The Lords of Salem

Cast of Characters:
Heidi Hawthorne - Sheri Moon Zombie
Francis Matthias - Bruce Davison
Herman “Whitey” Salvador - Jeff Daniel Phillips
Herman “Munster” Jackson - Ken Foree
Megan - Patricia Quinn
Sonny - Dee Wallace
Alice Matthias - Maria Conchita Alonso
Lacy Doyle - Judy Geeson
Margaret Morgan - Meg Foster

Director - Rob Zombie
Screenplay - Rob Zombie
Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some drug use

      Rob Zombie has been known to many for being one of the most entertaining heavy metal acts of the past twenty years in both White Zombie and his solo work. In the past ten years, he’s added filming to his repertoire, writing and directing House of 1,000 Corpses - his debut film - followed by its sequel, The Devil’s Rejects, and more recently two Halloween film remakes. This year, his fifth feature length film is released, The Lords of Salem.

      Heidi Hawthorne (Sheri Moon Zombie) is a DJ for a local radio station in Salem, Massachusetts. Together with Herman “Whitey” Salvador (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and Herman “Munster” Jackson (Ken Foree) she forms one-third of the “Big H Radio Team”. One evening, Heidi receives a mysterious wooden box containing a vinyl record with a note saying, “A gift from the Lords”. Assuming it’s an unknown rock band wanting to get promoted, she plays the record. Soon afterwards, she begins to experience bizarre flashbacks and visions. Her two co-DJs play the record as well, but it has no effect on them.

      Having some personal demons of her own, and wanting to resolve this newfound trouble she’s experiencing, she seeks the help of a local occult historian named Francis Matthias (Bruce Davison). Through a little historical digging, Matthias discovers these visions that she’s having date all the way back to the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, of which she may have some connection to.

      Zombie has developed a bit of a cult-following with his movies. They’re obviously not for everyone, and his style of horror is certainly not as mainstream within the genre as a lot of people are used to seeing. That being said, this was one hell of a creepy flick. I’ve been a fan of Zombie’s work since his debut, House of 1,000 Corpses. Absolutely loved The Devil’s Rejects, and although I’ve been sick of seeing horror remakes and despite taking John Carpenter’s original Halloween hands down any day over the remake, I at least appreciated Zombie’s style and vision with his take of the film. That’s a lot more than can be said of most other horror remakes. What’s great about this film - and this can be said of his past films as well - is the pacing. It’s slow, plodding, unnerving, and that was Zombie’s intention. The viewer will find themselves just as frustrated as the lead character Heidi is when she knows something’s wrong, yet can’t put a finger on what it is. Her experiences become ours in a way. While it certainly has its fair share of graphic violence and nudity, this is far from a typical slasher film and it’s never glamorized. No, this film contains touches of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Dario Argento’s Suspiria, and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (the latter of which is the biggest influence within the film), and right from the get-go you can easily tell Zombie considers all three of them huge influences within his own filmmaking style. Like his past endeavors, the acting here is quite strong, particularly from Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob’s wife), Jeff Daniel Phillips, and the underrated character actor Bruce Davison. As for the writing, while not the film’s biggest strength, Zombie still shows he’s a pretty damn good storyteller. There’s not really too much explanation into the motives of “The Lords” during the Salem witch era, which in turn makes them appear all the more crazier. That may be to the film’s credit, though. A lot of times, back stories that overstay their welcome can break a potentially good film.

      While not quite at the level of The Devil’s Rejects - his finest film in my opinion - Rob Zombie proves once again why he’s capable of being a perfectly competent filmmaker. The writing is simple, to the point, and presents some interesting characters, the performances are great, and Zombie sets just the right tone and mood within the film. This isn’t a “scary” movie designed to make the viewer jump and scream out loud. This is a film designed to get under your skin and make you feel unsettled, and it works. I know for a fact there will be quite a few moviegoers turned off by the vibe of this movie, but I happened to really enjoy this creepy mind trip. I give The Lords of Salem an A- (★★★½).