FILM · 2012 · CANADA
The Lords of Salem
25 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
25 Interesting Facts About The Lords of Salem
Interesting Facts (20)
- #001
The film contains no digital effects.
- #002
It was shot in the real town of Salem.
- #003
Rob Zombie wrote the film's novelization himself together with author Brian Evenson. According to Zombie, the novelization is based on his original script, which differs significantly from the final script used for the film.
- #004
Rob Zombie envisioned the witches as Manson-like hippies.
- #005
The scene in which they first try to play the record took some time to shoot because they were working out how to create the effect of the needle jumping on the LP. While the effects team worked on a filament line, another crew member suggested lifting the needle off the arm.
- #006
The goat seen in the film was named Noodles.
- #007
Rob Zombie implied that this film is a metaphorical and spiritual prequel to his Halloween films.
- #008
In Heidi's room there is a mural depicting the moon from the 1902 film A Trip to the Moon.
- #009
Rob Zombie described the film as "If Ken Russell directed The Shining (1980)".
- #010
The scene inside the church was shot in ten minutes.
- #011
The footage was shot with Daniel Roebuck playing a serial killer he interviews on TV, but Rob Zombie decided instead to use clips from old films featuring masked characters.
- #012
An earlier cut of the film began in 1996.
- #013
It is Lisa Marie's first film in over 11 years.
- #014
The Lords of Salem was Rob Zombie's first film shot digitally.
- #015
All the scenes of the women listening to the Lords of Salem music on the radio were shot in a single house.
- #016
The music performed by Lords of Salem was played live in the studio.
- #017
Among the actors considered for certain roles were Richard O'Brien (who was not available) and Hammer girl Caroline Munro, and the part ultimately went to Judy Geeson, another favorite of the genre.
- #018
The original script was bloodier and much scarier, and it was faster.
- #019
In Spain, The Lords of Salem was released with subtitles in only 2 cinemas (Madrid: Kinépolis / Barcelona: Cinesa Herón City). The film was seen by 413 viewers. It was also re-released with subtitles in Barcelona (Phenomena) for 1 day in 2016.
- #020
Ten minutes in, a giant billboard showing the cover of the J Geils Band's 1973 album "Bloodshot" appears on the wall of the radio station.
Production Story (1)
- #021
Billy Drago appears in all of the cast lists for The Lords of Salem even though he had already left the project before filming began.
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #022
According to Sid Haig, to prevent any leaks, the actors were given only the parts of the script containing their own scenes.
Characters & Cast (3)
- #023
Goldie Hawn was considered for the role of Margaret Morgan.
- #024
Richard Lynch did not have to audition for the role of Reverend John Hawthorne, but Rob Zombie cast him based on their previous collaboration on Halloween (2007). This was a mistake; according to Michael Berryman's account, Lynch arrived on set nearly blind and unprepared (he had not memorized his lines). Reverend Hawthorne was supposed to appear in the opening pre-title sequence, in which Andrew Prine was Judge Mather and Berryman and Sid Haig were the Witch Hunter brothers. Zombie tried to shoot around Lynch but could not. Because the budget was stretched this way, it was not possible to shoot the scene for one more day. Zombie initially planned to add an additional scene with Hawthorne in a studio setting to salvage the scenes, but unfortunately Lynch passed away before this could be done. With no options left, the scene was shot with Prine as the Reverend, and the existing footage was arranged so that Prine appeared to be playing the character, and Lynch was cut from the film. These problems also led to the deletion of several subplots involving the descendants of Haig's and Berryman's characters, as well as Prine's descendant of the original character, Masie, played by Dustin Quick.
- #025
Joey Gentile originally auditioned for the role of Jarret Perkins, but was later asked to read for an entirely different role and was ultimately cut from the theatrical release.
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work