The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto

As the record shows I’m a pretty big Rob Zombie Apologist. Still considering I spent even a positive review of his work pretty much bitching that he doesn’t make anything original anymore I figured I’d put my money where my mouth was. By which of course I mean I’d put my money where Rob Zombie’s mouth is by forking over my cold hard cash to pay for a copy of his new DTV animated movie The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto. Assuming that is, he uses my money to buy food.

Whatever the hell you want to say about The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto, and lord knows you can say one hell of a lot about it, not all of it pretty, you can’t say it isn’t in Rob Zombie’s voice.

The problem With Superbeasto is that it’s not a good movie. This problem is sizable but not insurmountable.

Superbeasto takes place in a far off world where John K. is God. Populated only by superheroes, luchadors, carnies, monsters, and the occasional porn star. It follows El Superbeasto, a hot tempered slow witted luchador who has a lot of sex and beats things up, sometimes he even does these things at different times! Tom Papa, who voices El Superbeasto and cowrote the scipt, is very funny his character is not.

Somehow he and his sister Suzi X (Sherri Moon Zombie. Who else?) get caught up in Dr. Satan’s (An amazingly game Paul Giamatti) quest to rule the world. While this seems to be some sort of plot, that’s giving the movie more credit then it earns. Really it’s just about 80 minutes of raging id.

Saying that it’s a one joke movie isn’t really fair, it’s more like five one joke movies that the film keeps cutting between. Oh El Superbeasto’s stupid, violent and likes sex! Oh Sheri Moon Zombie is a superhero and has a Robot Who Wants to fuck her! Dr. Satan is a loser! Rosario Dawson is a ghetto fab ho bag! Through in some bizarrely dated references (A Janeane Garofalo Joke? Really? Man you guys are on the bleeding edge!) Just keep shuffling between these “jokes” and we’ll see what sticks!

The big laughs come from Hard and Phirm (allow your inner eighth grader a moment to smile) whose songs narrate the action, though sadly, not all. Still their anger at Zombie’s homages (Hey he’s just ripping off Carrie) inconsistencies (Why would a Zombie need a scarf?) and tribute to Schoolhouse Rock are always good for a chuckle.

Despite all that I can’t help but give this movie a light and extremely qualm ridden recommendation. El Superbeasto is unabashedly the work of someone who loves horror movies, and there wasn’t so much a frame that didn’t contain a reference that genuinely made me smile. It’s a world where you can watch Christopher Lee’s Dracula hit on Elsa Lanchester, and Tura Santana can finally give Otis Driftwood the kick in the puss he so richly deserves. It opens with a homage to Frankenstein so ultra detailed I literally began to giggle.

Sure normally the fact that it makes for a good game of spot the reference wouldn't be enough to recommend a movie. But there’s so much fetishtic detail that it’s impossible for me to think that a horror afficinodio wouldn’t like this just a little, even if it’s equally tough for me to fathom how anyone could go so far as to love it.

In speaking of people who love horror movies (SEGWAY!!!) It’s October which means it’s time for the second annual 31 DAYS OF HORROR!!! Things are going to be a little different this year, for one thing I’m actually going to do all 31 Days this time. For another… wait no I think that’s the only difference.

Anyway, I’m psyched. I’ve got a lot of good films lined up and I for one, am planning on having a great time! Hope you choose to come by and do the same.

Oh and…