When I first started getting into the horror genre, Sheri Moon Zombie was one of the first horror actresses who really stuck with me. Today, I wanted to discuss her most psychotic and bada** character, Baby Firefly! Baby Firefly is a depraved soul, created by Rob Zombie and perfectly executed by Sheri Moon Zombie. There are three things we know about her. She finds joy in carnage, she’s always there for her family, and she LOVES to have all eyes on her. She’s one of the first fictional psychos I was introduced to, and I wanted to list my favorite Baby Firefly moments! (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!)

Baby’s Home Videos

A few of my favorite bit parts in House of 1,000 Corpses are the Firefly family’s home videos. In their videos, they discussed the importance of slaughter in their lives. This was our introduction into Baby’s mentality. She talked about how, in her mind, killing can sometimes be necessary. Although, we all know Baby killed more for fun than necessity.

Ladies And Germs, It’s Showtime!

If there’s one thing Baby couldn’t pass up, it was the spotlight. She thrived off attention and she made sure she provided good theatrics. As four young adults were stuck at the Firefly farmhouse, the family celebrated Halloween Eve and treated their guests with a live show. After Grampa’s (Dennis Fimple) comedy act, Baby stepped out in a sleek white dress, brown hair, and pale makeup. To the enjoyment of the male visitors, Baby danced around to Helen Kane’s I Wanna Be Loved By You. She adores and loves to be adored. Just be sure not to interrupt one of her performances, because she will NOT take it well.

A Little Off The Top

One of the poor hostages in the Firefly torture shack was Jerry (Chris Hardwick), a curious soul whose goal was to learn about the legend of Doctor Satan. He let his curiosity get the better of him and that’s how he found himself at the (lack of) mercy of Baby. He soon found himself taped to a chair with the inability to move his head. In walked Baby with a pair of scissors and an old-fashioned razor. She always treated torture like a game. She made Jerry guess what number she was thinking of, and she started to cut his hair when he refused to answer. Doesn’t seem very sadistic, right? Well, when she asked her next question and he got it wrong, she took that razor and scalped him! It’s one of her most brutal moments!

The Rabbit In The Cabbage Garden

We knew it was going to end badly for young Mary (Jennifer Jostyn) ever since Baby came into her life. Mary always gave Baby a hard time, unaware of the beast she was about to unleash. After being captured, tortured, and forced to see her boyfriend turned into “fishboy,” Mary finally escaped the Firefly family and ran into the night. However, Baby was NOT about to let her get away. Mary tripped and fell in a small cemetery. Never one above theatrics, Baby taunted Mary by running around and telling her a story of a little rabbit invading a cabbage garden. Baby then tackled her to the ground and drove her knife deep into Mary’s chest. Mary’s screams of agony were piercing for our ears but most likely music to Baby’s. As Mary died, Baby continued her little story and laughed in her face, truly showing how she views others’ misery as mere fun and games.

The Slapping Game

Now on the run from police, Baby had to wait for her brother Otis (Bill Moseley) to come back to their motel room with his guns, and she had to watch over two female hostages, Gloria (Priscilla Barnes) and Wendy (Kate Norby). In a desperate ploy to escape, Wendy asked Baby if she can excuse herself to the bathroom. Instead of simply allowing her to go, Baby demanded something in return – she wanted Wendy to slap Gloria in the face. For Baby’s amusement, Wendy ended up slapping Gloria 3 times; each time worse than the last. This scene perfectly showcased Baby’s need for power and control. She even made Wendy get on her knees and kiss her like a groveling peasant.

Gloria’s Demise

As Wendy tried to escape through the bathroom window, Baby attempted to get her out… while leaving her gun unattended. Gloria seized the opportunity and threatened to shoot Baby, unaware that Baby was hiding a knife behind her back. Baby acted afraid and tried to reason with Gloria, and Gloria believed that she had the upper hand and the nightmare was finally over. She took her attention off of Baby for two seconds – big mistake there. In one swift motion, Baby threw the knife directly into Gloria’s chest. To add insult to injury, while Gloria was on her knees, Baby showed her bare a** and taunted Gloria to shoot it. When Gloria tried to shoot her, she learned the harsh truth that the gun was never loaded in the first place and Baby was messing with her the entire time.

The Final Shootout

At the hands of a rogue cop avenging his brother, Baby, Otis, and her father, Cutter (Sid Haig) found out what it was like to be on the other end of torment. When it seemed like the end of the Firefly clan, the family is rescued by big brother, Tiny (Matthew McGrory) and the three are able to drive away. Their rest was short lived though, because they end up driving right to a police barricade. With no other options, they accepted their fate, but they’ve never been the type to surrender without a fight. They grabbed their guns and prepared themselves. Baby positioned herself right in the middle, pointed her gun at the cops, and gave them one last “Motherf***ers!” before Otis hit the gas and they (supposedly) met their end. That moment always stayed with me, and I can’t ever listen to Free Bird without thinking about it!

Her Parole Hearing

Ten years after being in the shootout and locked up in prison, Baby got her first (and last) parole hearing. As she was sitting there, she proved that she was FAR from rehabilitated. They noted that she had 157 violations since she’s been there. Baby, ever so proud of the things she’s done, corrected them by stating she’s actually had 158. She then tried unsuccessfully to show that she’s sane. With her parole denied, she seemed to be just fine with it at first. We see how she truly felt almost immediately as she hit a guard, Greta (Dee Wallace) and broke her nose. Even locked up, Baby was able to create as many messes as possible.

Slackjaw And Poker

Speaking of the nose-breaking incident, Greta didn’t take that lightly. After the attack, she finally decided she’s had enough of Baby Firefly. She escorted Baby to an isolated place and locked her in. Then came Slackjaw (Dot-Marie Jones) and Poker (Alicia Adams), two prisoners who’ve been wanting to get their hands on Baby for quite some time. As Greta smoked a cigarette and waited, she listened to the screams and the stabbings with a smile on her face. Thinking that her problem was finally dead, Greta walked back to find the two prisoners mutilated and Baby covered in blood. Greta should’ve known Baby wasn’t going to go down that easily. She survived over 20 bullets, two prisoners with a little knife were nothing to her. To really show she wasn’t going anywhere, she wrote a love note in their blood that said, “F**k you, Greta” with a little heart, in true Baby fashion.

The Cat And The Mouse

In order to help Baby escape from prison, Otis and their brother Winslow (Richard Brake) took the prison’s Warden, his wife, and their friends hostage. Among those friends was poor Heather (Sylvia Jefferies). After Baby was freed, the first thing she did was chase Heather out of the Warden’s house and down the street. What stayed with me in this particular moment was how happy Baby was. She was treating the chase like she was the cat chasing the mouse. Considering how much she loves cats, it was a nice moment of demented symbolism.

Right In The Heart

This was a perfect example of Baby being underestimated and exceeding people’s expectations. As Baby was partying and enjoying her freedom, she decided to join a knife-throwing contest. Of course, the other contenders took one look at her and laughed, believing she was just another bimbo who could barely lift a knife – let alone throw it. After the other contestants’ decent throws, Baby downed a shot of tequila and provided a small monologue emphasizing the importance of suspense. After that, she threw her knife RIGHT into the heart of the sign! She not only won the money, we got to see the smug knife-throwers eat their words. The entire scene was just epic!