Trailer Review: The Lords of Salem

Rob Zombie is a decent film director and in an age where so many horror movies are remakes it’s nice to see directors like him still making original horror films. His new film The Lords of Salem looks very interesting indeed and his wife Sheri Moon Zombie plays Heidi the main character.

Heidi works as a DJ for a local radio station in Salem, Massachusetts. Together with fellow DJ’s the two Hermans (played by Ken Foree from Dawn of the Dead and Jeff Daniel Phillips) they play a daily dose of rock music. One day the trio receive a mysterious record in the post. They play the record which becomes a big hit with listeners and Heidi starts to experience weird nightmares that appear to be flashbacks into Salem’s past. The flashbacks depict witches conducting bizarre satanic rituals. An old evil force is also awakened in the town and it is possible the witches from Salem’s past “The Lords of Salem” are trying to rise from the grave to wreak havoc on the town. Three old woman living in Heidi’s building also appear to know more about the strange events taking place than they are willing to admit. Heidi will have to try to find out what secrets they are protecting and prevent the witches from returning.

The trailer has some nice atmospheric lighting and set design. The old building where Heidi lives in particular is rather gloomy and a fitting locale for a horror movie. The flashback scenes shown in the trailer are disturbing and the intense music adds to the tension. The acting seems decent too as Sheri Moon Zombie (with distinctive blond dreadlocks) looks convincing as the DJ trying to figure out what goes bump in the night. The three creepy old ladies living in her apartment seem rather sinister too and they are definitely hiding something. Rob Zombie has some visual flair as a director and a vivid imagination so horror fans can expect some striking set-pieces in the film.

The Lords of Salem is the third film by the Haunted Films company which also made Insidious and Paranormal Activity. Both those films were entertaining so the company certainly knows how to produce a decent horror movie. Oren Peli the director and creator of Paranormal Activity is actually one of the producers for this flick which is interesting.

One of the only negatives in the trailer is the fact that not much is revealed about the plot. The viewer is treated to a visual feast of horror and atmospheric scenes with no narrative exposition or scenes to explain the basic premise. That can be a good or bad thing depending on your point of view. Some viewers will like the mystery and wish to avoid basic plot details until the film is released. Others may require a bit more basic information as a frame of reference.

The movie certainly has all the right elements for a good horror picture though and hopefully it will deliver when it is released on April 18th.

Have a look at the trailer and let us know what you think.