Synopsis: Five carnival workers are kidnapped and held hostage in an abandoned, Hell-like compound where they are forced to participate in a violent game, the goal of which is to survive twelve hours against a gang of sadistic clowns.
Review:
The cabin in the web has sat vacant for far too long. However, the counselors have stayed plenty busy, snatching up any bit of information they could find about Rob Zombie’s 31. Everything that they managed to scrape up had them clawing the walls, waiting to watch the director’s latest trip down the rabbit hole of violence and terror. Priced at $10.99 for an HD viewing, they didn’t hesitate to hit the order button so they could witness what he called, “his most brutal film to date”. Was it worth the money? Did he live up to the expectations?
Rob Zombie stated, “ 31 is for the hardcore fans who want it nasty and brutal.” Heed this warning all who see this. This is not for the casual horror fan. This is very light on story and very hard on action. We spend a brief fifteen minutes getting to know the line-up and then the cast is abducted and taken to Murder World. They are given a brief rundown of what the game, 31, consists of. Then they are set loose to fight for their lives.
I was highly impressed with how organized the chaos was. This movie is completely out of control but going in I thought it was going to be a free-for-all. “The Heads” are set loose one, to two, at a time depending on whoever is next up. We get treated to six “Heads” total by the ending of 31. Doom Head, played fan-fucking-tastically by Richard Brake (Rob Zombie’s H2), is by far the most memorable, and the most terrifying. He has a calm, completely sadistic, demeanor that would strike fear into the bravest of souls. We also are treated to a latin midget, a chainsaw wielding duo, as well as Sex & Death (it’s hard to describe these two). Rob clearly took a lot more time to flesh out Doom Head, over the others, however they are all enjoyable in their own right.
Zombie was criticized for doing this movie with “crowd funding”. I want to take the time to address some of this criticism. To those who said he went this route because, “studios won’t back him because he sucks.”, you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s not the director, it’s the movie. This is a movie that is 90% brutal with only 10% story. This isn’t a movie that is a safe bet. It isn’t found footage, a paranormal affair, or could ever be possibly PG-13. All of the previously mentioned make a lot of money for studios, so typically they get green-lit pretty easily. 31 is a film that is more up the alley of what actual horror fans have been wanting from Hollywood. Sure, some of the films that get theatrical releases have been acceptable. However, they aren't even close to what the horror community has been yearning for. So, Rob Zombie gave fans a chance to finance what they did want. He completely delivered and I can’t wait for the directors cut, so we can see what the “true film” actually is.
When it comes to Rob Zombie films, you either love them or you hate them. I have no doubt that this will gain a cult following, much like his previous films. 31 delivered on every promise that was made from the start of its production. It is brutal, gritty, and nasty. It is also completely entertaining and I look forward to seeing the people, who will no doubt, dress up as Doom Head for Halloween. The only thing that remains is whether or not the counselors survived.
Quality Counselor: Alive
Scare Factor Counselor: Alive and screaming.
Acting Counselor: Alive
Budget Counselor: ALIVE!!!
Content Counselor: Alive and on steroids
Gore Counselor: Never been more alive
Suspense Counselor: Hanging by a thread
Rewatchability Counselor:Alive and watched it twice already
Intrigue Counselor: Alive
Overall Counselor: So Alive that it hurts
Body Count: 10/10 Counselors