Character page for the Rob Zombie-directed film trilogy comprising House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects and 3 from Hell.
This page contains spoilers, read at your own peril.
open/close all folders
The Firefly Family
In General
A colorful clan of backwoods psychopaths active in rural Ruggsville, Texas in the '70s. They are the antagonists of House of 1000 Corpses and the Villain Protagonists of The Devil's Rejects and 3 From Hell.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The family consists of Mother Firefly, her father, her bastard children, several of the fathers of said children, and a few psychopaths the family has adopted as their own.
- The Clan: Mother Firefly is the Evil Matriarch and the one tying everyone else together. Her father Hugo and her children Rufus, Tiny, and Baby are all related to her by blood. They form the spine of the group, along with Otis B. Driftwood, the "Son of Satan" killer, who has been Happily Adopted. Also there's Dr. Satan, a local urban legend and mad scientist, who they revere as a Dark Messiah. He keeps Tiny's father, the Professor, as a cybernetic slave. Finally, there's Baby's father Captain Spaulding, a local celebrity clown who does not live with the family but occasionally participates in their crimes.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The police raid on the Firefly ranch at the beginning of The Devil's Rejects is the beginning of the end for them. Rufus is killed, Mother Firefly and Dr. Satan are captured, and Otis and Baby are forced to abandon Tiny and flee with hardly any supplies.
- Dwindling Party: It is implied that the Professor is crushed under rubble in House of 1000 Corpses. Grandpa Hugo dies in between the films. Rufus is gunned down in the police raid at the beginning of The Devil's Rejects. Dr. Satan dies in the hospital in a deleted scene. Mother Firefly is stabbed in jail by Sheriff Wydell. Tiny commits suicide by walking into a burning building. In 3 from Hell, Captain Spaulding is executed. Otis, Baby, and Foxy are the only remaining family members at the end of the trilogy.
- The Family That Slays Together: They are responsible for over 75 serial killings in the area.
- Family Theme Naming: Most of their aliases are derived from Marx Brothers movies.
- The Friends Who Never Hang: Dr. Satan and the Professor. They live under the ranch in the catacombs with Dr. Satan's experiments and never interact with the rest of the family. Captain Spaulding is also this to a lesser extent. He doesn't live at the ranch and is only ever seen on screen with Baby and Otis.
- Hillbilly Horrors: They are white trash and completely monstrous.
- Hollywood Satanism: They are avowed atheists and seem to worship Dr. Satan, performing a demonic ritual on Halloween.
- I'm a Humanitarian: They occasionally dabble in cannibalism.
- In-Series Nickname: They are dubbed “The Devil's Rejects” by the media after their crimes are discovered.
- People Jars: They keep the pickled fetuses of Mother Firefly's stillborn sons Little Wolf and Stuffy in jars in the basement.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: The Fireflies manage to make it through House of 1000 Corpses mostly unscathed. By the end of The Devil's Rejects, most of them are dead. At the beginning of 3 From Hell, Captain Spaulding dies, while Otis, Baby, and Foxy apparently made it out alive at the end.
- Two Girls to a Team: Mother and Baby.
Captain Spaulding
Johnny Lee "Cutter" Johns AKA "Captain Spaulding"
"Goddamn motherfucker got blood all over my best clown suit!"
Portrayed by: Sid Haig
- Action Dad: Springs into action to protect his daughter Baby when she's on the lam.
- Badass Boast: “You're gonna start the killin', you best start it right here. Make sure I'm all the way dead, 'cause I'll come back and make you my bitch.”
- Berserk Button: If he finds out you hate clowns, you'd better have a damn good reason why.
- Chubby Chaser: "The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'." We see his lover in The Devil's Rejects, proving that he practices what he preaches.
- Creepy Gas-Station Attendant: He sells fried chicken and gasoline.
- Deadpan Snarker: Which is especially funny, considering the fact that clowns are typically known for their exaggerated delivery.
- Demoted to Extra: He has a briefer role in 3 From Hell because of Sid Haig's health problems during filming.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Executed by lethal injection offscreen in 3 From Hell.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He'll think nothing of murder or punching out a mom in front of her kid and going on to threaten to kill said kid's family, but he appears to be disturbed by Otis and Baby forcing Wendy to wear her dead husband's face while she's unconscious. In general, he doesn't like Otis all that much and many of their interactions consist of Teeth-Clenched Teamwork.
- Evil Old Folks: He's still violent and lustful, despite the fact that he's getting on in years.
- Happily Adopted: He was adopted by the African American Altamont family and is still on good terms with his adoptive brother Charlie.
- In-Series Nickname: "Cutter."
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A villainous example. He shares a Vitriolic Best Buds relationship with his half-brother, Charlie, and cares about Baby, arguing with Otis to let her have some ice cream. At the end, when he and the family are being tortured by Wydell, he takes credit for one of Baby's murders, telling her to "shut the fuck up" when she confesses, knowing that he'll have to endure the pain that she would.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: He lives through the first movie and survives the shootout at the end of the second, but is executed by lethal injection in the third. And given that he had a death toll of 38 victims, alongside those that his family members killed, it was well-earned.
- Kitschy Local Commercial: Some appear in The Devil's Rejects, more appear in the DVD extras.
- Laughably Evil: He provides the greatest source of humor throughout both movies, and it's often when he's doing something mean, like killing or threatening someone.
- Monster Clown: In House of 1000 Corpses. He takes off the makeup halfway through The Devil's Rejects.
- Museum of the Strange and Unusual: Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen.
- Papa Wolf: He is violently protective of Baby.
- Pet the Dog: His interactions with his daughter.
- Pragmatic Villainy: While more than willing to subject people to horrible deaths, he seems to prefer quick kills rather than risk victims being able to escape and gets rather annoyed when Baby wants to risk Mary getting away by foot.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: "...Most of all, fuck you!"
- Scary Teeth: “More frightening than his clown make-up” according to Roger Ebert.
- Serial Killer: While originally only credited with a single murder prior to the events of the series, he's revealed in 3 From Hell to have killed 38 victims.
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: "Captain Spaulding" is the name of Groucho Marx's character in Animal Crackers.
- Sibling Team/Siblings in Crime: Was this with his adoptive brother Charlie when they were young.
- Sixth Ranger: In House of 1000 Corpses, his affiliation with the Fireflies is not made apparent until he and Otis team up to capture Denise Willis at the end. He is not present at the Firefly ranch during the police raid in The Devil's Rejects and only gets involved halfway through the movie to help his daughter.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Executed by lethal injection early on in 3 From Hell.
- Suicide by Cop: Alongside Baby and Otis at the end of The Devil's Rejects.
- Token Good Teammate: While still a very, very bad man, he's noticeably less evil than Otis or Baby, using violence purely to achieve his goals rather than out of sheer sadism.
- Two First Names: Three, actually. Johnny Lee Johns.
- Vigilante Man: Takes the law into his own hands when his business is robbed by two gunmen.
- Would Hit a Girl: Twice in the same day, no less! First he punches a mother and steals her car, then he headbutts a woman, knocking her out cold.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Not physically, at least. The worst thing he does to Jamie is threaten to kill his family, then lets him go. Granted, that would probably leave some mental scars on the boy.
Otis B. Driftwood
Otis B. Driftwood
"I am the devil, and I am here to do the devil's work."
Portrayed by: Bill Moseley
- Abusive Parents: His birth parents, who didn't even bother to give him a name. He killed them both.
- Ax-Crazy: Even by the family's standards! He takes a little too much enjoyment in torture, rape, and murder. Ten years in prison seems to have mellowed him out somewhat, or at least made him more calculating.
- Barbarian Longhair: He's got long hair and is a violent Serial Killer.
- Beard of Evil: It was more of a "stubble of evil" in the first movie, but by the sequel, he's grown a full, thick beard and mustache that compliments his murderous nature.
- Danger Takes a Backseat: He hides in the back of Spaulding's convertible to capture Denise.
- Dead Person Impersonation: He torments Denise by wearing the face of her father, and later does the same to Wendy Banjo with her husband's face.
- Devil Complex: When Otis B. Driftwood marks himself as the Devil doing his work to Roy as a mockery of Christian beliefs before he brutally murders him.Otis: I am the devil. And I am here to do the devil's work.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For all his absolute deplorability, he does care about Baby in his own warped way.
- Flaying Alive: What he does to most of his victims.
- Happily Adopted: By the Firefly family as an adult.
- Hidden Depths:
- He's a lot smarter than he looks, and his conversations with his captives frequently take a philosophical bent.
- He also seems to genuinely care about his family, despite every other word out of his mouth being coated in vitriol.
- Hidden Supplies: He has some guns buried at an abandoned chicken farm.
- Hollywood Satanism: Possibly. Before meeting the Firefly family, he was a serial killer known as the Son of Satan, and may have been the one who painted the satanic imagery in blood in the motel bathroom. It remains unclear what his exact beliefs are, if he has any.
- I Love the Dead: The first shot of The Devil's Rejects is him in bed with a dead cheerleader.
- Impaled Palm: Sheriff Wydell stabs him through both hands.
- It's All About Me: A good chunk of his character arc is that he wants to be the leader of the Firefly family, and regularly fights with Spaulding over it, with some of his hostility extending to Baby.
- Jerkass: Putting it mildly.
- Karma Houdini: As of 3 From Hell, he survived the shootout that seemed to result in his and his remaining family members' apparent deaths, and gets away with Baby and Foxy after killing Aquarius.
- Kick the Dog: Dishes this out frequently. One scene that comes to mind is when he forces Wendy to wear her dead husband's face.
- Lack of Empathy: The wellbeing of his victims is, if nothing else, an afterthought to him. Though he does seem to care about his family, he hides it underneath layers of hostility and resentment for not being top dog.
- Large Ham: Mainly in House of 1000 Corpses, though he is toned down in the sequels. Not to say he doesn't still have his moments.
- Let Them Die Happy: His final words to Tiny.Otis: We'll come back for you.
- Mad Artist: He shows signs of this, particularly with what he does to Bill.Otis: You want to see Bill? BEHOLD! FISHBOY!
- Madness Mantra: Run, rabbit, run. Run, rabbit run! RUN RABBIT RUN! RUN RABBIT RUN! RUN RABBIT!
- Never Given a Name: His parents never bothered to give him a name, so he took one from a movie.
- Nightmare Face: "It's all true. The boogeyman is real... And you found him."
- Only Sane by Comparison: As of 3 From Hell. He remains a monster with very little in the way of redeeming qualities, but he constantly has to make sure that the now-insane and barely lucid Baby doesn't go senselessly killing people without provocation, and has to remind Foxy how delusional and unjustifiably egotistical he is.
- Perma-Stubble: In House of 1000 Corpses. By The Devil's Rejects, it has become a full blown Beard of Evil.
- Pet the Dog: Shockingly enough, he has his moments. Granted, they're all villain-to-villain examples, but it still speaks volumes given how he's easily the worst of his adopted family and doesn't care much about anyone but himself.
- Asking Tiny if he's sure about his decision to go back inside the burning farmhouse to his demise. He sounds legitimately concerned.
- He hands over his shotgun to Captain Spaulding just before the shootout with the police. In doing so, he is symbolically relinquishing his efforts to take over his role as the family patriarch.
- Takes a few moments to talk with Baby and mourn the loss of their dead family members.
- While Aquarius is interrogating Baby, he tries to claim credit for one of her murders so that Aquarius can torture him instead of her.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Uses a gay slur when Roy denies being aroused by Baby's dancing.
- Properly Paranoid: While "paranoid" might not be the right term, he's not wrong to distrust Charlie, who ends up selling the family out to Wydell, though he was forced to.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He has raped many of the family's victims, both before and after death. He does this onscreen to Gloria Sullivan in The Devil's Rejects. It just adds to him being the worst of their already bad lot.
- Scary Scarecrows: He disguises himself as one to prevent the tourists from escaping.
- Self-Made Orphan: He murdered his Abusive Parents at the age of 13.
- Serial Killer: He was known as the "Son of Satan killer" prior to meeting the Fireflies and seems to be the one who introduced them to serial killing.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Barely ever lets a sentence go by without dropping at least some variation of "fuck."
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: "Otis B. Driftwood" is the name of Groucho Marx's character in A Night at the Opera.
- Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter: When taunting Roy.Hoss, I want you to pray to your God. I want you to pray that he comes to save you. I want lightning to come down and crash upon my fuckin' head!
- The Sociopath: He definitely checks out. He has very little empathy for anybody but himself, and is a vicious serial killer.
- Straw Nihilist: This is what his personal philosophy is closest to.
- Suicide by Cop: Alongside Baby and Spaulding at the end of The Devil's Rejects.
- Taxidermy Is Creepy: Otis is responsible for many of the grotesque displays at Captain Spaulding's museum. He turns Bill Hudley into "Fish Boy."
- Took a Level in Badass: For the most part, in the first couple movies, he relies mostly on torture and killing his victims when they're completely defenseless, but at the end of 3 From Hell, he takes on Aquarius in a one-on-one machete fight and wins.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: In the first movie, he's implied to be mostly insane with a loose grasp on reality. By the second, he clearly knows exactly what he's doing and is much more senselessly callous towards his victims. Then there's also the matter of him wanting to wrest the reins over the family from Captain Spaulding, and he constantly berates almost everyone else around him.
- Took a Level in Kindness: By the end of The Devil's Rejects, he gives an emotional send-off to Tiny, and abandons his attempts to take over the family. In 3 From Hell, he spends some time lamenting the deaths of his family members with Baby and tries to save her from being tortured by Aquarius, seemingly for no other reason than because he cares about her. He's still an absolutely horrible person through it all, but he has clearly learned a thing or two about empathy.
- Torture Technician: He gleefully slices up Bill to the tune of “Brick House.”
Baby Firefly
Vera-Ellen Wilson AKA "Baby Firefly"
"Gimme a 'B,' gimme an 'A,' gimme a 'B,' gimme a 'Y.' What's that spell?"
- Ambiguously Bi: When asked if she'd have sex with another woman she doesn't seem entirely opposed to the idea. She also makes sexual comments toward other women multiple times throughout the trilogy, though whether or not she is attracted to them isn't really determinable.
- Animal Lover: Seems to be one. During her time in prison she hallucinates a humanoid cat ballerina which she seems very fond of, crying for it to come back when the hallucinatory curtain closes and she can no longer see it.
- Brother–Sister Team: Sometimes with Otis, sometimes with R.J.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Mostly after spending a decade in prison. At first, it comes off as an insanity plea, but after she's released, she's just as unhinged and violent.
- Creepy Doll: She has a collection of dolls that she's mutilated, and she later dresses Denise as a doll.
- Cute and Psycho: She's played by Sheri Moon Zombie whose very attractive, who often uses her good looks to her advantage to lure unsuspecting victims to their demise.
- Dark Action Girl: Throughout the series she’s shown to be a brutal serial killer and can handle herself in a fight, as shown with her handling two inmates who intended to cripple her in 3 From Hell.
- Genki Girl: Always acts very cheerful, confident and excited.
- Giggling Villain: She has an unnerving, high-pitched laugh.
- Honey Trap: Plays this role within the Firefly family.
- I Love the Dead: One of the scene transitions in House of 1000 Corpses shows her naked as she spoons and licks a skeleton.
- Karma Houdini: As of 3 From Hell, she survived the shootout that seemed to result in her and her remaining family members' apparent deaths, and gets away with Otis and Foxy after killing Aquarius.
- Licking the Blade: After stabbing Mary to death, she licks some of her blood off the knife.
- Ms. Fanservice: She shows quite a bit of skin, especially in The Devil's Rejects.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Around strangers, she puts on a bubbly, childlike persona that masks the fact that she is a torturer and murderer.
- Prison Changes People: After Baby is broken out of prison, Otis remarks that she's changed since being incarcerated.
- Psychopathic Womanchild: She has the mannerisms of a little girl and is deeply deranged.
- Sadist: She is clearly having a ball watching Otis slice up Bill. In The Devil's Rejects she forces Wendy to hit Gloria before she'll allow her to go to the bathroom.
- Sanity Slippage: By the events of 3 From Hell. Though she was obviously already unstable, she's lost most of her family and has spent years in prison, which has driven her almost completely insane, killing people even when it's in her best interest not to.
- Suicide by Cop: Alongside Otis and Spaulding at the end of The Devil's Rejects.
- Villainous Crush: On Bill Hudley.
- Weapon for Intimidation: Gloria gets her hands on Baby's gun only to find that it's not loaded. Baby says it's “all for the fucking mindpower.”
Mother Firefly
Gloria Teasdale AKA "Mother Firefly"
"Everyone loves me. Don't you pretend you don't fancy me."
Click here to see her in The Devil's Rejects.
- Asshole Victim: Like the other Fireflies, she was also a psychopath who likely killed and tortured innocent people, making it easy to root for Wydell when he guts her to death.
- Abhorrent Admirer: To Jerry Goldsmith.
- Bullying a Dragon: Taunting Sheriff Wydell about how she murdered his brother doesn't end well.
- Creepy Souvenir: She lovingly maintains scrapbooks of her family's depredations.
- Dirty Old Woman: She's still pretty lustful despite being in her 50's.
- Disposable Sex Worker: Inverted. She was formerly a prostitute, but she is a killer.
- Driven to Suicide: She tries to shoot herself in the head to avoid arrest, but her pistol is empty.
- Evil Matriarch: She is the leader of the family and the center of their convoluted family tree.
- Gutted Like a Fish: Fatally stabbed by John Wydell after admitting that she killed his brother.
- I Have Many Names: Her birth name is Gloria Teasdale, and Wydell mentions her previous aliases as Betsy Woods, Eve Wilson, and "Southern" Betty Woods.
- I Was Quite the Looker: Isn't ashamed to admit that she used to be a prostitute in her youth.
- Mama Bear: Especially towards Rufus.
- Parental Incest: In a DVD extra, Otis implies that she has sex with Rufus under the pretense of "hunting bears."
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: "Gloria Teasdale" is the name of a character in the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup. One of her aliases, "Eve Wilson," comes from Go West.
- Single Mom Stripper: A retired, widowed version.
- Southern Belle: Of the aging trailer park variety.
Tiny Firefly
Tiny Firefly
Portrayed by: Matthew McGrory
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects
- Abusive Parents: His father set him on fire when he was a child.
- Alas, Poor Villain: He's the only one in the family whose death is fully portrayed as tragic. Even Otis questions his choice.
- Anti-Villain: Probably the closest thing the Firefly family has to a straightforward example. He doesn't particularly want to hurt anyone and actually tries to save Denise, but he feels indebted to his family.
- Big Damn Heroes: Kills Sheriff Wydell and rescues Baby, Otis and Captain Spaulding near the end of The Devil's Rejects. Especially surprising given that he disappeared at the beginning of the film.
- The Brute: He and R.J. share this role within the Firefly family. He's over seven feet tall and quite hefty, and clearly not too bright.
-
Cargo Ship: According to DVD extras, Tiny had sexual relations with a stump. - Driven to Suicide: He decides to walk back into the burning Firefly house near the end of The Devil's Rejects, allowing himself to die because he doesn't want to be the sole survivor of his family.
- Gentle Giant: Played with. He and his brother R.J. get violent with Bill and Jerry, but Tiny does not torture Denise, and would have let her go had Otis not intervened.
- The Grotesque: Extremely tall and suffers from severe facial burns.
- Jabba Table Manners: He gets more of the “Agatha Crispies” on his shirt than in his mouth.
- Last of His Kind: Defied. He kills himself specifically to avoid this.
- Obliviously Evil: He doesn't seem to be malevolent on his own, and only commits acts of violence at the behest of his family.
- The Voiceless: He never says anything.
Rufus Firefly, Jr.
Rufus T. "R.J." Firefly, Jr.
"Car's done!"
Portrayed by: Robert Mukes, Tyler Mane
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects
- Brother–Sister Team: With Baby. She pretends to be a hitchhiker, then he shoots out their victims' tires and tows them back to the Firefly ranch.
- The Brute: He and Tiny share this role within the Firefly family.
- Do Not Go Gentle: He dies shortly into The Devil's Rejects, but he makes it as difficult as possible for the attacking police officers, by wearing a massive suit of thick metal armor that lets him tank countless bullets, while returning fire with guns of his own.
- Drunk Driver: Takes a stolen police car out for a spin while drinking.
- Grease Monkey: He knows how to operate a tow truck and repair vehicles.
- Impersonating an Officer: He wears the uniform of the late Lieutenant George Wydell for Halloween.
- Improvised Armor: During the raid on the ranch, he wears surprisingly effective plate armor. It doesn't save his life, but he survives longer than he would have.
- Parental Incest: In a DVD extra, Otis implies that Rufus has sex with his mother under the pretense of "hunting bears."
- Pelts of the Barbarian: He wears a bear's head as a hat.
- The Quiet One: He's a man of few words.
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: "Rufus T. Firefly" is the name of Groucho Marx's character in Duck Soup.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: He's killed off less than ten minutes into The Devil's Rejects.
Dr. Satan
S. Quentin Quale AKA "Dr. Satan"
Portrayed by: Walter Phelan
- Cyborg: He wears a respirator mask, a neck brace, and mechanical contraptions that support his arms. All are likely necessitated by injuries sustained from being hanged.
- Dark Messiah: The Fireflies seem to worship him to some extent.
- Evil Old Folks: It's not clear how old he is, but he's definitely geriatric by the time of House of 1000 Corpses.
- Mad Scientist: He's a decrepit cyborg who turns people into zombies.
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: Technically he was only an intern, but he used primitive brain surgery on the patients of a mental hospital to create a race of superhumans.
- Never Found the Body: The mob that lynched him couldn't find his body afterwards. Eventually averted when he is arrested and dies decades after his presumed death.
- Not Quite Dead: Some townspeople lynched him and left him for dead... no such luck.
- Religion of Evil: The Fireflies have built up a cult around him. Sometimes, when they tire of torturing their victims, they give them to him as test subjects.
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: "S. Quentin Quale" is the name of Groucho Marx's character in Go West.
- Technically-Living Zombie: He has created a horde of these by performing experimental brain surgery on the patients of a mental hospital.
- The Man They Couldn't Hang: He survived hanging by an angry lynch mob.
- Urban Legends: He has become one in Ruggsville, Texas.
Grandpa Hugo
Grandpa Hugo
"I hate fucked up families."
Portrayed by: Dennis Fimple
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
Mother Firefly's mostly harmless father who has an incredibly filthy mouth.
- Character Tics: Flipping the Bird.
- Dirty Old Man: In the form of some truly filthy jokes.
- Evil Old Folks: Downplayed. He doesn't do anything particularly heinous, but he is obscene and complicit in his family's crimes.
- Jabba Table Manners: Talks with his mouth full and his face covered in food. Also, he steals food from other people's plates.
- Killed Offscreen: He passed away prior to The Devil's Rejects. This is a case of Real Life Writes the Plot since Dennis Fimple died in between films and Rob Zombie
wrote the character out of the film out of respect. - Shout-Out Theme Naming: His name comes from "Hugo Z. Hackenbush," the Groucho Marx character in A Day At The Races 193.
- Token Good Teammate: Played with. Hugo is part of a family of murderers and rapists, but he's also the only member of the family to not cause physical harm to any of the four victims.
The Professor
Earl AKA "The Professor"
Portrayed by: Jake McKinnon
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
Dr. Satan's hulking, badly-scarred henchman and the father of Tiny.
- Bald of Evil: There's not a single hair on top of his bright red head.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: He wears a respirator and numerous other attachments, likely due to being burned, that seem to have made him little more than a slave to Dr. Satan.
- The Dragon: He serves Dr. Satan in this capacity.
- Facial Horror: The Professor's heavily scarred face is beyond disturbing. His nose has been burned off and, at one point, he removes his respirator to spit up mucus.
- Freak Out: Apparently he lost his mind one day and set the house on fire to get rid of evil spirits, burning his son Tiny in the process.
- Killed Off for Real: It is implied that Denise being recaptured by the Professor and Dr. Satan was actually her dying hallucination after being stabbed by Otis, which means that the Professor actually was crushed to death underneath the rubble.
- Man on Fire: Judging by the severe burns covering his body, he set himself on fire as well.
- Nice Guy: Apparently Earl was a decent man, at least by Mother Firefly's standards, until he had a violent mental breakdown.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: He wears a pair of red goggles.
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: "The Professor" is Harpo Marx's character in Animal Crackers.
Foxy Coltrane
Winslow Foxworth "Foxy" Coltrane
"I'm the Midnight Wolfman, motherfucker."
Portrayed by: Richard Brake
Appears in: 3 from Hell
Otis Driftwood and Baby Firefly's half-brother.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: When Baby and Otis talk about how they're the only ones of the family left, Foxy's reaction is this.
- Karma Houdini: Along with his siblings, he gets away with the swath of carnage he left behind.
- Offstage Villainy: His criminal past and what he did to earn the nickname 'Midnight Wolfman' is unknown.
- Sibling Rivalry: Foxy and Otis have one over who is the most notorious criminal.
- Sixth Ranger: Shows up in the third film to take Spaulding's place in the trio after Sid Haig was unable to perform.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Boastfully claims to be the most recognizable of the three, but as Otis notes, he level of infamy is nowhere near that of his siblings.
Tourists
Denise Willis
Denise Willis
Portrayed by: Erin Daniels
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
- Action Survivor: She manages to survive being attacked by Dr. Satan's zombies and his axe-wielding henchman, the Professor.
- Age-Inappropriate Dress/Adults Dressed as Children: The Fireflys forcibly dress her in little girls' clothing at one point, giving her a bit of a kinderwhore
look inspired by Whatever Happened To Baby Jane. - All Just a Dream: It is implied that she wasn't really recaptured by Dr. Satan and the Professor, and that this was just her dying hallucination after being fatally stabbed by Otis.
- Break the Cutie: The torture of Denise goes beyond the torture of the others when Otis taunts her with a skin suit made out of her father, whom Otis has killed
- Final Girl: Played with. Denise does manage to escape the Firefly house and flag down a passing motorist, but it turns out to be Captain Spaulding, and Otis is in the backseat...
- Hope Spot: She manages to escape from the clutches of Dr. Satan and the Professor, only to be recaptured by Captain Spaulding and Otis.
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Portrayed by: Chris Hardwick
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
- All Jews Are Cheapskates: Possibly. He only puts a few bucks worth of gas in the tank, forcing them to make a fateful stop at Captain Spaulding's.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Mary.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Dies during exploratory brain surgery performed by Dr. Satan.
- Jerkass: Generally smug and obnoxious.
- Large Ham: HEEEEY! DR. SATAAAAN!
- Nightmare Fetishist: He is attracted to the "Manson chicks", enjoys Captain Spaulding's Murder Ride the most, and insists that they seek out the hanging site of Dr. Satan.
- Shout-Out: Appears to have been named after the composer.
- Stubborn Mule: He's made to wear a donkey costume by the Firefly family, poking fun at him for being an "ass".
- Traumatic Haircut: Baby cuts chunks out of his hair before scalping him.
Mary Knowles
Mary Knowles
Portrayed by: Jennifer Jostyn
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She is the least enthusiastic about their road trip.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Jerry.
- Bound and Gagged: And with a dunce cap to boot.
- Break the Haughty: Mary starts the film quite haughty and cold, but her attitude abruptly changes when Otis shows her Bill's corpse.
- Bullying a Dragon: Angrily tells Baby to get off of Bill when she sits in his lap. Bad move.
- The Cameo: Wydell staples her photo to Baby's chest in The Devil's Rejects.
- Dies Wide Open: After being killed by Baby.
- Hope Spot: She manages to run away, only to be chased down and stabbed to death by Baby.
- Jerkass: Not a very nice person.
- Smug Snake: She can be incredibly patronizing.
Bill Hudley
Bill Hudley
Portrayed by: Rainn Wilson
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
- An Arm and a Leg: Otis chops off his hand in front of him.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Baby during the first half. This is mostly on Baby's part, though, and she seems to forget about her crush on him as soon as Otis starts cutting him up.
- Body Horror: After his death, his body is shown to his girlfriend mutilated and attached to a giant fish tail.
- Dead Guy on Display: “Behold… Fish Boy!”
- Decoy Protagonist: He is initially the most prominent of the four tourists, but he is killed before the movie is even half over.
- Nerd Glasses: Wears a pair.
- Nice Guy: In contrast to his snobbish, rude, and insulting friends, Bill is nothing but nice to Captain Spaulding and the Fireflys. It doesn't do him much good, however.
Banjo & Sullivan
In General
- Country Music: Their genre.
- Five-Man Band:
- The Leader: Roy, lead guitarist and frontman.
- The Lancer: Gloria, Roy's wife who's in charge in his absence.
- The Smart Guy: Adam, banjo player and cleverest group member.
- The Big Guy: Jimmy, the roadie.
- Girly Girl: Wendy, backing vocals, doesn't do much else.
- Greatest Hits Album: Banjo & Sullivan: The Ultimate Collection 1972-1978 was released as a tie-in.note
- Tempting Fate: One of their albums was titled "Lord, Don't Let Me Die in a Cheap Motel."
Roy Sullivan
Roy Sullivan
Portrayed by: Geoffrey Lewis
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Dirty Old Man: He might have avoided disaster if he hadn't taken a shine to Baby.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: He is married to Gloria and is immediately attracted to Baby.
Adam Banjo
Adam Banjo
Portrayed by: Lew Temple
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He begs Otis to spare him.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: He is stabbed in the thigh, shot in the neck, taunted, and Forced to Watch Otis murder Roy before he gets his face cut off.
- Kick the Dog: Otis skins Adam's face and forces his wife Wendy to wear it.
Gloria Sullivan
Gloria Sullivan
Portrayed by: Priscilla Barnes
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Rape as Drama: After having her strip down to her underwear, Otis molests Gloria with his gun and forces her to perform fellatio.
- Shameful Strip: Otis forces her to take her clothes off.
Wendy Banjo
Wendy Banjo
Portrayed by: Kate Norby
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Break the Cutie: Poor, poor Wendy. Extends to Kill the Cutie as well, since she unwittingly runs out into the road and gets hit by a truck.
- Diabolus ex Machina: She survives the depredations of the Devil's Rejects only to get splattered all over the highway by a truck.
- Final Girl: She is the only member of her group who survives their encounter with the Fireflies however briefly.
- Hope Spot: She manages to escape from the motel room only to run straight into Captain Spaulding.
Jimmy Cracker
Jimmy Cracker
Portrayed by: Brian Posehn
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Boom, Headshot!: How Otis kills him.
- Butt-Monkey: Maybe. He doesn't get much screentime, but in what little he is given, Roy laughs at him for his incompetence.
- Dumb Muscle: As a roadie, this is a job requirement.
- Sacrificial Lamb: Otis kills him to show Banjo & Sullivan that he means business.
- The Stoner: He habitually smokes weed.
Ruggsville Sheriff's Department
John Quincey Wydell
Sheriff John Quincey Wydell
Portrayed by: William Forsythe
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Alas, Poor Villain: Yes, he was on his way to becoming just as much of a monster as the Firefly family with his ruthless methods, but it's hard not to feel at least a little sorry for the guy. He was as much a victim as his brother.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: He is either this, or a darker shade of grey. While he's not a very pleasant guy and even though he's the main antagonist of The Devil's Rejects, he is nowhere near as bad as the people he's trying to kill: The Fireflys.
- Anti-Villain: Is searching for a family of murderers and rapists, and yet resorts to many unsavory methods to find them.
- Berserk Button: If you insult Elvis Presley in front of him, he will "kick the living shit out of you."
- Cold-Blooded Torture: He tortures Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding with a staple gun, nails, and a cattle prod. He also utilizes extensive psychological torment, including photos of Mother Firefly's corpse.
- He Who Fights Monsters: In his pursuit of the Fireflys, he becomes a murderous criminal himself.
- Ironic Echo: He says “Run rabbit run” as he chases down Baby, just like Otis said when Baby chased down Mary Knowles.
- It's Personal: His brother was killed by Mother Firefly, which is why he's so invested in taking the family down.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: When he shows Baby pictures of her mother's corpse.
- Knight Templar: He is willing to go the extreme lengths in the name of justice.
- Neck Snap: How Tiny kills him.
- Pet the Dog: For all his rashness, he's surprisingly docile when questioning the cleaning lady at the motel.
- Police Brutality: Big time.
- Rabid Cop: He cares more about revenge than justice.
- Religious Bruiser: He frequently invokes the Lord, specifically his wrath.
- Sanity Slippage: Presumably started with the death of his brother before the events of The Devil's Rejects. He jumps off the slippery slope when George appears to him in a dream and tells him to avenge his murder. After that, he kills Mother Firefly in jail and declares himself God's “Arm of Justice.”
- Vigilante Man: He claims to come from a long line of vigilantes. He eventually becomes one himself when he murders Mother Firefly and tortures the Fireflys.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: His methods when searching for the remaining Firefly family members go way outside the law, but given what kind of people he's dealing with, it's entirely understandable. That said, he refuses to hurt any truly innocent people and only ever gets violent with anyone connected to the Firefly family.
George Wydell
Lieutenant George Wydell
Portrayed by: Tom Towles
- All Just a Dream: His ghost appears to John in the basement of the Firefly house, though it turns out this is just a dream.
- Boom, Headshot!: He is shot through the head by Mother Firefly.
- Cowboy Cop: He even dresses the part.
- Unusual Euphemism: He apparently calls police raids a "100% Alabama ass-kicking."
- White Sheep: According to his brother, he was the only member of his family who was truly committed to upholding the law, as opposed to vigilante justice.
Ray Dobson
Deputy Ray Dobson
Portrayed by: Dave Sheridan
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Clueless Deputy: For the most part, averted. He is the generally competent and is ultimately responsible for bringing down the Devil's Rejects for good. Though there is one moment where he requests they bring Groucho Marx in for some questioning after connecting the Devil’s Rejects’ names to famous Marx Brothers characters, not knowing he died.
- Cool Shades: Yellow ones.
- Dragon Ascendant: Though he himself is not evil, he takes over the manhunt for the Fireflys after Wydell's death and he is the one who finally finishes them off.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike his boss, he seems to be a good and just law enforcement officer.
Steve Naish
Deputy Steve Naish
Portrayed by: Walton Goggins
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
- Boom, Headshot!: Courtesy of Otis after an unnecessarily long pause.
- Clueless Deputy: His overly blustery and aggressive attitude masks his general insecurity. He instantly drops his weapon when threatened by Otis.
- Failed a Spot Check: Doesn't look twice at a huge pile of shoes obviously stolen from the Fireflys' many victims.
Frank Huston
Sheriff Frank Huston
Portrayed by: William H. Bassett
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
- Santa Claus: With his white beard, glasses, and gruff voice, he bears a strong resemblance to Santa Claus.
- The Sheriff: Of Ruggsville County.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He seems to have retired by the time of The Devil's Rejects.
The Unholy Two
Rondo
Rondo Chavez
Portrayed by: Danny Trejo
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects, 3 from Hell
- Boom, Headshot!: He is shot in the head by Otis in 3 From Hell.
- Brains and Brawn: He's no weakling himself, but he's smaller and a lot smarter than his partner.
- Face of a Thug: Again, Danny Trejo.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: In The Devil's Rejects, he succeeds along with Billy Ray in helping Sheriff Wydell capture Otis, Baby, and Spaulding, but even killed one of Charlie Altamont's prostitutes in the process, and he and Billy Ray disappear afterwards. In 3 From Hell, he is shown to have been arrested and sent to the same prison as Otis, who kills him in the process while escaping from prison with the help of Foxy.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Killed by Otis early on in 3 From Hell.
Billy Ray Snapper
Billy Ray Snapper
Portrayed by: Diamond Dallas Page
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
- Brains and Brawn: He's the brawn.
- Face of a Thug: He has a face only a mother could love.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a hideous scar across his right eye.
- Karma Houdini: He succeeds along with Rondo in helping Sheriff Wydell capture Otis, Baby, and Spaulding, but even killed one of Charlie Altamont's prostitutes in the process, and he and Rondo disappear afterwards. Unlike Rondo, he is never seen again, with no confirmation that he was arrested along with Rondo, got killed by the police during Rondo's arrest, or is still at large.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Delivers one to Otis Driftwood.
- Tattooed Crook: His arms are covered.
- Two First Names: Billy Ray.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Unlike Rondo, he does not appear nor is mentioned in 3 From Hell, also leaving his fate unclear; however, it can be implied that he was arrested along with Rondo (until he either was sent to a different prison, or was with another chain gang separate from Rondo and Otis if he were in the same prison as them), got killed by the police during Rondo's arrest, or is still at large. Diamond Dallas Page was interested in returning for the third film, unfortunately Rob Zombie couldn't think of a way to naturally include him in the story.
Prison Staff
Virgil Dallas Harper
Warden Virgil Dallas Harper
Portrayed by: Jeff Daniel Phillips
Appears in: 3 from Hell
The prison warden who housed Otis, Baby and Spaulding.- Boom, Headshot!: Shot in the head by Otis.
- Netorare: He's married to Judy, whom he seems to love from what little we see. But when he goes back to work to break Baby out of prison, we learn he was making advances toward the Sgt. who calls him out for not addressing her by name, despite knowing it last week when his hands were in her pants. She threatens to tell Judy & warns him not to call her again.
- Shrine to Self: Owns a framed portrait of himself, which Otis mocks.
- Wardens Are Evil: Not exactly evil but releases Baby when his family and friends are held hostage by Foxy and Otis which would inevitably lead to the trio going on a murderous rampage, making him responsible for the deaths of who knows how many. Not that it matters since he and the rest of the hostages are murdered after Baby's release.
Greta
Greta
Portrayed by: Dee Wallace
Appears in: 3 from Hell
A female prison guard who works in a facility where Baby is incarcerated.- Asshole Victim: She is a wicked prison guard who has a mad hatred for Baby, and even tried to have her killed by 2 female inmates (who Baby just killed instead), making it hard to feel sorry for her when Baby strangled her to death during her escape from prison.
The Black Satans
In General
Appears in: 3 from Hell
A gang of criminals/murderers in Luchador masks.- Masked Luchador: They wear luchador masks.
Aquarius
Francisco "Aquarius" Mendoza Chavez
Portrayed by: Emilio Rivera
Appears in: 3 from Hell
Rondo's son and the leader of the Black Satans.- You Killed My Father: He is the son of Rondo, who Otis killed earlier.
Creep
Creep
Portrayed by: Matthew Willig
Appears in: 3 from Hell
Member of the Black Satans, who has a machete duel with Otis.- Duel to the Death: Has a machete fight with Otis, until eventually losing to him and being killed by him.
Other Characters
Charlie Altamont
Charlie Altamont
Portrayed by: Ken Foree
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
Captain Spaulding's adoptive brother and a pimp who runs a western-themed brothel called Charlie's Frontier Fun Town.
- Bestiality Is Depraved: He is enraged by the accusation that he is a “chicken fucker.”
- Big Damn Heroes: Ultimately subverted. He attempts to save Baby from Wydell, but is killed for his trouble.
- Expy: He is a suave womanizer and successful entrepreneur who is the black friend of the oldest member of the main trio, from whom he's been estranged since a Noodle Incident. They turn to him in a time of desperation only to be met with hostility, but it turns out he's kidding and welcomes them with open arms. He is forced to betray them by the Big Bad and they are captured, but he makes amends and attempts to rescue them. Am I talking about Charlie Altamont, or Lando Calrissian?
- Hookers and Blow: He runs a brothel and wears a coke spoon around his neck.
- Pimp Duds: Downplayed. He's pretty fly, but not super fly.
- Scary Black Man: He can be pretty intimidating when he wants to.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: In contrast to the tattered rags worn by the Devil's Rejects.
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: He is also known as “Wolf J. Flywheel,” the Groucho Marx character from The Big Store.
- Sibling Team: With his adoptive brother Captain Spaulding when they were younger.
Don Willis
Don Willis
Portrayed by: Harrison Young
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
Denise's widower father and a retired police officer.
- Good Parents: He has a healthy relationship with his adult daughter Denise.
- Flash Back: He sees a memory of celebrating Christmas with his daughter and late wife while he is being shot to death.
- Kick the Dog: After his death, Otis flays him and wears his skin to torment his daughter.
- Papa Wolf: Accompanies the deputies to the Firefly ranch to rescue his daughter.
Candy
Candy
Portrayed by: E.G. Daily
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
A prostitute working for Charlie Altamont.
- Boom, Headshot!: Shot in the head by Billy Ray Snapper.
- Demoted to Extra: Most of her scenes with Otis were deleted from the finished film, reducing her role significantly.
- Disposable Sex Worker: She becomes collateral damage during the Unholy Two's capture of the Devil's Rejects.
- Dominatrix: A deleted scene reveals that one of her favorite services is called the "Mexican Hot Dip."Candy: I put a wick in your dick and then we dip your balls in hot wax!
- Everyone Has Standards: In a deleted scene, she draws the line at putting pancake batter on her ass and letting a john eat it.
- Genki Girl: She's pretty hyper.
Casey
Casey
Portrayed by: Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Appears in: The Devil's Rejects
A prostitute working for Charlie Altamont.- Slashed Throat: How Rondo kills her.
Ravelli
Ravelli
Portrayed by: Irwin Keyes
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
Captain Spaulding's sidekick and the mascot of his museum.- Big Damn Heroes: Shows up wielding a mallet just in time to save Captain Spaulding and Stucky from the robbers.
- Evil Clown: To a lesser extent than Captain Spaulding.
- Goofy Suit: He can often be seen standing outside Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen wearing a large mask in the Texas heat.
- Laughing Mad: He has a disturbingly deranged laugh.
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: His name comes from Signor Emanuel Ravelli, Chico Marx's character in Animal Crackers.
- Stout Strength: He is strong enough to push a cart with five people in it.
- Troll: He secretly grabs Denise's hair so she gets annoyed with Jerry.
Stucky
Stucky
Portrayed by: Michael J. Pollard
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
- Bullying a Dragon: What he does to one of the robbers. Though, unlike most examples, he manages to survive the encounter.
- Dirty Old Man: He collects pornography.
- Odd Friendship: With Captain Spaulding.
- Too Dumb to Live: Not only does he tell an angry armed robber that he recognizes him, he proceeds to mock him with his Embarrassing Nickname.
Mr. Baggy Britches
Mr. Baggy Britches
Portrayed by: Clint Howard
Appears in: 3 from Hell
A clown who went door to door.- Boom, Headshot!: Shot in the head by Otis.
- Bring My Brown Pants: He wets himself after Otis points a gun at him.
Lewis Dover
Lewis Dover
Portrayed by: Irvin Mosley Jr.
Appears in: House of 1000 Corpses
An old religious man living alone in the desert who believes that nobody has to go to Hell, because Earth is Hell.- Collector of the Strange: His "house" is surrounded by signs with religious messages and odd sculptures propped up in his yard.
- Crazy Homeless People: He states that he's "no rich man" and is seen living alone in a small shack on the outskirts of town, and is a crazed, gun-toting fundamentalist.
- The Fundamentalist: He stands near a sign that reads "Ask me about Jesus The Lord and The Satan," and claims to know the "truth" about what Hell is.
- Hero of Another Story: He has only 17 seconds of screen time in what seems to be a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment, but according to Rob Zombie in the DVD commentary, he was a potential victim of the Firefly Family and Dr. Satan who managed to escape with his life. Unfortunately, the whole experience resulted in him suffering from PTSD.
- Large Ham: "MAH NAME... IS LEWIS... DOVAH!"
- Madness Mantra: "THIS IS HELL! THIS IS HELL! THIS IS HELL!"
- No Indoor Voice: He screams every line of dialogue during his brief appearance.
