If there's one thing modern cinema is criticised for, it's that it's made by executives and corporations rather than by fans of the genre itself. However, that cannot be said for the delightfully-titled 'House of 1000 Corpses.' It's made by the (equally delightfully-named) Rob Zombie, who, despite being better known at the time as a musician, is definitely a fan of the horror genre.

But, without even going into who made it, perhaps it's the title that should give you all the information you need to know as to whether or not you'll like this film. If you're expecting anything deep and meaningful then you're going to turn it off within minutes. What you have is a pretty standard 'slasher' flick (okay, so it probably bears more in common with 'Texas Chainsaw' types films than 'Scream,' but there are definitely 'slasher' elements thrown in there),but presented with a sense of art. Or, if you're feeling a little harsher, you could replace the word 'art' with 'bits-thrown-in-that-look-like- they're-taken-right-out-of-an-MTV-music-video.' Rob Zombie tries to do something different with the way the film is shot. It's got a lot of cutaway films and stylishly-filmed segments which break up the narrative. Some may find those interesting and different, others may find that they distract from the narrative – it's really a question of taste, but you can see his music video influence shining through.

But, you probably don't watch a film called 'House of 1000 Corpses' for its artistic integrity – you want the gore. And it doesn't disappoint on that one. It's packed full of disgusting characters and imagery – from grotesque mutants to gorgeous babes (who are equally grotesque when it comes to their tendency to murder people at the drop of a hat – Sheri Moon Zombie, I'm looking at you!).

Overall, 'House of 1000 Corpses' isn't an original story, but it's done differently enough and with the required levels of gore that will satisfy anyone who wants to watch a film entitled so. It does feel a little 'raw' here and there. Sometimes I felt that was almost intentional, other times I wondered whether Rob Zombie was letting his visions get a little too convoluted. However, he definitely proves that he can do more than sing (assuming you agree with that in the first place!) and, seeing as he's a fan of the genre, hopefully this will be a good stepping stone to launch what might be a promising horror career.

Rob Zombie is clearly a director with his heart in the right place. He's a massive fan of the kind of raw horror films that came out of the 1970s, the films that played in 'grindhouse' cinemas across the world and contained all manner of degradation and gruesome depravity. HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES is a direct homage, or pastiche, of those particular movies, and a lot of scenes are shot in the same style as a low budget backwoods horror of the '70s. There's fun to be had with crackly film stock and movie references and it's clear that Tarantino and Rodriguez liked the look of this as they went out and made GRINDHOUSE which was pretty much the same idea. The blood flows freely and it's one of the stronger horror films made in recent years.

The problem is that HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES is all style and no substance. There's a meandering storyline with lots of irrelevant subplots which make it feel like it lasts forever, even though the running time is fairly shot. Zombie's happy to take all his influences from the likes of THE Texas CHAIN SAWA MASSACRE without ever bringing anything new to the table. The cast of genre greats is a nice touch, and admittedly they all seem to be having a ball with what the film requires of them, but everything here is familiar, seen somewhere before. I love the style – the set dressing and art direction are both spot on – but there's no real 'meat' here. Take THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake, for instance, a film which reminded me of this but was far more involving and well-crafted – not just a fan-made flick.

The storyline is way too familiar – four young people meet weirdos in the backwoods and die. The first half of the film is presided over by Sid Haig as a crazy clown. I love this guy in the '70s Filipino flicks I regularly watch him in, and he's even better here – self-knowing, kinetic, lighting up the screen. But this part has little to do with the 'real' plot, that sees our protagonists getting stuck in a remote farmhouse and killed by a family of psychopaths. Some are familiar – blond wacko Bill Moseley showed up in the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD remake, as did lawman Tom Towles – while others, like Sheri Moon, Zombie's real-life wife, are newcomers (and in her case she should have stayed that way – she's awful). Karen Black pops up and is as utterly insane as she ever was and there are turns from familiar faces like Michael J. Pollard.

Sadly the four protagonists play it utterly straight and come across as dull and uninteresting – even when one escapes at the climax you don't feel anything for her. Then there are some weird segments that seem to have come out of a cheesy sci-fi flick and the inclusion of some supernatural menaces which don't really sit with the psychotic goings-on earlier in the film. I wanted to like this film, and I can appreciate the classics of the genre it seeks to emulate – but it really ain't all that. A sequel, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, followed.

Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) is a foul-mouthed clown owner of the "Museum of Monsters and Madmen" and "Fried Chicken and Gasoline". On October 30, 1977, Spaulding shoots a bunch of holdup guys. Jerry Goldsmith (Chris Hardwick),Bill Hudley (Rainn Wilson),Mary Knowles (Jennifer Jostyn),and Denise Willis (Erin Daniels) are traveling the country investigating weirdness. Spaulding shows the group his roadside show and tells them about Dr. Satan. They go in search of the hanging tree where they hanged Dr. Satan. They pick up hitchhiker Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie). Their tires get popped and they end up with Baby's family.

I like directer Rob Zombie's weird outsider style. It's over-stylized Grindhouse. I just think that writer Rob Zombie needs help pulling all the craziness together into a coherent compelling plot. He needs to figure out rooting interest, and how to create tension. This is a bit of a mess but it's a fascinating mess.