House of 1000 Corpses (2001) - Synopsis

House of 1000 Corpses (2001) - Synopsis ImageAn empty fuel tank and a flat tire lead two couples down a terror-riddled road to the House of 1000 Corpses. From the dark, demented mind of Rob Zombie comes House of 1000 Corpses, the shock rock master's feature film directorial debut. Though created in the vein of the Creature Feature classic edge-of-your-seat horror flicks of yesterday, House of 1000 Corpses is at its core a story of family--a cast of twisted individuals who, with each slash of a throat or stab thru the chest, add bodies to their sick human menagerie.

Capt. Spaulding is Ruggsville's own PT Barnum. More demented sideshow carney than dazzling circus showman, Spaulding is the operator and proprietor of the Museum of Monsters and Madmen, where weary travelers can fill their gas tanks with the only petrol for miles, and their stomachs with his secret recipe of fried chicken. But those who do drop in sometimes get more than they bargained for.

When car problems force cross-country travelers Jerry, Denise, Mary and Bill to stop for a break, the foursome pull into the gas station-cum-museum on the night of October 30, 1977--All Hallows Eve. Though most of the young group is wary of the stranger they find within, Bill is enthralled, for he is penning a book of offbeat roadside attractions and nothing they have come across on their travel quite fits the bill as well as the Museum.

Bill soon learns of local "hero" Dr. Satan and decides the group should go off in search of the now local landmark tree where Dr. Satan was hung and from which he disappeared. Offering to share more about local folklore before they leave, Spaulding invites them to take in the Museum's premiere attraction-the Murder Ride. The Murder Ride features exhibits on:

Albert Fish - Fish was an infamous masochist, sadist, child killer, and most importantly, cannibal. Born in 1870, he was driven to madness, tortured with needles through his groin as a child;

Ed Greene - Greene, the "Psycho of Mainsfield," was a murderer and cannibal who preyed on women, with particular focus on their sexual organs.

Local "Hero" Quail - More fondly known as Dr. Satan, Quail was a murderer, torturer, mastic, and plastic surgeon, who worked at Willows County Medical hospital, nicknamed Weeping Willows. Using his own primitive brain surgery techniques, Quail attempted to create a race of superheroes from the mentally ill. He was hung on a tree, but his body disappeared and has yet to be discovered. Is he still alive? Maybe he lives next door to you?

The Murder Ride is Capt. Spaulding's personal nostalgic trip down memory lane-a trip into a world of darkness, where "life and death are meaningless and pain is God. " But for these four travelers, this strange ride is just the beginning…

Lions Gate Films