15 scariest summer horror movies of all-time
By Wesley Lara
10. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
Directed by Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie has never been a director who aims to please the mainstream audience with his movies. Even some of his more commercial ventures like the Halloween re-imagining series is filled with the type of dark imagery that has fit Zombie’s aesthetic for years now. Much like the filmmakers on this list, Zombie is not afraid to place his characters and story in the heat of the summer, setting what many consider to be his magnum opus, The Devil’s Rejects, on an extreme road trip through a sunny summer aesthetic.
Picking up from his previous cult classic, House of 1000 Corpses, Zombie brings back Captain Spaulding and two of the members of his family, placing them firmly in the anti-hero role as we follow the family going on the run after their murder spree from the previous movie gets discovered by the authorities. From there, we have a violence-friendly road trip where the police and even random bystanders aren’t safe from the mayhem that Spaulding and company will bring with them.
Acting as a sort of gratuitously violent version of Thelma & Louise, Zombie uses the sunny aesthetic to bring the horror of the family closer to our faces. The previous film was set mainly inside their little murder dungeon/family home, but now they must combat the world in a hot and dreary atmosphere that entertains the lovely idea of coming across one of these people when filling up gas. Seriously, nobody is safe in this movie and that’s terrifying to even comprehend.