3 from Hell (2019) – What Happened to This Horror Movie?
Rob Zombie is back in town on his Dragula, and there’s fixing to be hell to pay three times over! That’s right, somehow, the three awful excuses for human beings that belong to the Firefly family are still with us, despite us watching them be gunned down by not great officers of the law at the end of The Devil’s Rejects. But resurrection is merely the first blockade on this highway to Hell. During the making of 3 from Hell, Zombie and crew would have to deal with replacing a major actor just three weeks before filming was to begin. They would have to create the film using only a fraction of the budget they had worked with on the previous two films (which had a pretty tight budget to start with). Oh, and for good measure, this thing wouldn’t be getting a standard theatrical release. It would instead release as a three night only Fathom Theater event. Nearly fifteen years after what many consider to be Rob Zombie’s magnum opus in The Devil’s Rejects, he’s dusting off the boots, cowboy hat, and hopefully the soap to take an insanely huge risk by bringing the Fireflies back to life for a third time. With less than half the resources of the first two films. Would Zombie be able to pull off the impossible? Or would 3 from Hell become a stain on one of his most beloved works? You know what they say…the show must go on. Even if the show involves shooting off copious amounts of fireworks inside an extremely flammable trailer park with ridiculous amounts of alcohol in your system. Okay, I might be the only person to ever say that. But here’s what happened to 3 from Hell anyway.
Rob Zombie insists that not only did he not plan on turning the Firefly family story into a trilogy, but that he had never even intended to make a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses at all. Despite that and the obvious demise of the Fireflies at the end of Rejects, there had always been some speculation that fans would get one more flick out of the bearded one. And ultimately he obliged. Because like fire, Rob Zombie does whatever Rob Zombie wants. The director mentioned that the characters never really left his mind or daily thoughts in general (which is probably a concerning mental state if we’re being honest with each other), so he decided “Why not?”. Let’s bring back the three amigos of hell and do it again. He brought the idea to Lionsgate and they were happy to oblige. As we’ll find out later, they didn’t have to risk very much in the deal.
Writing 3 from Hell, Zombie found himself inspired by True Crime documentaries about Charles Manson. Let’s be honest. Wouldn’t you be more surprised if Zombie spent his free time doing anything other than watching old Charles Manson videos? He explained that he had always been fascinated with the Manson Family trial and the fact that they had their detractors (murdering innocent people will do that for you), but that they also had fans. He wanted to play around with that idea. So the first act of 3 from Hell would be the miraculous survival of the Firefly family thanks to the town Law Enforcement apparently being worse shots than Stormtroopers. The story would then pivot to a True Crime view of the current situations Baby, Spaulding, and Otis Driftwood find themselves in: Incarcerated and on death row.
The second act, he says, was more “noir-ish,” incorporating some home invasion moments before things go full-on spaghetti Western in the final scenes. Zombie says that he very intentionally made the film in three separate acts that felt distinct from one another, with elements of each of the first two films peppered in. Though Zombie will be the first to tell you that it feels like everything goes wrong when he’s making a film, he probably didn’t envision 3 from Hell’s biggest challenge being replacing the lovable and dependable Sid Haig just three weeks before filming.
The original plan for 3 from Hell was obviously to follow the path of Baby, Otis, and Captain Spaulding. But shortly before they were set to reunite, Sid Haig called his longtime friend to inform him that he was in a rehabilitation facility recovering from a major surgery. When Zombie visited, he realized how serious the situation was. Haig’s appearance was staggeringly different due to the weight loss he had suffered from his health issues. There was no way Zombie could go on with the original film he had envisioned.
Luckily, the Rob Zombie bullpen is deep with folks who look believable murdering people for fun. He called up the ultra-talented and angry-faced Richard Brake to play a new character he had written into the script in Spaulding’s stead: Otis’ half-brother, Foxy Coltrane. Brake had to rush from another set in Spain and fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible. But it saved the film. The actor fit in with the Firefly family like a pack of smokes next to a bottle of tequila. Though there is no true Firefly family without Sid Haig and Zombie knew that. Lionsgate allowed him to sneak Haig onto the set for one day to shoot as much as he could with the late actor. As usual, Haig crushed his small moment in the film and left his mark on what would be his last film before he sadly passed away in 2019.
There was never a question, of course, of whether or not Sheri Moon Zombie would return as Baby. But Zombie did say she had her reservations. Sheri had been skeptical because she was such a fan of how Rejects had ended. It wasn’t until she read the script that she was sure bringing the Firefly family back from the dead was a good idea. Bill Moseley returned as Otis with no convincing necessary, stating that “In (his) blood, (he) felt like the Rejects had more to do.” Zombie brought back the underrated Jeff Daniel Phillips in all his Dave Grohl-like glory, as well as some other Zombie production staples. Including Danny Trejo for a short scene and Dee Wallace playing against type as hateful Deputy Greta. When he first sent Wallace the script, she told him she wasn’t sure she could play such a mean character. But the actress, known typically for her sweet presence on screen, shook off the doubt and called Zombie back the very next day to agree to the role.
When it came to the look of the film, Zombie again enlisted the help of cinematographer David Daniel, whom he had just worked with on 31. Daniel did a fantastic job creating the aesthetic necessary while honoring the feel of The Devil’s Rejects. The cinematographer had previously worked on the Scream TV series of all things, and interestingly enough was in the camera department on horror classic American Psycho as well.
The script and cast were in place, and it was time to film. But would the cast chemistry still be there after all these years? According to Zombie and Moseley, they were both a little worried about it. But in the end all it took was throwing on the costumes and a couple moments before they picked up right where they had left off. But they would have to do so on a razor thin budget.
Zombie had felt as though The Devil’s Rejects was a difficult film to make on a seven-million-dollar budget, and this time he would be making 3 from Hell on less than half of that with just $3 million dollars. It took just under a month to shoot the scenes from 3 from Hell, using locations such as an abandoned women’s prison in Los Angeles for one of their filthy locations. You know, the kind of places that just leave you wanting to go home and deep clean your oven.
For the sounds of 3 from Hell, Zombie again enlisted the help of Terry Reid, who had left such an imprint on The Devil’s Rejects. He praised that Reid’s voice sonically “just sounds like the movie.” He also incorporated the classic Iron Butterfly song “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” previously used in the wild and crazy ending of Michael Mann’s Manhunter on the soundtrack. Composer Zeuss, who Zombie had just worked with on 31, had his hands full as well, with Zombie asking him to basically create three different scores for one movie. Zombie requested a documentary type sound for the first act and a jarring switch to something like a Morricone style Good, the Bad, and the Ugly replica in the final act.
As is often the case for Zombie when getting his movies made, the release of 3 from Hell would not follow the status quo. Instead of editing beginning immediately, he had to delay his post-production duties until an upcoming tour with his band had been completed. Then, instead of a typical wide release, the film was released as a three-night Fathom event. On night one, it aired alongside a Rob Zombie introduction and crowds were gifted a commemorative poster. Night two included a behind-the-scenes feature and a bumper sticker. Night three included a grab bag featuring Vienna sausages and a bootleg Kid Rock album. No, it was a double feature with The Devil’s Rejects.
You might expect Zombie to moan about the lack of a formal release, but he accepted it Scott Stapp style, with arms wide open. He credited Fathom events for being there for “smaller, gnarlier” films when the money just isn’t there for a wide theatrical release. Especially when they would have had to make around $70 million dollars just to break even under a wide release model.
The limited event grossed just under two million dollars of box office, prompting a one-night encore in October. While the box office fell short, the fans no doubt supplemented the returns when the film hit Video On Demand and of course with the physical release later in October. Critically, 3 from Hell took about as many bullets as its main characters did at the end of Rejects. Or at least as many as we thought they did.
While it sits currently on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes with a 55% “Rotten” critics score, his audience finds it a bit more appealing at a clip of 78% “Fresh.” Detractors argue that the entire film is an exercise in watching unlikeable characters make bad jokes as they torture other humans with no substance. Some fans even question whether it was ever the right idea to bring the trio back from the dead in the first place and feel as though the project tainted its legacy. Those who praise the film chalk it up as another misunderstood Rob Zombie cult classic and some simply appreciate the distinct filmmaking prowess that Zombie brings with him.
While the critics certainly can’t kill Rob Zombie fans’ bloodthirst for the franchise to continue, Rob Zombie can. And all but has. The rock star has maintained that 3 from Hell is probably the end of the road for the franchise and the Fireflies. But then again, he’s said that before! For now, in Zombie’s eyes, the Fireflies are finished. But at least some of the characters survived this time and are probably out there eating some “Tooty effin fruity”, am I right?
If you’re actually comforted by that thought, you should probably have a long conversation with yourself, a friend, or therapist. Though that’s none of my business. This is what happened to 3 from Hell. We hope you have a great day! Even if we’re kind of judging you.
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