Rob Zombie dives back into the grizzly world of live-action feature films, following his two-run reboot stand of the Halloween franchise, with this tale about a radio DJ (Sheri Moon Zombie) who receives a record with a message — “a gift from the Lords” — that seems to trigger images documenting the dark past of her community. Questions abound: Are the images real or is the DJ losing her mind? And if the horrific scenes are real, are they a harbinger of a return of the Lords, intent on exacting some kind of revenge? If nothing else, The Lords of Salem is pure Zombie, steeped in unflinching violence and contemporary mythology. Now open in select theaters. (R) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2013.