The Haunted World of El Superbeasto – Review

After being disappointed with Zombie’s latest entry in the Halloween series, it was surprising to see Rob Zombie’s perverse animated feature, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto at my doorstep. Considering the fact that the film has taken over three years to come out, I had my doubts as to how this cartoon was going to win over audiences. However, considering the impressive cast of Zombie regulars ( Sheri Moon Zombie, Geoffrey Lewis, Bill Moseley, Ken Foree) and A-list newbies, (Paul Giamatti and Rosario Dawson) it was a temptation this reviewer had to sink her teeth into.  So was this forbidden fruit worth all the hype? Read on to find out!

Synopsis:

El Superbeasto (voiced by comedian Tom Papa) is a washed up has been luchador who is now making his own porn and filming infomercials in his spare time. When the fiendish “supervillain” Dr. Satan (Paul Giamatti) kidnaps potty mouthed and hygenically- deficient stripper Velvet Von Black (Rosario Dawson) to be his unholy wife, El Superbeasto enlists the help of his sexy sister Suzi X (Sheri Moon Zombie) to rescue his latest sexual conquest before the powers of Hell are unleashed.  Animated boobies, Nazi Zombie attacks and hilarity ensues.

The Film:

Move over Trey Parker and Matt Stone! There is a new king of animated vulgarity. At the very beginning of the film in a black and white segment, the host gives a “friendly warning” to the audience that the rest of the film is not for everyone and some may find it “shocking.” The host’s words prove to be a huge understatement, as the next 77 minutes descend into an entertainingly crass and offensive animated feature that explodes into a monstrous riot full of violence, nudity, dirty sexcapades and some bad ass and extremely funny theme songs that surprisingly enough make fun of the events occurring on screen. (All performed by the talented group Hard ‘n Phirm)

Like Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse, Zombie injects references and even characters from his previous onscreen efforts which include “The Devil’s Rejects” crew, The Morris Green show, SS werewolf nazis and even Michael Myers makes an appearance in the film. (And he talks!) Although the film (co-written by Zombie and Tom Papa) probably provides the most random, bizarre and marijuana-induced scenarios and dialogue ever shown and heard in a full-length feature, (let alone an animated one) there is plenty of thought and ingenuity clearly evident in its execution.

The pop culture references also run rampant in this trashy cartoon as filmgoers will be laughing out loud when seeing references to Return to Jafar, Rainbow Brite, The Home Shopping Channel, Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill! and Carrie. However, don’t let the PG references fool you. The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is an “adults only” cartoon. Keep children far away from this one, or you will find yourself explaining what hentai porn is and what all the different sayings for a vagina if you do.

Furthermore, the voice talent in this film is phenomenal! All of Zombie’s regulars do a superb job with their characters. (My favorites include Geoffrey Lewis as the elevator bellhop and Brian Posehn as Murray the horny robot) Despite the fact that Sheri Moon Zombie does re-visit her “Baby” voice from House of 1000 Corpses, it is surprisingly enough far more tolerable to hear in an animated feature. Although, the most outrageous performance comes from Rosario Dawson as Velvet Von Black.  Annoying as she came off at times, her character definitely had the best lines in the film. (I’m still chuckling over the “g-string wedgie” part.)

On the downside, the film doesn’t really resolve anything at the end. But considering this film has a threesome involving Medusa, a werewolf and a luchador, it was to be expected that this movie was going to be throw “linear logic” out the window.

The DVD:

Sadly filmgoers, the DVD features are very lacking with this one. All one can expect from this DVD are deleted and alternate scenes that aren’t very memorable. Also, the film comes with trailers for Anchor Bay releases Grace, Not Forgotten and Dead Space: Downfall. I suspect a special edition of this film will be released right around Christmas time. (I learned my lesson after buying 2005’s bare bones copy of Sin City.)

FINAL VERDICT:

Picture Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s Toontown with Tourette’s syndrome and crack and you have got yourself into The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. It is a wildly entertaining and incredibly filthy film that outbeats Heavy Metal as the best adult cartoon feature. El Superbeasto is a dish best served with a hash oil bong hit, good friends and repeat viewings. Guaranteed word of mouth will make this a trashy cult classic!

The Flick: Rating:

The DVD: Rating:

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Tags: Animated boobies, Bill Moseley, Carrie, Dead Space: Downfall, Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill!, g-string wedgie, Geoffrey Lewis, Grace, Halloween, Hard ‘n Phirm, heri Moon Zombie, House of 1000 Corpses, Ken Foree, Not Forgotten, paul giamatti, Rainbow Brite, Return to Jafar, rob zombie, Rosario Dawson, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, The Home Shopping Channel, Tom Papa, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?