Rob Zombie: The Zombie Horror Picture Show DVD review

There’s no doubt Rob Zombie is one of the better horror directors of our time. His movies are always edgy, twisted, dark and include just the perfect touch of reality. With cult classics House of 1000 Corpses and its sequel The Devil’s Rejects, the animated The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, reboots of Halloween and Halloween 2 and 2012’s The Lords of Salem, Zombie has spent so much time behind the camera that it’s a wonder why he hasn’t put out a live concert DVD…until now. With The Zombie Horror Picture Show, Zombie and his crew of accomplished horror metal rockers- drummer Ginger Fish, bassist Piggy D and multi-talented guitarist John 5 (who joined the band after spending time with Marilyn Manson- much like Ginger Fish), bring us the concert experience of a lifetime. So why, after so many years, multiple Mayhem Festivals and Ozzfests, five albums and an ever-growing fanbase, is the band just now releasing their first concert DVD? At the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, Zombie and his band mentioned their live show has never been as good as it is right now so it’s the perfect time. After watching The Zombie Horror Picture Show, anyone who’s seen the iconic metal band live will agree that what they say is in fact true. The DVD is packaged and presented just like a classic horror movie, which should come as no surprise, as the entire Zombie concert experience is loaded with horror movie-esque features and aspects. The Zombie Horror Picture Show starts with an eerie acoustic number as we watch the band walk from the dressing room to the stage while the opening credits role and as we go to a shot of the rabid fans of Mayhem Festival (the film was shot at two of the 2013 Texas dates), the band takes the stage and shoots right into “Teenage Nosferatu Pussy” from their latest record, 2012’s Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor before rolling through the classic “Superbeast.” With creative and impressive camera angles, much like Zombie’s feature films, the “Rob Zombie movie touch” is all over The Zombie Horror Picture Show and Zombie takes you straight into what a Zombie concert is truly like- or as close to it as possible without you actually being there. If you’re unable to make it to one Zombie’s shows or have just never been to one, this is the way to watch the show since the band throws every major song at you and some new ones as well- “Living Dead Girl,” “Superbeast,” “Never Gonna Stop,” “More Human Than Human,” “Thunderkiss 65,” “Dragula,” “House of 1000 Corpses,” “The Devil’s Rejects” and others are among the Zombie classics while “Ging Gang Gong Da Do Gong De Laga Raga,” “Dead City Radio and The New Gods of Supertown” and “We’re An American Band” are among the new Zombie tricks that we’re shown on the film. Complete with dancing robots and demons as well as all the Zombie props and antics you could expect and have come to love packed into the show, The Zombie Horror Picture Show is exactly what every Rob Zombie concert is- a spectacle, an experience and a horror-themed metal extravaganza that’s fun for the entire family- grandma included. Rating: 10/10 -Reggie Edwards