The Lords of Salem

Art horror wannabe that is actually a very empty movie with a shiny coat; simply disappointing. The visuals are brilliant and some scenes have their charm, but overall it was nothing. The fact that almost every “scary scene” ends with Rob Zombie’s weird looking wife waking up highlights how autotelic it all is (and the more scenes like that the more ridiculous it gets). House of 1000 Corpses was also autotelic, but at least it was fun. Lords of Salem is not fun, quite the opposite – its showy ambitions end up being annoying. And Sheri Moon Zombie might be a good wife, but putting her in a relatively demanding main role (a character standing between reality and her terrifying dream visions) wasn’t a very good idea, her performance is unconvincing. The Lords of Salem is also proof that too much creative freedom can sometimes hurt – at least the viewer. Written as someone who’s not a fan of Zombie. 5/10 (24.04.2013)

With all due respect to Rob, for me, this is a "no!" I appreciate the aesthetic games with the scenery, which I admired in the second Halloween film but I am not able to digest this plot even with all my will. The first two-thirds do exactly the way we like from Rob, which is to say the atmosphere is very evil and the characters are dragged through hints of physically unpleasant experiences. The final third, however, is an escape into another dimension, in which you try to decipher what is at stake, only to find yourself completely clueless at the end, which is the worst possible calling card. Rob doesn't make audience films that are for everyone, but I thought we had a perfect rapport over the years. Apparently not. 2 and a ½. (25.04.2013)

Zombie kehrt endlich zu seinem ursprünglichen Material zurück, was jedoch die Frage aufwirft, ob es gut für seine Fans ist. The Lords of Salem werden aus etwas andersartigem Teig gemacht, als viele erwartet hätten. Rob legt hier großen Wert auf visuelle und emotionale Aspekte: es wimmelt hier von bizarr wirkenden Szenen, surrealistischen Bildern (schon sein zweites Halloween war damit getränkt) und einer disharmonischen Stimmung. Zombie bändigt nicht nur seine scharfe Ausdrucksweise und seine Vorliebe für Explizites, sondern arbeitet stattdessen eher mit Musik und Spannung, was einen ehrgeizigeren und reiferen Eindruck erweckt. Dieser angebliche künstlerische Wert wird jedoch im letzten Drittel abgestoßen und verdammt, wenn Ihnen klar wird, dass dieser Weg absolut nirgendwohin führt, geschweige denn zur versprochenen Hölle. Es besteht also die Gefahr einer Wiederholung mit Untertiteln - ich möchte mich vergewissern, ob mir nichts entgeht. (24.04.2013)