"Howdy Folks! You like blood? Violence? Freaks of nature? Well then, come on down to Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen. See the Alligator Boy, ride my famous Murder Ride. Most of all, don't forget to take home some of my tasty fried chicken!" ― Captain Spaulding
House of 1000 Corpses is an independent American horror film written and directed by [Zombie|Rob Zombie]. Zombie is more widely known as the front man for the 90s heavy metal band White Zombie, and has also had a successful solo career following the break-up of White Zombie. House of 1000 Corpses is a homage to the grittier exploitation films of the 1970s, in particular, [Texas Chain Saw Massacre|The Texas Chain Saw Massacre] and [Hills Have Eyes|The Hills Have Eyes].
Plot[]
Roadside attraction
Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters[]
It is October 30th, [[1]], a day before Halloween. Two masked robbers named "Killer" Karl and Richard Wick burst into [Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen|Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen] in the town of [[2]]. Pointing a gun into the face of the proprietor, [Spaulding|Captain Spaulding], they demand all of the money in the register. Spaulding is an older man, with clown makeup and he is not intimidated in the slightest by the two gunmen. Both sides exchange heated words, but ultimately Spaulding produces his own firearm, and shoots both men dead.
Meanwhile, four teenagers drive into the town of Ruggsville on a cross-country expedition to visit and document little-known roadside attractions. The crew consists of the bespectacled [Hudley|Bill Hudley], driving the vehicle, his friend [Goldsmith|Jerry Goldsmith] and their girlfriends, [Willis|Denise Willis] and Mary Knowles
They arrive at Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters, but by this point, Spaulding has long since cleared away the dead bodies. Bill begins asking him about the museum, but Spaulding makes him feel uncomfortable, wondering why he is asking so many questions. He then invites them all to partake in the museum's "Murder Ride", an underground trip through a mine shaft that showcases local urban legends and famous serial killers. During the ride, Spaulding points out displays highlighting infamous murderers such as Albert Fish, Ed Gein and [Satan|Doctor Satan]. By the time the ride is over, Mary and Denise have had more than enough and want to leave. Bill agrees with them, but Jerry is still attracted to the grisliness of the spectacle and begs Spaulding to give directions where Doctor Satan was alledgly hung.
Baby[]
Meet Baby
They drive down the road a bit until they come upon a hitchhiker named [Firefly|Baby]. It is raining severely by this point and they offer Baby a ride to her place, Mary and Denise being suitably uncomfortable with this arrangement. While driving, somebody shoots out the car tire and the vehicle goes skidding off the road. Baby tells the group that her brother has a tow truck and will be willing to help them. Leaving the others waiting in the car, Baby and Bill walk in the rain to Baby’s home in the town of Deadwood.
Baby sends her brother Rufus "R.J" Firefly out with his tow truck to pick up the others. This gives her plenty of time to warm up to Bill, who is already in a great deal of comfort. By the time Rufus returns with the others, the rest of the Firefly family, who are obsessed with halloween makes an appearance. Mother Firefly insists that they should stay for dinner until their car is repaired. She introduces them to the cantankerous Grandpa Hugo, the psychotic Otis and Tiny, a veritable giant who wears a mask to cover up the severe burns across his face. During dinner, Mother Firefly makes everyone wear a mask.
After the disconcerting meal, Grandpa Hugo invites everyone to sit down for "Showtime", an impromptu theater display in which Baby begins performing a vaudeville act. Mary notices Baby's persistent flirting with Bill and calls her out. The two begin arguing, but the typically timid Baby proves that she is just as violent and fiery as the rest of her family. Bill and Jerry prevent the two women from coming to blows and the teens decide that they have overstayed their welcome.
They begin driving away, but as they prepare to leave the town of Deadwood, they pass a cemetery with strange scarecrow figures propped up on crosses. The scarecrows leap down from the crosses, revealing themselves to be Otis, Rufus and Tiny. Bill gets out of the car to open a gate to leave, but Otis strikes him down. Jerry is the next to get bashed after he rushes over to help his friend. Tiny pulls Denise out of the car and drags her away while Otis stands upon the hood of the car shrieking to the heavens as Mary cries out in horror.
October 31st, 1977[]
Otis B. Driftwood]
Donald Willis calls the sheriff's department of Ruggsville, inquiring about the disappearance of his daughter, Denise. Sheriff Huston tells him that he will send some men out to investigate her last known whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Otis has Mary bound to a chair in the Firefly home. She is terrified and Otis warns her not to start screaming. He pulls the gag down from her mouth, and Mary asks him about Bill. With pride, Otis declares how impressed he was with Bill and draws back a curtain revealing Bill's mutilated corpse, which has been sewn together with fake appendages to make him appear as a carnival act named Fish Boy. Mary begins screaming in terror.
Back in Ruggsville, Lt. George Wydell and deputy Steve Naish investigate the disappearance of Denise Willis. They stop at Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and question Spaulding to see if he has seen anything. Spaulding doesn't remember much, but he gives Wydell the same directions that he gave to the kids when they passed through his establishment.
At the Firefly place, Denise has been dressed up as a doll for halloween and awakens tied to a bed. Tiny comes in to feed her, but she refuses to eat, so he begins noisily shoving the food into his own mouth. She begs him to let her go and Tiny complies instead of taking advantage of her. As she goes to leave however, Otis grabs her and locks her inside of a cage.
In another part of the house, Baby begins interrogating Jerry who is tied to a chair. She asks him who her favorite movie star is and when Jerry provides the wrong answer, she begins cackling like a little girl then starts to scalp him.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Huston, Wydell and Naish find the teenagers' car. They pop open the trunk and find the body of a dead naked woman named Karen Murphy. The words "Treat or Trick" are carved into her skin. Donald Willis pulls up to the scene and discusses the search for his missing daughter. They invite Donald to accompany them as they head towards a farmhouse up the road.
They soon approach the Firefly residence. Mother Firefly runs upstairs and tells Otis that there are cops coming up on the property. Otis hands her a gun and tells her to get ready. She answers the front door and greets officer Wydell. Naish and Willis meanwhile are searching around on another part of the property. They hear whimpering coming from a barn and Naish opens the doors, revealing several kidnapped teenage girls being held prisoner. Naish calls Wydell, but before he can answer his walkie talkie, Mother Firefly shoots him in the head. Out back, Naish and Willis turn to run away from the horror, but Otis appears and guns them down.
Run, Rabbit, Run[]
Baby]
As day turns to night, the Fireflys prepare to have some real fun. While Baby and Rufus pick up some beer, Otis skins Donald Willis and makes a mask and breastplate out of his treated flesh. Mother and Baby take Mary, Denise and the partially scalped Jerry and dress them up in adult-sized rabbit costumes. Otis begins tormenting Denise shouting, "Who's yer daddy?" over and over again.
Afterward, they bring their three prisoners out into the middle of an old graveyard. Rufus throws Jerry into a grave and Mary decides to make a break for it. Baby takes off after and eventually catches up to the terrified Mary. Wrestling her to the ground, Baby stabs her repeatedly until she is dead. She then licks the blood off her blade.
Meanwhile, Otis throws Denise into the coffin with Jerry and they lower it by crank into the depths of an old mine shaft. Otis then lowers a tape recorder playing audio tracks of early 20th century magus, Aleister Crowley. With Denise and Jerry out of the way, Otis and the others don makeup and ceremonial attire and burn Mary's body on a pyre.
The Professor
Underground, a horde of mutated freaks attack the coffin and pull Jerry and Denise out of it. Apparently, these people are other "survivors" whom the Fireflys have cast into the mines over the years. The two are forced apart from one another and Denise begins scrambling through the tunnels. As she continues on her way, she encounters several more freaks and oddities. She runs into a larger corridor that leads into a macabre chamber dressed like a doctor's office. In the waiting room are several "patients" waiting to see their physician... the legendary Doctor Satan. Entering the operating room, Denise finds Doctor Satan wearing a bizarre face mask. His body attached to a metal ribcage suspended from the ceiling and he is performing brain surgery on Jerry. Attending him is another monstrous aberration known as Earl, the Professor. The Professor wears a respirator mask with special night vision goggles and can see Denise everywhere she turns. he chases after her swinging an ax. He manages to corner her and swings his ax again, but this time, he hits a support beam, knocking it loose and starting a cave-in.
Denise finally finds a way to crawl to the surface. She drags herself up through the dirt and it is now early morning. She begins walking listlessly across the field to a highway. Captain Spaulding picks her up and drives away. Unfortunately for Denise, Otis is sitting in the back seat. When next Denise regains her senses, she is back in the operating room of Doctor Satan.