Rob Zombie has made a name for himself as a purveyor of controversial music and films. But it seems the musician-turned-director still appreciates some wholesome fun.
When Zombie sat down with Rotten Tomatoes to discuss his five favorite films, the House of 1,000 Corpses director included a relatively tame Mel Brooks comedy in his picks. I’m talking about Young Frankenstein.
“The next movie would probably be Young Frankenstein,” Zombie told Rotten Tomatoes. “I remember going to see that as a kid. Because I loved all the Universal horror films, but I had only seen them on TV, like on Creature Double Feature on Friday afternoons. By that point, I loved Gene Wilder, because I made the connection like, “Oh, that guy was in Willy Wonka. Now he’s in Young Frankenstein.” So that movie blew me away. And even to this day, I watch it all the time. It’s such an incredible movie because it’s really, really funny, with such incredible performances, but it’s so beautifully made. Nobody would spend the time now to make a comedy that well. Visually and technically, it’s so incredible. It doesn’t date; it holds up. Peter Boyle’s perfect, and Madeline Kahn and Gene Wilder, and everybody. It’s just an incredible movie. It really captured the feel of those Universal films, like Bride of Frankenstein, yet it is really funny. It’s something that almost never works. You know, kind of look at the Munsters on TV, and the Addams family, where you could get into it and they have the art direction there and everyone’s funny, but it almost never works. It’s almost always a disaster, and that film is just so perfect. I think the fact that people were brave enough back then to release black-and-white movies.”
Given the director’s fondness for the intersection of the wholesome and the macabre (by way of properties like The Munsters), it makes sense that he’s a fan of Young Frankenstein. But I’m still surprised to see the flick secured a spot in his top five.
The setup is as follows: Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather’s estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon begins to recreate his grandfather’s experiments with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr), and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). After he creates his own monster (Peter Boyle), new complications ensue with the arrival of the doctor’s fiancée, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn).
That’s all we’ve got for the time being. Stay tuned to the site for more recommendations as we uncover them.
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