From the mind of Rob Zombie, The Lords of Salem is a chilling tale of horror set in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts.  When radio station DJ Heidi Hawthorne (Sheri Moon Zombie) receives a strange wooden box containing a record that’s a gift from The Lords, the bizarre sounds within the grooves trigger flashbacks of the town’s violent past that lead Heidi to question whether she’s going mad.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, Rob Zombie talked about how this idea came about, the adjustments he had to make to allow for the low budget, having new script pages for the actors on a daily basis, whether record executives or music producers are more difficult to deal with, how challenging special effects can be, that he’s intentionally tried to keep as much of the film a secret as possible, how the companion book is essentially the original script that they didn’t get to make, and how he determines what works and what doesn’t for the final cut of his films.  He also talked about being soured on directing episode television again, that he’ll be heading out on tour for his new album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, in June, and how his next film, Broad Street Bullies, is a true life hockey story.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.  

From writer/director Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses) comes a new trailer, poster and release date for The Lords of Salem.  The second trailer is a bit more conventional than the previously released one, but still skewed toward Zombie fans.  The Lords of Salem centers on a radio station DJ who receives a musical gift that appears to have awoken a powerful coven of witches.  Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Clint Howard, Bruce Davison and Sid Haig, The Lords of Salem opens April 19th.  Hit the jump to watch the new trailer and view the new poster.

Directed by Rob Zombie, the first trailer for The Lords of Salem has gone online.  The film follows a DJ’s unintentional reawakening of a 300-year-old coven of witches.  Zombie’s movies are usually over the top with gore and schlock (just the way I like it), but the use of Mozart’s “Requiem” accompanying this teaser trailer comes across as a bit more subtle.  Coming in just under two minutes, the trailer hints at what became of the 17th century coven, how they returned to contemporary times and what consequences that brings.  It’s interesting, but perhaps not enough to win over new fans. Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Clint Howard, Bruce Davison and Sid Haig, The Lords of Salem opens later this year.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

Rob Zombie, rocker and director of the Halloween reboot and sequel, is taking to the ice for his next project.  The multi-hyphenate plans to revisit the 1970s Philadelphia Flyers hockey team for a sports feature titled, Broad Street Bullies.  The Flyers of this era were a recently installed expansion team that developed a reputation for fielding enforcers and goons while also possessing a skilled group of players that paved the way to two Stanley Cups.  With Zombie on board, there’s sure to be an up-play on violence in a picture that harkens back to 1977′s cult classic, Slap Shot. Hit the jump for more on Broad Street Bullies.

We’ve got a bunch of new images for you from the following projects:

• Safe, starring Jason Statham, opens April 27th.
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, starring Benjamin Walker, opens June 22nd.
• Casa de mi Padre, starring Will Ferrell, opens March 16th.
• Aftershock, starring Eli Roth, opens next year.
• Byzantium, starring Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, opens later this year.
• The Lords of Salem, from writer/director Rob Zombie, opens later this year.
• The Croods, starring Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and Nicolas Cage, opens March 22nd of 2013.

Hit the jump to check them out.

Rob Zombie will direct the thriller The Lords of Salem this spring.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Zombie’s script is “set in contemporary Salem, where the inhabitants receive a demonic visit from a 300-year old coven of witches.”  I’m sure the coven comes by because they heard how swimmingly everything went for witches the last time they were in Salem area.  The film will be backed by Haunted Movies, which is a partnership between the UK’s Alliance films and Paranormal Activity producers Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and Steven Schneider.  Haunted Movies plans to sell the rights to The Lords of Salem at the European Film Market in Berlin.  They’ll also be showing footage from Barry Levinson’s upcoming film The Bay.

Rob Zombie has announced that he plans to make The Lords of Salem his next project.  The film will be a thriller “set in contemporary Salem, where the inhabitants receive a demonic visit from a 300-year old coven of witches.”  Zombie will be writing the screenplay while on tour and plans to shoot the film next year.  Hit the jump to find out what made Zombie stop his plans to remake The Blob.

“And on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done…and that night, he took to the stage at the Mayhem Festival and decreed that man would dig through the ditches and that he would burn through the witches and that he would slam in the back of my Dragula.” — The Gospel according to James Gunn.

Yes, the beloved geek filmmaker (Slither) revealed via Twitter that he’s cast heavy metal rocker/horror director Rob Zombie as the voice of God in his upcoming superhero send-up Super. The film stars Rainn Wilson as a man who’s wife falls into the clutches of a drug dealer; in an effort to rescue her, he becomes the (sure-to-be comically inept) superhero, The Crimson Bolt. The film also stars Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, and previous Gunn collaborators Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker and Captain Mal Reynolds himself, Nathan Fillion playing a character called The Holy Avenger. I don’t think I’m alone when I say: Can’t…Freaking…Wait.

David Fincher’s attempt to remake the 1981 rock sci-fi/fantasy Heavy Metal (which was based on the 70s dark sci-fi/fantasy erotic magazine of the same name) hit a serious roadbump when Paramount Pictures decided to drop the project, but now the film is starting to regain some steam.  Deadline confirms a report from last June that James Cameron has come on board to direct one of the films segments as will Watchmen director Zack Snyder.  Their involvement is noteworthy because ever since Paramount dropped the project, its status and contributors have been unknown.  However, there’s currently no word if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator and Heavy Metal magazine publisher Kevin Eastman, Blur Studios’ Tim Miller, or any of the other names previously associated with the project will return.

Deadline also notes, to the surprise of no one, that all the segments will be in 3D.

Hit the jump for a brief history on the Heavy Metal remake.

It would seem the Weinstein Company is growing antsy in the wake of an under-performing opening weekend for “Halloween II,” Rob Zombie’s latest entry to the rebooted franchise. IMDb reports the slasher has come in with $17.4M thus far, putting it well behind “The Final Destination” and “Inglourious Basterds,” which is in its second weekend. Apparently, this figure is enough to merit a sequel, but not with horror powerhouse Rob Zombie at the helm. More details after the jump.

This weekend’s box office race represents that rare instance in the usually well-plotted Hollywood release schedule when two films, aimed at precisely the same target audience, were unveiled on the same Friday.  The calendar-challenged competitors in question were Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II” and WB/New Line’s “The Final Destination”… two horror franchises, two hard-R ratings.  But, on summer’s final Friday, “The Final Destination” got the jump on its rival thanks to those extra-lucrative 3D ticket prices.  It’s not all bad news for the the Weinsteins, however.  “Inglourious Basterds” held better than expected on its second Friday, which means that both of the struggling studio’s current releases may be battling for second place by Sunday.  Check back tomorrow when all final destinations are revealed.

With his sequel to 2007′s “Halloween” remake in the can, it looks like writer/director/producer Rob Zombie’s set his sights on a new franchise: “The Blob”. This late 50′s Steve McQueen classic told the story of a red alien mass that consumes all it touches. But Zombie says he has a few ideas of his own to vary his from the original. More on Zombie’s shocking new take after the jump.

I had the chance to attend the press event for Rob Zombie’s newest film, Halloween II, and, while they made it expressly clear that the print of the film that we viewed was not a reviewable copy (bullshit), I was lucky enough to participate in a roundtable interview with the people responsible. So, while my specific thoughts on the film in any reviewable format are not an option, the land of press relations can sometimes be a fruitful one, and Mr. Zombie was candid enough to give us insight into the continuously depressing state of film production, information about a possible, upcoming project, and confirmation that there is indeed a 2nd cut of the film. So, enjoy the interview, and, if you’re a fan, be sure to check out Halloween II this Friday.