The 10 Worst Movies of 2016

Still from Fathom Events

3. 31

I enjoy the directorial work of Rob Zombie. His nostalgic love for the world of 70’s exploitation and horror appeals to me, for the most part. (The Devil’s Rejects remains a favorite for me.) There’s absolutely nothing that could pass for appeal or even mild interest with his latest offering, 31. A group of carnival workers find themselves kidnapped and tracked playing a sick game called 31 for a group of wealthy people.

31 is a combination of The Most Dangerous Game meets The Purge, and it’s about as terrible as it sounds. The characters aren’t defined at all, leaving the audience confused from the first minute. It’s hard to root for someone to survive when we’re never given their names. All the “personality” is found in Zombie’s love for candid video camera sequences that look like everyone’s dancing around with an Instagram filter. The carnage is heavy, but it’s akin to playing a video game. If Zombie is commenting about how the rich are wealthy enough to pull off an elaborate game like this, complete with Marie Antoinette-esque costumes, no less, he’s beating a dead horse. The last Purge movie was infinitely better than this, and both espouse the same message!

Next: King Cobra