‘Lords of Salem’ is weak horror that never captures audience
Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem is a modern-day look at the legacy of the Salem witch trials. It’s a largely disappointing horror movie with few scares and too many intense visuals, including a soundtrack that shreds the ear.
Sheri Moon Zombie plays Heidi Hawthorne, a local radio DJ who receives an unusual gift in the mail from a new underground band. Note to self: When appearing in a horror movie, don’t accept any gifts. What Heidi unearths after opening the gift is a trippy journey into the sinister Salem past. Think witches, sacrifices and secrets long thought dead.
Rob Zombie wrote a screenplay that’s too convoluted and unfulfilling for audience members. There’s not much plot progression, and the characters are never clearly defined. He’s able to elicit a good performance from Sheri Moon Zombie, but most of the supporting actors, including horror icons Ken Foree, Dee Wallace and Patricia Quinn, are wasted talent.
The scare factor is minimal; however, there are some disturbing scenes when Heidi is imagining in the days of Salem’s bewitching past. Buyer beware: The movie can be intense and gross. There were several turn-away-from-the-screen moments, but this had less to do with the fright factor and more to do with the disturbing images.
Rob Zombie has achieved a certain visual style with his horror films. There’s a clear love for using vibrant colors, like some of the Italian-horror maestros, and some of the plot points are quite “out of the box” for a genre that typically follows time-tested rules. He has the potential to become an original voice in a genre in need of more creativity. However, The Lords of Salem can’t match its talents with its ambitions. It’s a weak film that can hardly keep one’s interest until the final revelations.
For horror aficionados, identifying the many genre actors (Sid Haig, Michael Berryman and so many more) can be worth the visit, but most other audience members will find the movie too unsettling with its imagery, too weak in its plot and too much of a wasted opportunity given the genre wattage of its talented cast.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
- The Lords of Salem
- 2012
- Written and directed by Rob Zombie
- Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Patricia Quinn, Ken Foree, Bruce Davison, Dee Wallace, Meg Foster, Judy Geeson, Sid Haig and Michael Berryman
- Running time: 100 minutes
- Rated R for disturbing and violent and sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some drug use
- Rating:
