Rob Zombie has never been much for subtlety. One of his most well-known videos has him riding around in the Munster Mobile yelling about "dragulas". His film debut contained a character being turned into a human/fish hybrid in hopes of appeasing a demon (?) named Doctor Satan. It is with this knowledge of a lack of subtlety that makes a movie like "The Lords of Salem", his most fully realized film to date, all the more impressive. He has achieved a balance between jaw-droppingly twisted imagery and some actually beautifully-made shots to create an entertaining and surprising film. While it is definitely not without its fault, "The Lords of Salem" is more than likely his best film.
Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie) is a radio shock-jock for a Salem, Massachusetts rock station. She is also a recovering drug addict who lives in an apartment that looks right out of "The Shining". One day at work she receives a package containing a vinyl record. It is said to simply be from "The Lords". Heidi pays the music over the radio and it starts triggering something dark and twisted inside her and other women in the community.
The first thing that jumps out about "The Lords of Salem" is that Zombie clearly doesn't care about his audience's expectations. This is not a bad thing, especially in the horror genre. The genre can often be as calculated, predictable, and relatively tame as a feel-good movie. Horror films often seem to just be trying to push buttons ("Gore here" "Jump here" "Cringe here"). "The Lords of Salem" does not do this. Zombie has made a very low-budget, slow, and methodical film that lingers with you. There are some scenes that I would have a difficult time explaining to you in print or even in person. While Zombie clearly wears his influences on his sleeve (the aforementioned Kubrick connections in terms of set design and even music) the film is never dull and complacent. It might not be everyone's idea of a fun Friday out at the fright flicks but it is definitely interesting.
Sheri Moon Zombie has now been in every one of his films. Often, she is among the worst aspects of them. Her character in "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects" almost derailed those films with her over-the-top and annoying performance. While she doesn't do anything incredible in "Lords", she is definitely far more reserved and actually seems like a natural fit for the character of Heidi. She does everything you can expect from a decent low-budget horror film actress. She is not a "scream queen" which is a welcome surprise.
"The Lords of Salem" is not without it's disappointments though. For every jaw-dropping moment of shocking imagery, Zombie has included something that seems out-of-place. Heidi and her fellow shock jockeys (Jeff Daniel Phillips and Ken Foree) seem out-of-place in such a dark and gothic film. Slow, disturbing scenes of witches being burned alive do not naturally progress to "Morning Zoo" sex and fart humor. While Zombie has no doubt had to deal with these types of radio personalities before, a little restraint in their characterizations would have helped this film to continue the overall feeling of dread he is trying to achieve. There are also some extremely abrupt story changes that seem to give the movie a surreal or dream-like quality. Sometimes this works and sometimes it definitely does not. The excuse of "It is surreal/dream-like!" or even the excuse of "The film is influenced by 70s European horror which sometimes had nonsensical plot developments" can only be used so many times before you roll your eyes. While these limitations definitely don't pull the film down all the way, they hold it back from being the masterpiece that this film could have been.
Much like his previous films, "The Lords of Salem" is not for everyone. It left the audience I saw it with a little shaken and confused. Not a person got up for the duration of the credits. I can't remember the last time I was in a movie theater where audiences reacted this way. If you go in expecting shocks and screams, you will be disappointed. If you go in with an open mind and want to see a sometimes breath-taking and sometimes convoluted horror story, you might walk away pleased. I believe we are still a film or two away from Zombie fully coming into his own as a director. Given the right material, he could easily be the Quentin Tarantino of the horror genre. Until then, although the evil characters in this film would most certainly disapprove of it, we can pray that material is coming soon.
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