FILM · 2005 · GERMANY
The Devil's Rejects
28 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
28 Interesting Facts About The Devil's Rejects
Interesting Facts (23)
- #001
Karen Black asked for a higher salary to reprise the role of Mother Firefly. Director Rob Zombie could not afford to raise her pay and decided to bring in veteran actress Leslie Easterbrook in her place.
- #002
The film contains nearly 100 digital effect shots, mostly to create blood. Scenes in which objects make direct contact with skin — such as a throat being cut, people being shot in the head or neck, or stabbings — were created digitally. Violence without direct skin contact, such as people being shot in areas covered by clothing, was done practically. Rob Zombie initially intended to create all the special effects using only techniques available in the 1970s, but time constraints prevented this.
- #003
In an interview, Rob Zombie stated that up to 31 (2016), The Devil's Rejects was probably his hardest film to cut in order to get an R rating.
- #004
Rosario Dawson originally had a small role as a nurse in a scene featuring Dr. Satan. The scene was cut from the theatrical release because Rob Zombie felt Dr. Satan's costume looked too flashy for a more serious film than House of 1000 Corpses. The character was killed 40 seconds after appearing.
- #005
Bill Moseley shaved his head for the film so that his lace-front wig would fit properly.
- #006
Bill Moseley loved playing Otis. Moseley actually continued behaving like Otis toward his family; he went days without showering.
- #007
The film had to be cut seven times to receive an R rating from the MPAA. According to Rob Zombie, the censors had a problem with the film's overall tone, particularly the motel scene between Priscilla Barnes and Bill Moseley. That scene had to be cut by two minutes for its theatrical release; the removed footage was restored in the DVD version.
- #008
Rob Zombie told William Forsythe to base Sheriff Wydell on a combination of the actors Lee Marvin and Robert Shaw.
- #009
The blue van's license plate reads AKU, which means "evil" in Japanese.
- #010
All the scenes were shot one after another, and Spaulding's house was not altered in any way. They found it as it was and simply added household items, as if it had been lived in.
- #011
The name "Charlie Altamont" was inspired by the Rolling Stones documentary Gimme Shelter (1970), in which a Hells Angels gang member hired for security stabbed a young man to death at the Altamont Speedway in northern California. In this film, Charlie "gives shelter" to the Firefly family.
- #012
Scenes such as the dream Otis has at the end of the film about himself, Captain Spaulding and Baby were actually clips of intimate footage of the three actors shot on the last day of filming. After finishing the last day, Rob Zombie filmed Sherri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley and Sid Haig as they had a little fun after wrapping and said their "good byes" to the camera.
- #013
The Sable Farm, where the Firefly family lived, was destroyed in a forest fire on July 23, 2016.
- #014
The news anchor was named Derek Sanderson, inspired by the NHL player of the same name who played for the Boston Bruins in the '70s. Director Rob Zombie has spoken in many interviews about his attachment to the Bruins as a kid growing up in Massachusetts.
- #015
Sheri Moon Zombie does not see this film as a sequel: "It's more that some of the characters from House of 1000 Corpses (2003) showed up and now they're The Devil's Rejects."
- #016
The film was shot over 30 days in the hot California sun.
- #017
The woman whose car is stolen by Captain Spaulding is played by P. J. Soles. The soles of her feet appeared in the original Halloween (1978); Rob Zombie directed the 2007 remake (Halloween (2007)).
- #018
(At around the 55th minute) In one scene, Bela Lugosi is seen pulling a lever on television. It is a scene from Edward D. Wood Jr.'s Bride of the Monster (1955).
- #019
Magician/illusionist Criss Angel performed his "Buried Alive" stunt in front of the Firefly farmhouse, with director Rob Zombie among the spectators.
- #020
The names "Firefly," "Captain Spaulding" and "Otis B. Driftwood" are all names of Groucho Marx characters from various Marx Brothers films.
- #021
Candy was originally planned to be played by Natasha Lyonne, but Elizabeth Daily took her place.
- #022
Captain Spaulding's truck was a 1971 Ford F-250 Camper Special, until he stole a 1964 Ford Country Squire.
- #023
Marty Walker says Elvis died three days before Groucho Marx. This is true. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, and Groucho Marx died on August 19, 1977.
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #024
Sheri Moon Zombie was emotionally drained while filming a scene that required her to cry alongside William Forsythe. She was so affected by the scene, which took two to three hours to shoot, that she did not come to work for two days afterward.
Characters & Cast (3)
- #025
Chris Jericho auditioned for the role of Rondo but was told he was "too pretty" for it. Danny Trejo was cast instead.
- #026
Lew Temple said he was "scared to death" of the possibility of working with Rob Zombie when he was preparing for his audition. He had never met Zombie and knew him only through his music, which he said he did not listen to. After meeting with the casting director, Temple called his friend Walton Goggins, who had made House of 1000 Corpses (2003), and said: "I'm just a good Christian boy from the South, so I don't know if I can go work for this devil worshipper." Goggins told him to shut up and said, "Do yourself a favor, go make a good movie and have a friend for life." Temple did so and enjoyed every minute of it. He also became close friends with Zombie, just as Goggins had said.
- #027
Rob Zombie said he had trouble casting the actress to play Wendy, because he could not find anyone willing to remain fully nude for long stretches in the shower and hotel scenes. He said a few people were willing to strip completely naked, but none of them could go through with it. He also wanted someone who looked natural, vulnerable and real, because he did not want the scene to be "sexy." Then Kate Norby came in to audition, and Zombie felt she was perfect.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #028
The footage at the beginning of the film recalls the final stand of the Australian bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang at Glenrowan. The armor and the presentation of the scene closely resemble other film depictions of Ned Kelly's tragic last defense.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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