Radio DJ Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie) receives a record from the self proclaimed “Lords of Salem” which features a strange mixture of notes repeating themselves. When played, it places certain women in Salem in a trance in addition to having an adverse affect on Heidi. Is the DJ going insane, or is she being targeted by a coven of long dead witches for a specific evil purpose?
The Lords of Salem is a “but” movie as in, this would have been really good…but. There’s something off about the film, even though I really appreciate what director Rob Zombie was going for here. It’s got that creepy vibe that’s present in some of the great (or at least more interesting) films of the late 1960s and early 1970s that I love like Rosemary’s Baby and Let’s Scare Jessica to Death.
But…
At times the film feels a little self indulgent with excess that, if toned down a bit, might have resulted in a far superior film. As it stands, The Lords of Salem, like all Zombie films, is interesting but it doesn’t quite reach the level of greatness that House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects (the latter of which is not just Zombie’s best film, but an exceptional horror film overall) did. Zombie seems more interested in style over substance here and it damages the finished product.
I’d recommend The Lords of Salem because I truly think Zombie is an interesting visionary whose films deserve an audience. However, I’d like to see him invest more time in developing a script with a stronger story and characters that we care about before applying his unique talents to committing it to film.
The Lords of Salem grade: C+
This Old Haunted House 