“I bid you welcome, oh nameless and numbered ones. Tonight, we are going to play 31. What is 31, pray tell? Ah, ha ha, well, 31 is war. And as the old saying goes, war is hell” – Malcolm McDowell, 31 (2016)
This is the only Halloween when I will be 31 years old, which was the deciding factor in choosing 31 by Rob Zombie as this year’s Halloween spotlight movie. This will not be my most detailed post. As anyone who is familiar with Rob Zombie’s work knows, it can be…objectionable to general audiences. Zombie himself called 31 his “most brutal film” to date. If you have not seen it and are intrigued, don’t say you weren’t warned.
The movie begins with a bone-chilling monologue by Doom-Head (Richard Brake), the apparent lead villain. I won’t bother describing it, because it really should be experienced first-hand.
October 31, 1976
A group of carnival workers are traveling in their shared van during throughout the day on Halloween. The group includes Rob Zombie movie alumni, including Sheri Moon Zombie as Charly (the protagonist) and Jeff Daniel Phillips as Roscoe Pepper. That night, a block in the road forces them to stop. When a few from the group approach the obstruction to move it, they see it is a lineup of scarecrow-like figures blocking the road ahead. Seconds later, the workers inside and outside the van are attacked by a pack of strangers in striped shirts and black-and-white makeup.
They take the five remaining survivors to an opulent ballroom and bind them to a gallows-like structure. The room is painted red and laden with dark velvet and candelabras. On a balcony above them, a man in head-to-toe aristocratic clothes, white makeup, and a powdered wig appears. The host, played by Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), goes by the title Father Murder. He is joined by Sister Serpent (Jane Carr) and Sister Dragon (Judy Geeson), who arrive in similar attire. They reveal the kidnapped workers will be participating in an annual game called 31 in just a few minutes. Each player has a number (1-5) and survival odds assigned by the captors.
For the next twelve hours, the prisoners must face a gauntlet of traps, pranks, weapons, and bloodthirsty clowns in a large and hazardous compound. Back in the lavish chamber, the trio running the game place bets and update each player’s odds of survival as the hours pass. When the players show they are more capable than expected, Father Murder calls in his heaviest hitter to finish the game before time runs out.
For those of us unimpressed by mainstream slasher films, Rob Zombie’s horror filmography is usually a satisfying change. 31 combines dark Halloween vibes, game-play horror, and the grittiest of slasher violence. It’s an indulgent grindhouse horror movie that is truly an experience to watch. No matter how your Halloween night goes, remember: it could be worse.
Until next time,
Jordan
By Night 