R, 101 min.
Director/Writer: Rob Zombie
Starring: Sheri Moon Zombie,
Jeffery Daniel Phillips, Judy Geeson, Bruce Davidson, Patricia Quinn, Dee
Wallace, Ken Foree, Meg Foster, Maria Conchita Alonso
“The Lords of Salem” came
and went from theaters this past spring without much notice. After the success
of director Rob Zombie’s two-film reboot of the “Halloween” franchise and the
mega cult status of his masterpiece “The Devil’s Rejects”, I expected “The
Lords of Salem” to be one of the most anticipated films of the year. After
seeing it, I think it deserved more attention, but its casual reception also
seems somewhat appropriate.
While “Lords” isn’t Zombie’s
best film, it is his most mature outing to date. It’s also his most polished
film. It looks gorgeous and it isn’t filled with the quick cut editing that
fueled his less impressive works. Zombie seems to be more personally attached
to his material this time around. Perhaps that’s be cause he’s given his own wife
her first starring role. While that might sound like a recipe for disaster,
Sheri Moon Zombie has a great charisma about her, which makes the journey of
her character all that more tragic.
Taking place in the
notorious town of Salem, Massachusetts, it’s no spoiler to reveal the plot of
the film involves a witches coven and revenge for the witch burnings that were
spearheaded by the Reverend Jonathan Hawthorne. Sheri Moon Zombie’s DJ is the
final descendant of Hawthorne and therefore the focus of the coven’s revenge.
Zombie takes his time building the background and atmosphere of the story.
Patience is one of the best virtues of good horror filmmaking. Zombie earns the
horror he imparts, rather than ramming it down the audience’s throats.
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