The Lords of Salem (2012)
Plot: Witches are burned and slaughtered in Salem in the
1600's. The head witch Margaret Morgan curses all the females of Salem and their
future decedents. Present Day a female DJ named Heidi receives a box with a
record from a group called The Lords. Soon the town of Salem is about to be
revisited by the past and its curse.
Starring: Sheri Moon Zombie, Meg Foster, Bruce Davison, Dee
Wallace, Judy Geeson, Ken Foree
My Review and Thoughts:
Holy crap what a complete trip of insanity and twisted
awesomeness. This is truly a powerful sadistic and disturbing tour-de-force of
complete graphic nausea and perfect flawless filmmaking.
I can say with all honesty 100% that this is a new modern-day
horror classic.
This film has some truly deep dark wickedness to it. It's a
brilliant modern take on the classic reality of yesteryear horror cinema. Dare
I say I sense a feeling Fulci or Argento or Bava, all the classic directors of
the past.
Classic yesteryear style created around a truly original
trip deep inside the mind of Rob Zombie. Rob Zombie has created some amazing
films from House of a Thousand Corpses to The Devil's Rejects and now to this
ultimate modern classic.
He truly has captured what storytelling is all about, what
images are all about with the aspect of dark horror.
He has stepped into the mind of insanity and created the
dark forces of the evil image of Satan and the destruction of Jesus. Zombie
showcases what should and could and can be created in a movie that will last
for a very long time.
The problem with most horror movies they come and Fade away
and can be forgotten. There are a few
horror movies that stand the test of time and I must say The Lords of Salem is
the new crop, the new image, the new bad boy on the block. He created a true
classic style modern original horror. He steps into the very foundation of the
soul, the mind, the thinking process and ripped everything you think you know
about modern horror and created the new image. The Lords of Salem is beyond
words, beyond cinematography masterpiece, beyond images, flawless psychological
insanity that brings a true acid trip of evil. The very gates of hell open in
this movie and showcases the darkness, emptiness and the underlying brutality
of evil.
Heidi is a radio station DJ. She receives a box with a
record from a group called The Lords. Heidi plays the record and she goes into
a trance and has flashbacks of witches and the Salem trials. She decides to
play it on the radio program. The women across the town start to go into a
trance. Soon she starts to see strange things in her apartment complex.
Apartment number five, that is supposed to be vacant has a woman at the door
and then not. Heidi's dog wants inside the apartment. The Lords music creates a
spiral of illusions, hallucinations, all leading up to her slow decline. Her
co-workers see her decline in health, she looks tired, she's coughing, having
nightmares. The truth of her past and her present is darker then she could ever
imagine.
This movie has some truly creepy moments, classic creepy
moments that get under your skin and play with your thoughts.
To describe this, take the amazing aspects of Suspiria, mix
it with Rosemary's Baby, twist it around Kubrick's The Shining and most of all
adding the dosage of Rob Zombie's twisted imagination. The darkness of his
nightmares and dreams. If you look at the filming, the camera work, the long
lens in the apartment hall it reminds you of The Shining and the wall paper and
color schemes of the hall has Suspiria written all over it.
One amazing thing about this movie is Sheri Moon Zombie, Rob
Zombie's wife who plays Heidi which she is in all his movies. She does an
amazing job. I think she found her part perfect in this role, her character
Heidi makes you believe. She plays a realistic character.
The other beautiful thing about Lords of Salem is Rob
Zombie's script, if you get a chance read his book The Lords of Salem, you get
a lot more information on the characters and story bringing together in a more
fantastic way as all the holes or more information is given. Rob's written
dialogue creates a memorable story, it’s not just F-this and F-that which tends
to be his dialogue in his other films, this tells a story that has perfect
conversation, normal conversation and not just cuss word after cuss word or
lack of dialogue, it flows like a written script which makes the movie come
together.
Something that is amazing is the amount of iconic legends in
this film. From the amazing beautiful Meg Foster the lady with the amazing
eyes, Dee Wallace who I have always loved and cherished. Judy Geeson, Ken Foree
Dawn of the Dead himself. The original Willard Bruce Davison. The one and only
Patricia Quinn a.k.a. Magenta from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Maria
Conchita Alonso, the legend Michael Berryman, icon Sid Haig, there are just so
many in this film. For a funny side reality, this also stars Jeff Daniel
Phillips, who is that you say, that's the Caveman in the Geico commercials, he
plays Heidi's friend and love interest Whitey.
Honestly, I can't say enough about this movie. I was thoroughly entertained, thoroughly
amazed and it took me back to the old style of horror, those spooky creepy weird
moments of classic yesteryear films. This is truly a modern-day classic and
original that will stand the test of time, one that will be talked about in the
future as it is now.
I loved it. I think it was Rob Zombie's best film. I highly
recommend it. I believe that this will automatically go in my top 10 horror
films just because of how different it is, how truly stunning the visuals are,
how controversial the subject matter is. The acting was wonderful, the script
was wonderful and truly nightmarish originality. It gave me something to think
about, gave me something to remember and gave me something to talk about.