Momentum Pictures

Present

A Film By Rob Zombie

Directed by Rob Zombie

Produced by Rob Zombie, Jason Blum, Andy Gould, Oren Peli

Running time: 101 minutes Cetificate: TBC

Opens at selected UK cinemas on 19 April 2013

Press Contacts

Offline: Sarah Wharton – [email protected] Online and Music: Tom Hewson – [email protected]

For hi-res images/production notes and more, go to – www.fetch.fm FILMMAKERS

Director Rob Zombie

Written by Rob Zombie

Produced by Rob Zombie, Jason Blum, Andy Gould, Oren Peli,

Executive Produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Steven Schneider

Director of Photography Brandon Trost

Production Designer Jennifer Spence

Editor Glenn Garland

Music by John 5, Griffin Boice

Costume Designer Leah Butler

Casting by Monika Mikkelsen

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Rock music icon turned filmmaking auteur, Rob Zombie conjures up a nerve-wracking chiller involving Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie), a radio station DJ, who receives a wooden box containing a record, “a gift from the Lords.” Heidi listens and the bizarre sounds within the grooves immediately trigger flashbacks of Salem's violent past. Is Heidi going mad or are the Lords of Salem returning for revenge on modern day Salem?

LONG SYNOPSIS

Flashback to 1692 where a group of seven women are condemned to death during the Salem Witch trials for practicing witchcraft and summoning the Devil. This group of women call themselves the Lords of Salem. Prior to their execution, one of the women promises the judge two things: First, they will haunt the town as ghosts, and second, through the Judge who ordered them to be executed (John Nathaniel Hawthorne), Satan will be spawned.

Cut to present day - Heidi Hawthorne is a recovering drug addict and well known disc jockey at a Salem, Massachusetts radio station. One evening a mysterious wooden box appears at the radio station addressed to Adelheid Elizabeth Hawthorne (Heidi) from “The Lords”. Heidi takes the record home and not only does the record play backwards, but it triggers a series of blurred images into her head. Later that evening, she awakens in the middle of the night to find her apartment door wide open and her pet rat down the hall. After seizing her pet, Heidi is attacked by the ghosts of condemned witches.

A few days later, Heidi hosts Francis Matthias, a Salem historian and expert on the witch trials, on her radio show. Following the interview she plays the Lords album. While the record plays, three women, in cult-like fashion, murder their significant others. We later learn from Francis that the three women were all descendants of Salem townspeople who ordered the Lords of Salem to death.

That evening, Heidi makes it home to meet her neighbor, Lacy, and Lacy’s sisters, Megan and Sonny. After the sisters inform Heidi that they read palms and foreshadow her fate, Heidi is spooked and heads for her apartment. Later that evening the witches strike again and terrorize Heidi. Meanwhile, Francis begins making connections with the recent murders and the ancestors of Salem, and realizes that something bad is happening.

As the popularity of the Lords album increases, Heidi begins to lose herself physically and emotionally. People around her become more and more worried as she falls back into her drug addict patterns. One of these people is Lacy. One evening after Lacy comforts Heidi for all that she has been going through, Lacy and her sisters take Heidi to an alternate realm where she is impregnated by Satan.

Word of a concert for The Lords spreads around town. It is to be held at the Salem Palladium, a venue that has been shut down for years. Francis heads over to Heidi’s apartment to inform her about Lords’ connections to what has been going on in the town and his fear for what is about to happen in the town. He is greeted by Lacy and her sisters. Fearing he will reveal to Heidi what is happening and disrupt the coming of their Master (Satan), they kill him.

Meanwhile, the Palladium has filled with fans of The Lords who are eagerly waiting for the band to begin performing. After an unusual power outage the entire venue is transformed into a burning, smoky, barren forest. Heidi, who has become overpowered by the Devil and his seed, rises in the air and floats to the stage, where she gives birth to Satan’s spawn. In the midst of this, chaos ensues as promised by the Lords and what is left is a crucified Heidi and a destroyed Salem, Massachusetts.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

“In Salem, to renounce belief in the invisible world is the only disease permitted to afflict the stimulation of the imagination. Congregational strife in Salem Village makes this spectral evidence its own "violent tempest for compensation concerning the winter of The Lords" -- keep in mind that these elements alone are not enough to explain the phenomenon precisely known as the trials. It is because we seek independence, let us not be ungrateful to such a backlash and reversals of accustomed perspectives and valuations within the discovery and testimony of which she was tried for witchcraft. Should it help to confirm the suspicions that she was indeed a practicing witch -- to which the spirit has seen mischievousness and futility of the goat and shall have it raged against itself.

To thrive in this way is no small discipline and fascination for its lost future -- "The residents of Salem were after all, Puritans, which means they viewed their community not just as a group of individuals, but as a single entity united under the fist of God" (which is nonsensical because it was believed that a witch could harm someone by sticking pins and other objects into a poppet that represented the victim -- total absurdity within the realm of Margaret Morgan and the coven of six witches), but as is the ability to control one's knowing -- it is those who began pointing their fingers at others to take the conjecture and to dispose of them, so that only one covered in the shroud knows how to employ a variety of interpretations in the service of the mammoth (not merely over the appearance of the senses, but a much higher kind of worship when accusations of witchcraft became as common as chopping wood). This situation spawned extreme tension and cruelty against reason -- a voluptuous pleasure primed to reach its height when the primal society of reason declared that "flawless recitation did little in impeding the witch trials" but "there is a thread of truth in being trapped in the life of the sheep -- but reason is excluded from the flock!"

Only the goat knows free will so he will always be punished and weaned. The beast is not without sorrow that he and her child are to be separated at birth -- the beast who had first lain under her blood, rested at her breast no more.

So together for that brief while, the notion of any sight or sound exposed on film -- snares of such contradictory concepts as "pure reason in the eyes of God and beyond absolute spirituality". Henceforth, let us be on guard against the dangerous old conceptual fiction so near to the silver screen (supposing we were capable of this) and enjoy the hot buttered popcorn. Though this alone becomes something lacking; this world always demanded the "eye of absurdity" proclaim that, "No one has died as a convicted witch in America again after the Salem witch trial" -- but to this I must say -- hooray for Hollywood.”

~ Rob Zombie

CAST & FILMMAKER BIOS

ROB ZOMBIE (WRITER/DIRECTOR)

An auteur filmmaker with unlimited vision, Rob Zombie’s unique voice has gained him unparalleled recognition across the mediums of film, music and publishing. Zombie’s most recent cinematic feat, The Lords of Salem, is produced in association with Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, Oren Peli (Insidious, Paranormal Activity franchise), and Andy Gould. He’s had evident box office success with his re-imagining of John Carpenter’s Halloween in 2007, which premiered at #1 at the box office, breaking all Labor Day Weekend records and grossing over $80 million dollars worldwide. Having breathed new life into the Halloween franchise, he also helmed Halloween 2 (Dimension), in August 2009. Prior to that, Zombie wrote and directed the 2004 cult favorite House of 1000 Corpses (Lionsgate) and its companion, 2005’s critically acclaimed The Devil’s Rejects (Lionsgate). Zombie also added a twisted, R-rated animated feature to his roster, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (Starz), based on his own comic book series.

For the past two decades Zombie has also directed dozens of music videos, and was the first self-directed artist to win an MTV VMA. He’s also directed a special episode of the CBS’s wildly popular CSI: Miami, Tom Pappa’s Comedy Central special, and uncharacteristically macabre commercials for Woolite laundry detergent and AMDRO ant bait. As a musician, Rob Zombie is a 7 time Grammy-nominated recording artist, who has sold over fifteen million albums worldwide to date. Zombie still dominates the touring world, selling-out arenas around the globe, and toured the US on co-headline tours with the likes of Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, and Slayer. When it comes to any artistic feat or endeavor, leave it to Rob Zombie to challenge and stretch the bounds of imagination, and the comfort zones of his audience.

SHERI MOON ZOMBIE (HEIDI HAWTHORNE)

Sheri Moon Zombie takes us on a disturbing cinematic journey in her latest film The Lords of Salem, as Heidi Hawthorne, a local disc jockey sinking into madness as she struggles with her connection to Salem's macabre history. A cult icon in her own right and the perennial muse of husband Rob Zombie, Sheri started her career in the mid- 90s as an MTV staple, appearing in over a dozen music videos. In 2003, Sheri crossed over into film, starring in the cult favorite House of 1,000 Corpses (Lions Gate) as ‘Baby’. In 2005, she reprised this role in The Devil’s Rejects (Lions Gate), which garnered much critical acclaim. Sheri’s cocktail of innocence, sadism, and sexuality, along with an unforgettable cackle, elevated her to cult status among genre film fans. In addition, the villainous role earned her a Spike TV's Scream Award and a Fuse Chainsaw Award.

Bringing to life the role of Deborah Myers, Sheri Moon Zombie starred in the box office smash Halloween (2007 Dimension), as well as the sequel, H2 (2009 Dimension). The character, which never appeared in the classic John Carpenters films, gave a depth and history to sociopath Michael Myers that audiences had never before seen. Sheri has also appeared in horror legend Tobe Hooper’s film Toolbox Murders, as well as a faux film trailer Werewolf Women of the S.S. (for Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse, Dimension). On the small screen Sheri has popped up on episodes of Showtime’s hit show Californication and the long running staple CSI: Miami . Sheri also proved to be an exceptional voice-over talent in the role of Suzi-X, an ass-kicking secret agent, in the R- rated, animated feature The Haunted World of El Superbeasto.

JEFFREY DANIEL PHILLIPS (HERMAN “WHITEY” SALVATORE)

A native of Chicago, Jeff Daniel Phillips’ artistic pursuits began in Fine Arts abroad and evolved into Film Making at USC. After graduation, he developed a career both behind and in front of the camera. Jeff is probably best known for his originating the Geico Caveman character, appearing in the majority of commercial spots, the Television show and multiple Internet sites. In addition to his Commercial work, he has delivered award- winning performances on stage in the states and Europe, on television and in films such as Sneakers, Zodiac and most recently, a western titled: The Last Duane with Danny Trejo and Jason Patric.

Recognizing Jeff’s dedication to character work, Rob Zombie has continually cast him in his most prominent roles to date: H2, the upcoming Eugene S. Van Dekak web series for the Nerdist Channel and The Lords of Salem, marking Jeff’s first leading role in a major motion picture. The Lords of Salem premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival 2012.

PRODUCTION

ALLIANCE

Alliance Films, Inc. is one of the top five independent filmed entertainment companies in the world. A leading multinational distributor, co-financier and producer of filmed entertainment, its member companies, Alliance Films and Alliance Vivafilm (Canada); Momentum Pictures (UK) and Aurum Producciones (Spain), offer integrated delivery of content in all media.

Strategic partnerships include exclusive distribution rights to films from Relativity Media in Canada and the UK and Summit in Spain ; Focus Features, Lionsgate, The Weinstein Company, and CBS Films in Canada; as well as ongoing relationships with , FilmNation Entertainment, Exclusive Media, IM Global, Lionsgate International, Wild Bunch, Constantin Films, EuropaCorp and Nu Image in all three territories.

Key production alliances include: a co-production and acquisitions deal with Italy’s Medusa Film; a first-look deal with Iain Canning and Emile Sherman’s See-Saw Films which produced the multiple Academy Award® winner The King’s Speech and Steve McQueen’s Shame; a joint venture with IM Global in the Automatik production company; and a deal with Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum that has generated the box office hit Insidious from director James Wan, The Bay from filmmaker Barry Levinson, Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem , Scott Derricksons’ Sinister and Jay Shandrasekhar’s The Babymakers ; and also, a co-production deal with Exclusive Media, Cross Creek and Hammer, for James Watkins’ The Woman in Black.

Current and upcoming films where Alliance Films has an equity position or otherwise enabled projects to be financed include: Antiviral, The Woman in Black 2, Insidious 2 and The Enemy

AUTOMATIK

Automatik is a Los Angeles based production and financing company, a joint venture between IM Global and Alliance Films that produces four to six film projects per year.

Automatik’s first releases included Insidious, directed by James Wan; Safe, starring Jason Statham and directed by Boaz Yakin, and The Babymakers, starring Paul Schneider, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar. Films released in 2012 and 2013 include Sinister, starring Ethan Hawke and directed by Scott Derrickson; Welcome to the Punch, starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong, directed by Eran Creevy; and Bullet to the Head, starring Sylvestor Stallone, directed by Walter Hill. Currently, Automatik is in production or post-production on several other features including Hummingbird, starring Jason Statham and directed by Steve Knight. Automatik has two films in the Toronto Film Festival this year: Lords of Salem, directed by Rob Zombie, and The Bay, directed by Barry Levinson, both playing in the Midnight Madness section.

IM GLOBAL

Stuart Ford founded IM Global in 2007. The company is one of the leading film financing, sales and distribution companies in the world, championing a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial, art house, foreign language and genre fare. The company is now comprised of six divisions: IM Global Opus, for mainstream, commercial cinema; IM Global Acclaim, for critically acclaimed arthouse and specialty cinema; IM Global Anthem, for the best of non-English language cinema from around the world; IM Global Octane, for branded genre fare; IM Global Apsara, a rights acquisition and distribution vehicle that serves the rapidly evolving Asian markets which has a multi-territory output deal with BVI; and Automatik, a production and financing joint venture with Alliance Films focused on films in the $5 million - $15 million range. In May 2010, Reliance Entertainment, part of Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group, acquired a majority shareholding in the company.