Watch Marilyn Manson dial up the creepy in Salem trailer

Marilyn Manson as Thomas Dinley
Marilyn Manson as Thomas Dinley (Image credit: Sam Lothridge)

Marilyn Manson features in a teaser trailer for the third season of Salem.

The shock rocker plays Thomas Dinley, a “barber and surgeon who is the go-to man in Salem, from a shave and a haircut to being leeched, bled, sliced open or sewn up,” according to the show’s official character description.

Manson also co-wrote the show’s opening theme song Cupid Carries A Gun with composer Tyler Bates. It was lifted from Manson’s latest album The Pale Emperor.

The third season of the supernatural drama series premieres on WGN America on November 2.

Manson says: “My character ends up being something that could be called the devil’s advocate or the devil’s best friend. He has no moral balance.

“The place where Dinley operates his business is not dissimilar to my home. I collect a lot of medical devices.”

Though series creators Brannon Braga and Adam Simon didn’t write Dinley’s character with the rockstar in mind, Braga says that Manson “brought the character to life instantly” with his “inherent, exquisite weirdness.”

He adds: “He’s Vidal Sassoon and Jack the Ripper. And there’s definitely some Sweeney Todd mixed into the character as well.

“Don’t be surprised if you see a meat pie or two.”

Manson has previously had roles in TV shows Sons Of Anarchy and Californication, and plays a Native American hitman in film Let Me Make You A Martyr.

He’s set to release 10th album Say10 on February 14 next year.

Marilyn Manson remaining tour dates 2016

Aug 11: Auburn White River Amphitheatre, WA
Aug 13: Concord Concord Pavilion, CA
Aug 14: Inglewood The Forum, CA
Aug 17: Chula Vista Sleep Train Amphitheatre, CA
Aug 19: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater, NM
Aug 20: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Aug 21: Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, NV
Aug 25: Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion, TX
Aug 26: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Aug 27: Austin 360 Amphitheater, TX
Sep 25: San Manuel Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, CA
Oct 15-16: Toluca Knotfest, Mexico
Nov 05: Tokyo Knotfest, Japan

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Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.