Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem to Begin Shooting this Spring

 
Alliance Films and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY producers Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and Steven Schneider under their Haunted Movies banner will unveil the first images of Barry Levinson’s (You Don’t Know Jack, Rain Man) THE BAY in Berlin.  The companies have a multiple picture deal whereby Alliance Films is fully financing the films and retaining distribution in its territories, the UK (via Momentum), Canada (via Alliance) and Spain (via Aurum).  

The first film in the series, James Wan’s INSIDIOUS made its debut at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival where it was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group and will be released wide in the U.S. April 1st through FilmDistrict.  Next is Barry Levinson’s THE BAY, which marks his first foray into the genre.  The film follows a terrifying viral outbreak on the Eastern Seaboard.   The third film in the trio is Rob Zombie’s THE LORDS OF SALEM, which will begin shooting this spring. 

Octane, the genre arm of IM Global will be handling international sales for THE LORDS OF SALEM in Berlin.  International rights for INSIDIOUS and THE BAY have been sold by Octane. FilmDistrict will be releasing INSIDIOUS in the US.
 
Xavier Marchand, President Worldwide Distribution said, “We are elated to work with masters of the genre such as James and Rob and are equally delighted to have an Oscar winning director of the caliber of Barry Levinson bring his fresh take on this genre. The Bay will thrill fans and we look forward to unveiling the first images of the film at IM Global's office in Berlin.”
Producer Jason Blum said, “We can’t wait to unveil the first images from Barry Levinson’s terrifying new movie The Bay and to showcase Insidious and Lords of Salem for the international market. It’s been a privilege to collaborate with the team at Alliance which has given us the creative control to develop such dynamic projects from these three spectacularly talented filmmakers.”

With filming scheduled to begin spring 2011, Rob Zombie will write and direct THE LORDS OF SALEM.  The thriller is set in contemporary Salem, where the inhabitants receive a demonic visit from a 300-year old coven of witches.  Zombie’s producing partner Andy Gould will produce alongside Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Steven Schneider. Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik and the Alliance / IM Global joint venture are executive producers on both films.
 
INSIDIOUS, from James Wan and Leigh Whannell (creators of the SAW franchise) follows a family with three children, and when tragedy strikes their youngest son, they begin to experience things that science can’t explain.

Haunted Movies is also getting into the television space with THE RIVER, a horror drama in the vein of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY about a family who travels to the deep Amazon to locate and rescue their missing father, which just landed at ABC.