1. House of 1,000 Corpses & Devil's Rejects - The Fireflys top my list as the most fawked cinematic family in recent history. Captian Spaulding is a clown, which tips you off to the creepiness immediately. A clown who spawns children with a hooker kicks off a fantastic family line as evidenced by Captian Spaulding and Mama Fireflys children...Baby, the murderous psycho, Tiny, the gentle giant, and their adopted boy, Otis Driftwood, who resembles the Riff Raff from Rocky Horror Picture show and is almost as much of a psycho as his little sister, Baby. I think Devil's Rejects far surpassed House of 1,000 Corpses in its humor and depravity, but the two films were made with a totally different tone by the same filmmaker, Rob Zombie. I thought that was interesting. There was more of a playful atmosphere in the first film, and the second, a more grim one.
2. Psycho - The Bates Family is a prime case study of mental health issues brought on by an extremely creepy-close relationship with your mom. The recent series on A&E, Bates Motel brings a modern spin on Norman and Norma Bates that we can understand in our modern era. The more creepy part about the Psycho films is our limited understanding of that relationship and what caused Norman's problems and turned him into such a "psycho". The TV show implies a combination of a screwed up family life and some type of neurological disorder, a sign of the times, I guess, since that's how serial killers and psychopaths are classified, but I don't see Norman as an actual "psychopath". He seems to have delusions brought on by his neurological problems.
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Essentially, Leather Face's family, the Sawyers, is pretty similar to the Fireflys as it's assumed that House of 1,000 Corpses was partially based on the ideas put forth into the horror genre by Tobe Hooper in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However, Leather Face replaces Otis Driftwood and in the grand tradition of Ed Gein, wears human skin.
Dr. Satan was the original victims' destination, but in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the teenagers who were taking a trip into the deep country were seeking their family farmhouse, because their grandparents' graves were desecrated. They do dine on some human BBQ at a roadside gas station similar to when the youngins visit Captian Spaulding's for fried chicken and to get directions to the site of Dr. Satan, where, of course, his family lives.
Drayton, at the head of the Sawyer family, is an insane cannibal who kills what he cooks. Nubbins is much the same, but he's also a grave-robber. Grandpa Sawyer is a former butcher who began the "family recipe" so to speak. Chop Top has the same weird birth mark as his twin brother Nubbins on the opposite side of his face.
Oddly enough, he is portrayed by Bill Moseley in the second installment of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the same actor who portrays Otis Driftwood in the House of 1,000 Corpses series. Chop Top has a nasty habit of scratching around his metal plate with a heated clothes hanger. He then consumes the dead skin that results.
Tex (Eddie) is a Norman Bates-like character that helps the Sawyers attract their "dinner", because he's the normal looking one until he breaks into a psychotic episode. His character can is comparable to "Baby" in House of 1,000 Corpses.
Alfredo is a pervert with a speech impediment who drives an old pick-up truck. He's a necrophiliac.
Anne is the family's bitter old mom who uses an electric voice box and uses a wheel chair. Babi is very likely Leatherface's daughter who was conceived as a result of a sexual assault. She might also be his sister. She totes a dead baby around with her, Sally, as her doll baby. Vilmer is a psychopath and a sadist and a serial killer.
You can watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 below!
