as a filmmaker, or even if you like some of his work and not all of it, you’d have to admit there’s a definite aesthetic to what he does, and there are certain things he really likes. And with the poster for 31, his newest horror movie that was partially funded by the fans, he’s made it very clear that he will deliver plenty of what they expect. Clown makeup, infantilization fetish, scary rural folk, character actors with (shall we say) less-than-fashion-ready faces, exploitation movie imagery, “ordinary” people menaced by the lower classes (who usually win), and of course wife Sheri Moon Zombie as either a prime instigator or principal target of the mayhem.
Coming on the heels of his more Polanski-esque Lords of Salem, which wasn’t quite as easy to figure out, this one-sheet, revealed via Zombie’s social media channels, is like the Jack in the Box Ultimate Cheeseburger of killer clown posters–all meat and cheese, with no distractions:
Maybe Zombie should have directed the Suicide Squad movie. Although there’s no way Mattel would have been able to sell action figures for it at Walmart if he really let loose. Something about that Hitler clown at the bottom of the poster tells me we won’t be seeing toys of some of these characters anywhere, ever.
But I must take issue with the tagline, “Death is the Only Escape.” Because when I stress out and decide that I want to blow off some steam by watching a movie where clowns chainsaw people to bits, Rob Zombie movies are the only escape.
Are you happy to see Rob Zombie return to telling his own stories, rather than being attached to numerous remakes over the years? Is this the real insane clown posse you’ve been waiting for? Rock out in our comments section with your thoughts.
Featured image: Saban/Rob Zombie