The latest edition of Scout Tafoya’s “The Unloved” video essay series focuses on Rob Zombie’s “The Lords of Salem,” which the critic calls the writer/director’s finest work to date. While observing how the movie's world is painted by various genre influences, like Ken Russell's “The Devils” or Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining,” Tafoya also explores how the horror film beautifully captures the isolation of depression, as experienced by its main character. A strong case is also made for the special power within Zombie’s authorship, one that is filled with terror and darkness: “He doesn’t want to just scare us, if anything his relationship with the vile things on-screen is closer to friendship. He celebrates the horrific … there’s love in every frame.”

The Unloved - The Lords of Salem from Scout Tafoya on Vimeo.