Actors: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace
Directors: Rob Zombie
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Run Time: 101 minutes
Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars
“The Lords of Salem” is easily Rob Zombie’s best films to date, read our interview with him here. When it comes to original and unique horror films, they are pretty rare in this market. After Rob’s last film “Halloween II”, he really gets back to his roots with this gritty and very creepy and goes balls-to-the-wall with this one. It is not your typical horror flick though since it is thought provoking and actually needs you to think after watching it. So it is not a brainless gore flick. I think people are going to shun away from this film but they need to give it a chance because it grows on your with each viewing. No question one of my favorite films of the year, so far! Great work Rob! Can’t wait to see what you have planned next!
If you are a horror fan, than this should be your dream cast. Rob’s wife, Sheri Moon Zombie (“Halloween”, “The Devil’s Rejects”) takes the lead in this film and gives her best performance to date, read our interview here. The three modern day witches in the film are amazing including Patricia Quinn (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”), Dee Wallace (“The Howling”, “Cujo”) and Judy Geeson (“To Sir, with Love”). They are just amazing together. But the one that steals the show is easily Meg Foster (“They Live”, “Masters of the Universe”). She gets a full transformation on this film and really gets into the role 110%, read our interview here. Of course then there is a few cameos from Rob’s regulars as well. Great ensemble!
Official Premise: From the singular mind of horror maestro Rob Zombie comes a chilling plunge into a nightmare world where evil runs in the blood. “The Lords of Salem” tells the tale of Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie), a radio station DJ living in Salem, Massachusetts, who receives a strange wooden box containing a record, a “gift from the Lords.” Heidi listens, and the bizarre sounds within the grooves immediately trigger flashbacks of the town’s violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the “Lords of Salem” returning for revenge on modern-day Salem?
Anchor Bay is releasing this film as a combo pack with Blu-ray + Digital Copy + UltraViolet. There is also limited edition collectible packaging available. The film was shot on a very low budget but the 1080 transfer looks pretty sharp, thanks to Brandon Trost, who also working with Zombie on “Halloween II”. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track works perfectly with John 5 haunting score. The special features on this release are a bit of a disappointment though. There is only an audio commentary track with writer/producer/director Rob Zombie. The track is solid though since Zombie talks us through his labor of love. I just would have loved to seen featurettes on the production itself, specifically Meg Foster’s transformation and the witch burning scene.