Rob Zombie says The Lords of Salem will be practical FX heavy, no plans for CGI

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Whether you like Rob Zombie’s films or not, you have to respect a filmmaker who keeps his fans up to date. Not only does he keep his own blog on which reveals some exclusive details, but he has recently been using it to answer questions from fans. Naturally, the subject of his upcoming effort, THE LORDS OF SALEM, has been brought up. In the latest Q&A session, Zombie spoke about the film’s special effects.

“At this time there are no plans to use any CGI in LORDS. I am not a fan of it although I think it can be very effective it used in very subtle ways. But no one uses it that way. To me most live action films are basically turning into animated films. I also think even great actors come off as stiff and awkward when shot on a green screen.”

“We have begun working, but not shooting yet. This is a very practical FXs heavy film, so that department has been working for awhile building insane shit. I will start after the summer. No one is on board yet but casting will start very soon.”

Rob Zombie’s latest is still in pre-production, but I think it will be worth the wait if we’re getting quality practical effects instead of cheesy CGI. Wayne Toth, who has worked on all of Zombie’s previous efforts, will once again be designing the special effects. Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Steven Schneider are producing for Haunted Movies.

The story is about a local DJ who mistakenly unleashes a hellish curse on the town. 300 years earlier on the very streets of Salem that the townspeople walk on today, innocent folks were rounded up from their homes, convicted of being witches and sentenced to death. The Lords of Salem ran the town with an iron fist, but four witches who were tortured and killed in secrecy vowed that one day they would be back for revenge.