Printable Tire's Reviews > The Lords of Salem

Like probably everybody else, I read this because Brian Evenson, a usually interesting writer, "co-wrote" it with Zombie, an at first interesting director who has long since outstayed his welcome in the horror movie genre.

Frankly, if it DIDN'T end with Satan raping the main character I would have been surprised. There's so much padding and passivity in this book that should by its very genre (a book) be more ambitious than its source material (a movie) because there's no budget constraints and there's interiority. Instead we get a lot of backstory about the characters but who needs more backstory? Give me a plot! Give me characters who may be eternally fucked but at least struggle with being fucked! Don't give me a story where the main character is introduced waking up and the next three chapters are her making coffee! This book ends JUST when it's getting interesting, just when it should have started. The only charm it has comes with the befuddled Francis and his wife. I kinda want to corner Evenson at some Brown party and ask him what the deal is.

Two days after finishing the book I watched the movie and in a lot of ways it's better: a Ken Russell fan film with dollops of Fire Walk with Me and Rosemary's Baby. It cuts out all the bullshit that fills up the book and has a pretty good cast. It's still not very... informative, but at least it's visually pleasing.