40+ Things Learned From Rob Zombie’s Audio Commentary on ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ 4K SteelBook

After debuting his feature film debut, House of 1000 Corpses in 2003, Rob Zombie delivered his follow-up, featuring the continuing adventures of the Firefly family, in 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Lionsgate has released a 4K SteelBook of the film, decked out with brand new and legacy special features.

These include the full version of all of the fake commercials seen in the film, a blooper reel, thirteen minutes of make-up tests, an extensive (albeit unfocused and subtitle-less) 2.5 hour legacy documentary called “30 Days in Hell”, and 13 minutes of deleted scenes.

These include a substantial scene where Dr. Satan kills a nurse played by Rosario Dawson and a series of scenes involving Otis (Bill Moseley) and sex worker Candy (E.G. Daily) drunkenly fooling around, which are <shocking no one> incredibly profane, but amusing.

There’s also a brand new audio commentary from Zombie, which contains no shortage of interesting bits about the production of the film. Here are the best insights:

1. Zombie forgot to clear the opening music until the picture was locked.
2. “It was hard to cast a naked girl who was willing to be dragged for hours over gravel” he says of the opening moments of the film (FYI: it’s a stuntwoman)
3. The sequence in the woods involving the aforementioned woman and Tiny (Matthew McGrory) were shot by a cameraman hanging from a tree because they couldn’t get a crane in place.
4. Of the cows prominently featured around the Firefly house during the police siege: “I was big on the cows…I think cows are solid production value”
5. Zombie’s rationale for having Odell wear underwear during the shoot-out sequence: “I really didn’t feel like dealing with a nude Bill Moseley all day long”
6. The shoot-out was filmed in a single day, which proved to be a challenge because Zombie was trying to avoid using the same camera angle more than once (this action set piece is his attempt to channel a Waco/newsreel vibe).
7. The suit wore by Rufus (Tyler Mane) in the sequence was made of metal and was apparently “incredibly heavy,” so it’s a good thing the former wrestler is so big.
8. “The movie’s exciting, but it’s also depressing. There’s a depressing air that plays over the whole thing” Zombie admits over the opening credits.

9. Moseley missed the protective padding when he stabbed Mary Woronov‘s Abbie in the back, so her pained reaction may be authentic. A full version of the murder and car jacking was filmed, but Zombie deemed it too gratuitous and found it worked better cut up and integrated into the credits.
10. Ginger Lynn Allen showed up to set with her leg in a cast and could barely move, though you can’t tell in Fanny’s sex scene with Spaulding. Composer Tyler Bates recreated semi-authentic porn music after they discovered it worked well in the temp cut.
11. Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig)’s house is a real location that they didn’t dress. The crew just added the clown painting and shot as is.
12. The Billboard that Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) walks by after calling Spaulding (with the words “on the run again?”) literally only exists to hide the motel set behind it. In fact, the sets were so close together that they were often visible in the background or on the edges of the frame, so Zombie and cinematographer Phil Parmet were forced to shoot strategically.
13. The TV commercial with Captain Spaulding and the monkey (included in the extras in full) was shot on the first day, along with the mugshots of the Firefly family.
14. E.G. Daily took over the role of Candy on the day before shooting because the original actress dropped out.

15. Zombie justifies the Star Wars references because the film is set in 1978. 
16. The four actors playing members of the fictional band Banjo and Sullivan (Geoffrey Lewis‘ Roy Sullivan, Priscilla Barnes as Roy’s wife Gloria, Lew Temple‘s Adam Banjo, and Kate Norby as Wendy) did an estimated 100 hours of improv before they shot. Zombie gives the actors credit for putting so much work into their characters since none of them survive in the film for very long. 
17. Roy’s flirty conversation with Baby is filled with ad-libs, including each time he asks her to repeat something. Zombie praises cinematographer Pharmet for using close-ups to increase the intimacy as Roy gets sucked into her bullshit.
18. “It was very intense…it just got weird” Zombie admits of the motel scene. Because it was such a small set and the actors got so into character and then had to stay in the moment: “People were crying…it got pretty oppressive.” Zombie finds that this sequence is a turning point for audiences, explaining that “everyone stops laughing because it’s horrible and there’s nothing funny about it.” 

19. P.J. Soles worked one day on the film as the mother whose car is stolen by Spaulding. 
20. The deleted scene of Doctor Satan murdering Rosario Dawson would have occurred before the Mother Firefly (Leslie Easterbrook) interrogation at the police station, which is why Officer Ray Dobson (Dave Sheridan) is wearing a T-shirt covered in blood.
21. Originally Mother Firefly was going to have a “black eye” gag as a result of Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe) punching her, but Zombie ultimately changed his mind.
    • Also: watch her handcuffs in this scene because half of the time they’re on and half of the time they’re off.
22. The production found acres and acres of abandoned chicken coops, including petrified chickens that, if touched, “would evaporate into dust”, behind Spaulding’s house. They were so authentic that production designer Anthony Tremblay didn’t need to do anything to them. 
23. Most of the outdoor scenes were done on extremely hot and windy days, which proved gruelling for the cast and crew, but helped with the authenticity. “It sucked up a lot of the sound” Zombie says of the wind.

24. “Real fights are exciting. They’re sloppy” Zombie explains of not wanting the Otis/Roy/Adam fight scene to look too choreographed. Zombie is particularly appreciative of the sound design of Temple’s gurgling as he dies.
25. The script was constantly being re-written, but principally in order to accommodate the performances Zombie was getting from his cast. “As you get in and start working with people, you have to find ways to go with it.”
26. The exterior of the Kahiki Palms motel is real (it has apparently been used for many other films), but the interior of the room was a small set constructed by Tremblay. A lot of credit is given to the production designer because they had “no money”, but Tremblay just “whipped them up.”
27. Much of the film’s gore and violence is practical, but Zombie confirms over the course of the commentary that the following moments or scenes are CGI (courtesy of special effects supervisor Robert Kurtzman):
    • when Gloria pulls the knife out of her chest
    • when Wendy is hit by the truck in the road
    • when Wydell stabs Mother Firefly
    • when Wydell nails Otis’ hand
    • the fire is half CGI, half real flames (Zombie admits it was “insane” to be in the room with the real fire)
    • when Wydell shoots Baby in the leg, and;
    • nearly the entire final shoot-out in the car with the cops in the closing moments (every instance of blood, exploding glass, holes, etc was done in post).

28. Of ensuring the sets look realistic: “If there’s not enough detail, it starts to look a bit like a porno.” Credit set decorators Lisa Tong and Ron Karkoska for striking the right balance.
29. Moseley’s “Banjo and Sullivan is cancelled” quip is apparently a fan favourite. 
30. Danny Trejo and Diamond Dallas Page‘s the Unholy Two “look like they would hang out together” Zombie admits, adding that the film is filled with actors with “great faces.”
31. The brief car ride sequence with the three remaining Firefly members is Zombie’s attempt to get audiences to forget how awful they are. The purpose of their disagreement and the ice cream is to “trick the audience” into temporarily siding with Otis, Spaulding and Baby.
32. Tom Towles was only on set for two hours to reprise his role as House of 1000 Corpses‘ George Wydell.
33. Zombie wryly comments about how drawn out Wydell’s murder of Mother Firefly is: “Nobody wants to die.” Apparently the two actors just kept going.

34. Ken Foree is “big, loud, and perfect” – which is exactly how Zombie imagined he would be, despite never having met the iconic Dawn of the Dead actor before the shoot. 
35. Zombie likes films with tangents and side plots, hence the “Chicken Fucking” bit.
36. All of the scenes at the brothel were longer/their own scenes, but Zombie felt they worked better as a montage.
    • Fun fact: Otis getting tossed out the window was only shot once. Apparently the stuntman wore no protection and “just went for it”
37. Wydell using a cattle prod to beat Spaulding with was a last minute choice. Zombie also notes that by rooting against Wydell in the last act, the audience is now “totally on the wrong side” in term of their allegiances. 
38. Foree’s first night on set was shooting Charlie’s death. The actor was apparently pissed because he hoped to talk Zombie out of killing his character off.
39. Ken accidentally slammed the car door on Sheri Moon’s leg and she had a massive bruise as a result.
40. The scene of Wydell beating Baby was “miserable” for Sheri Moon (and her stunt double) because it was incredibly cold. The crew were wearing snow suits and sitting in front of space heaters while the two women were wearing paper thin dresses.
41. The camera shift when the Firefly house explodes happens because the cameraman was startled.

42. Zombie didn’t think the end of the film looked “big enough” so they squeezed in the aerial shots on an extra 30th day of shooting. “Freebird” was always planned because “it’s the classic American song…it’s become a cliché but [the song] hasn’t been used in many movies.” He also compares the Firefly trio to Bonnie and Clyde, describing them as American Western outlaws.

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The Devil’s Rejects 4K SteelBook is now available from Lionsgate

• Movie: 3.5/5
• Disc: 4/5