Review by Daniel Emery Taylor
I love Rob Zombie. If you don't like that you can politely move on down the road. Sure, I'll admit that "Halloween 2" was a little weak and did not live up to expectations. I'll give him that one, though. You're allowed to stumble every now and again. This is the man that gave us "House Of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects." He gave us the excellent (screw you!) "Halloween" reboot. He's given us almost two decades of the best schlock rock 'n roll this side of Alice Cooper. I love Rob Zombie. You'll have to love Rob Zombie to love "The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto." That's not a bad or negative thing, of course. Inside jokes shared between friends are hilarious. The problem comes when you try to explain to an outside party why the joke is funny. They just don't get it. A lot of people won't get this movie. Zombie's fifth film (and his first cartoon), "The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto" had a limited theatrical run before being released to DVD and Blu-Ray just a week later. It really is quite a shame, as a film like this could have a healthy life as a long-term midnight movie. Consider it this generation's "Fritz The Cat." It's a cartoon where most of the females are always naked and most of the men are always engaging in acts of extreme violence. It tells the story of El Superbeasto, a famous luchador in the world of Monsterland. It is said that Superbeasto is a primo monster fighter, but we never really see him do anything of note except trying to score with women. The far more interesting characters in the film are Superbeasto's sister Suzi-X ("the X is for extra boners!") and Murray, her sexually frustrated robot. While 'Beasto is chasing skirts, Suzi is busy kicking undead zombie ass all over the city. The trouble starts when the evil Dr. Satan kidnaps stripped Velvet Von Black, expecting her to be the chosen vessel for the sudsy powers of Hell. (Don't ask.) 'Beasto had his eyes on Black, so naturally his interest is piqued when he spies an ape carrying her out the window. What follows is a ridiculous, vulgar tale of cat-fights, excessive violence, and horror film cameos. If this review sounds a little incomplete and disjointed, it's because there really isn't a lucid way to convey the story. It's all over the place. It's manic. The cast is a literal who's who of B-movie stars. Sheri Moon Zombie, Rosario Dawson, Cassandra Peterson, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Danny Trejo, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Clint Howard, Brian Posehn, Daniel Roebuck ... the list goes on and on. The character cameos are great, as well. Look for Otis, Captain Spaulding, Jack Torrance, and Michael Myers in notable spots. The animation is very good, in a classic John "Ren And Stimpy" Kricfalusi style. I bought the film on Blu-Ray, so I can tell you that the film looks phenomenal in high definition. Everything is bright, colorful, and sharp. All in all, I give this film a mild recommendation. If you love Rob Zombie, you'll love this. If you hate Rob Zombie, move along. If you're on the fence, you'll probably want to pass. It's not for a casual audience.