I discovered horror movies before a lot of things in my life: martial arts, literature and probably before I discovered the unspeakable joys of puberty, too. They've always been very popular because there is a market for scared and, let's face it, it's easier to scare the pants off somebody on a giant screen than on a page. Rob Zombie is one of the extremely rare people who successfully switched mediums in their career and since he stopped recording heavy metal albums, he became a decent, and somewhat fearless horror filmmaker. THE LORDS OF SALEM is his sixth feature length movie and from the trailer, it looked like an honest attempt to branch out from the satisfying but repetitive realm of slasher movies. I was not wrong.
Heidi Hawthrone (the sparkling Sheri Moon Zombie) is a DJ, working the graveyard shift in a radio station, in Salem, Massachusetts. Despite the fact that she's a recovering meth addict, she's been living a rather carefree life with her colleagues and her dog, not planning beyond the following day. Her life dramatically changes after a mysterious parcel is delivered to her at the station, a vinyl record in a wooden box. The record talks to her and makes her see things. It's a window into the tormented past of a city, and a family that's been defending Salem against the forces of evil. It's not a fight that has a beginning or an end, though. Heidi is stuck in a timeless battle and the moment has come for her to choose a side.
THE LORDS OF SALEM is, by far, Rob Zombie's most intellectual movie. It's such a bizarre sentence to write. It's not that different, it uses shock value like the others (in the form of provocative, hallucinatory imagery), but shock and provocation here are firmly embedded into a rather engaging storyline about witchcraft and Satanism. THE LORDS OF SALEM tells a compelling story, has compelling dialogue but it oddly suffers from a lack of confidence at times. Rob Zombie often feels the need to have his characters overexplain the plot of his movie, The purpose of Bruce Davison's character seems entirely dedicated to that, yet what's going on with Heidi Hawthorne is not really hard to understand for a horror fan. No need to state it over and over again. I thought it was interesting because it doesn't ruin the movie and yet it's a symptom of a deep lack of confidence in one's writing. It goes with the territory when you're trying new things, I guess.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the deconstruction of Satanism presented in THE LORDS OF SALEM. Every normal, healthy human being positioned himself against Satanism because Satan is the universal icon of rebellion and to a certain extent, it's what Heidi does in the movie. Her conflict is allegorical. The decision Rob Zombie took of representing Satanism as a philosophical construct, rather than an enemy you can murder is both theoretically pertinent and helps maintaining this suffocating halo of doom around Heidi. Satanism can be broken down as the battle between good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, eternity and death, and more important light versus darkness. What is consistently misinterpreted though is that Lucifer is "the bringer of light". THE LORDS OF SALEM aptly portrayed the complexity and the allegorical nature of Satanism-related issues.
THE LORDS OF SALEM isn't one of these ''peek a boo'' horror movies built around lowering the volume and having creatures jump out of the dark at you. It's a heavy, atmospheric film that revolves around Heidi's disturbing visions and the existential battle one has with his inner darkness. Confidence issues aside, I've enjoyed the more cerebral route taken by Rob Zombie. It seems like a natural evolution, a more mature, Kubrickian spin off themes that have always been present in his art. I'd even quality THE LORDS OF SALEM of a psychological horror movie, a subgenre that is too scarce in this day and age. A rather pleasant viewing if you're a lifelong horror movies fan like me. It'll bring back good memories.
There are plenty of nice surprises of this kind to find in THE LORDS OF SALEM.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the deconstruction of Satanism presented in THE LORDS OF SALEM. Every normal, healthy human being positioned himself against Satanism because Satan is the universal icon of rebellion and to a certain extent, it's what Heidi does in the movie. Her conflict is allegorical. The decision Rob Zombie took of representing Satanism as a philosophical construct, rather than an enemy you can murder is both theoretically pertinent and helps maintaining this suffocating halo of doom around Heidi. Satanism can be broken down as the battle between good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, eternity and death, and more important light versus darkness. What is consistently misinterpreted though is that Lucifer is "the bringer of light". THE LORDS OF SALEM aptly portrayed the complexity and the allegorical nature of Satanism-related issues.
THE LORDS OF SALEM isn't one of these ''peek a boo'' horror movies built around lowering the volume and having creatures jump out of the dark at you. It's a heavy, atmospheric film that revolves around Heidi's disturbing visions and the existential battle one has with his inner darkness. Confidence issues aside, I've enjoyed the more cerebral route taken by Rob Zombie. It seems like a natural evolution, a more mature, Kubrickian spin off themes that have always been present in his art. I'd even quality THE LORDS OF SALEM of a psychological horror movie, a subgenre that is too scarce in this day and age. A rather pleasant viewing if you're a lifelong horror movies fan like me. It'll bring back good memories.