Lords of Salem (2012)

linktr.ee/CatchingUpOnCinema This October marks the return of Catching Up Cinema's annual, “Kyle's Killer October” month! All month long, Kyle will be taking creative control of the program, with this year's theme being an exploration of the filmography of Rob Zombie! This week, we review Rob Zombie's, Lords of Salem (2012)! Coming hot on the heels of his tenure on the Halloween franchise, Lords of Salem (2012) would see writer/director Rob Zombie trade the more substantial budgets of mainstream horror, in favor of the creative control offered by operating within the micro-budgeted world of Blumhouse Productions. Produced on a $1.5 million budget, Lords of Salem stands apart from the vast majority of Zombie's filmography, offering a more existential and supernatural brand of horror than the director's more typically immediate and visceral fare. Possessed of occasionally psychedelic visuals, and a plot progression that seems intentionally vague and distorted, Lords of Salem is clearly a labor of love from director Zombie, though the fruits of said labor are unfortunately meted out in fits and spurts. Showcasing many of his strengths in the form of fascinating audio-visual design, while downplaying most of his major weaknesses, namely crass and unnatural dialogue, Lords of Salem is an atypical offering from director Rob Zombie, however in some ways it may one of his very best. Follow us on Instagram @catchinguponcinema Follow us on Twitter @CatchingCinema Like, share, subscribe, and we'll catch you next time!