The House Of 1000 Corpses Scene Horror Fans Can't Stop Rewatching

Filmmaker Rob Zombie's directorial debut, House of 1000 Corpses, was not loved by critics upon its release in 2003, but it and the arguably better sequel have become cult staples for horror lovers. The gruesome, wicked movie is beloved for its twistedness, and there's one scene in particular that still has fans holding their breath in anticipation.

House of 1000 Corpses follows a group of four teenagers that are driving around, wanting to write a book about roadside attractions. After meeting hitchhiker Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie), they find themselves in an over-the-top, totally creepy house surrounded by Baby's strange family. It isn't long before the teens are taken captive and subjected to horrors like scalping and vivisection. There's a moment of hope in the midst of the film when the sheriff's deputies come looking for them, but following that it becomes one long grisly chase scene as the last living teenager, Denise (Erin Daniels), becomes another final girl who doesn't survive her horror movie.

However, through all of House of 1000 Corpses' "sensory overload," as Reddit user u/jmanof08 calls it, the shot that really sticks with fans is a quiet one. Midway through the movie, Baby's adopted brother Otis (Bill Moseley) comes out of the house, pointing his gun at deputy Steve Naish (Walton Goggins) and casually scratching his stomach while Slim Whitman's "I Remember You" plays. Steve gets down on his knees, hands behind his head, and Otis presses the gun to his forehead. Then, the camera pulls back high above them and hangs for a long moment — almost an entire minute of silence — before Otis pulls the trigger.

Here's why fans can't get enough of this scene.

Amidst the gruesome carnage of the movie, the deputies' arrival was the single moment of hope for the teens; this scene left that hope in suspension for one long minute before resoundingly snuffing it out. Nearly 20 years after House of 1000 Corpses' theatrical release, fans have not forgotten it. Reddit user u/Gr1ml0ck brought it up in a r/horror thread about the movie. "I love the scene where Otis executes the sheriff in front of the house. That 20+ second paused crane shot is an amazing moment of film. I've seen this movie more than 30 times and this shot still gets me," they wrote.

Several users agreed, pointing out the perfect tension and its consequent release. Many recall watching it in theaters, and the effect it had on the audience. User u/poland626 wrote, "I still remember people in the theater (the few there were), all of us kinda looking at each other to see if the projector broke or something, really, it was a weird thing to see for the first time in a theater, but afterwards it was even better knowing what happens."

User u/tthKT remembers people laughing and clapping when Otis finally pulled the trigger. However, for user u/OrlyRivers, rewatching it never compares to that first time. They wrote, "Way better the first time and in the theater too. I remember that s— like it was yesterday. It was truly special."

Only a horror lover would call a man's death, "truly special," but it is a remarkably unique scene.