8 Great Acting Performances That Outshone The Horror Movie

Rob Zombie is the type of do-or-die horror auteur that knows what he wants to create and explicitly goes for it, no-holds-barred. His films as a whole are brash, brutal, and packed to the core with unapologetic themes.

For this alone, you’ve got to commend him for his honest filmmaking. However, are his movies entertaining mega-hits that you’d purposefully sit down to enjoy with a smile on your face? Absolutely not.

That goes especially for 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects - the haunting sequel to House of 1000 Corpses that continues the story by following psychopaths Cutter, Otis, and Baby as they spree from Texas authorities. It’s undoubtedly Zombie’s most cut-throat work - in more ways than one - but generally, it’s considered another of his cheap scares.

Saying that, The Devil’s Rejects does have some great creative attributes - mostly in the form of its performances lead by Zombie’s wife Sheri Moon, the late Sid Haig, and the great horror movie icon Bill Mosley. The motel room scene stands out as a particular highlight - its gritty violence is spine-chillingly realistic, and a lot of its captivation has Mosley to thank.

Following on from his other critically acclaimed performances like the sadistically comical ‘Chop Top’ in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Mosley is also perfect in the role of feral maniac Otis. In typical Rob Zombie-style, the role at hand includes a lot of barbaric acts, nasty violence, and disgusting language, but Mosley and his scene-stars carry out praise-worthy portrayals to say the least.

So despite its relentless savagery undercutting any flittering attempts of Zombie’s artistry, The Devil’s Rejects has since conjured up a special cult following with genre fans, and Bill Mosley is a reason why you might notice some excellence hiding in such a controversial exploitation movie.