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tiff 2012

Sheri Moon Zombie in a scene from The Lords of Salem.

Okay, my TIFF work is done. Cut, it's a wrap, etc.

You see, I made the Scream Queen scream.

Sheri Moon Zombie is at the festival with her husband, Rob Zombie, the shock-rocking musician and filmmaker. He wrote and directed The Lords of Salem, a witchy movie starring his wife. She's appeared previously in his films, and she's been known to screech it up pretty good.

The new film involves a song that, when played, sets an ancient curse and entrancing response in motion. The progression of musical notes is moody, ponderous and ominous – the opposite of easy listening. When I hummed the scary tune, Sheri Moon Zombie freaked out a little bit. "Oh no," she shrieked during our interview. "I had forgotten that song!"

The thing is, the movie itself doesn't involve much screaming. "With the Halloween movies, there was a lot of physical violence," said Rob Zombie, referring to his slasher film and its sequel. "I kind of wanted this to be the exact opposite, which meant no screaming."

Asked about heavy-metal music and its rumoured hypnotic properties, the director scoffs. "I wish that there were certain note combinations that could control people's minds. But it doesn't work – I've tried."

When asked what kind of message he would sublimely set inside his music, he suggested something along the lines of, "Please buy my record." His wife then suggested something more altruistic: "Peace on Earth."

Heh heh – peace on Earth! What a scream.

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