'Lords of Salem' Director Rob Zombie Scouts Locations

Occult filmmaker Rob Zombie visited the City last week to scout locations for Lords of Salem, which will be shot this spring, beginning in about two weeks.

Zombie posted photographs on the official Lords blog on Sunday, showing locations around Salem, including the , the statue of , the , and a few residential streets.

"And so it begins," the blog post said. "Great town, great locations ... Much more to come since we are now moving full steam ahead."

In a recent interview with Empire, Zombie said filming should begin around April 16, with a theatrical release for the film in 2012.

The basis of the film is the Salem witch trials. The plot revolves around a coven of four witches who were killed 300 years ago and return to modern day Salem.

Lords of Salem isn't the first feature film to be shot in the City — the 1993 movie Hocus Pocus was filmed here and Bride Wars was filmed in the City two years ago.

Kate Fox, executive director of , said the nonprofit occasionally helps filmmakers scout locations around the City.

"We act as a liason between crews and the sites they'd like to use," Fox said.

The only requirement for a permit to film in the City is for productions that will stop traffic, Fox said.

"We would love to welcome more people filming," Fox added.