Try as we might, we just can’t completely discount Rob Zombie. The guy definitely knows his horror and has crafted at least one certifiable genre classic (“The Devil’s Rejects”). And even when he botches a job, like oh, “Halloween II,” he has a weird little oddity waiting in the wings to delight and surprise (the supremely underrated direct-to-video animated film “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto”). So, yes, when a new Zombie project is announced, we’ll still approach it with cautious optimism and at least a little bit of excitement.
Deadline is reporting that Zombie will be partnering with the “Paranormal Activity” crew at Haunted Films (Jason Blum, Steven Schneider and director Oren Peli) for a tale of witches called “Lords of Salem” (cool title, but aren’t witches ladies? We refer you to Julian Sands in “Warlock.”)
According to the report, it’s set in contemporary Salem, where the modern day townspeople are menaced by a coven of 300-year-old witches. Aren’t they the worst? Also according to the report, it’s been an idea that Zombie has been brewing in the smoky cauldron of his brain for a while but finally decided to pull the trigger after backing out of a proposed “Blob” remake (thank god), citing the creative freedom that production company Haunted Films would award him. “What excited me most was Jason saying, you can have total control over the script, casting and final cut,” Zombie said. The next Haunted Films joint is the bizarre-sounding eco-thriller from Barry Levinson “The Bay.”