Salem's Lot (1979)
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 The ultimate in terror!
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Salem's Lot (also known as Salem's Lot: The Movie, Salem's Lot: The Miniseries and Blood Thirst) is a 1979 American horror miniseries television adaptation of the 1975 horror novel of the same name by Stephen King. Directed by Tobe Hooper and starring David Soul and James Mason, Salem's Lot combines elements of the vampire film and haunted house subgenres of horror.
Plot
Ben Mears returns to Salem, finding the formerly warm and friendly community to be downright sinister; he suspects that the bizarre behaviour of his old neighbours is due to the work of an eccentric antiques dealer.
Why It Rocks
- This, along with It (1990), is one the most horrifying and highly praised Stephen King mini-series adaptations.
- The movie's plot is handled and put out very well as we learn more about the town of Salem’s Lot, Maine.
- The actors performances are spot-on, especially from David Soul as Ben Mears and Reggie Nalder as Kurt Barlow.
- Many creative adjustments from the novel that make the film much more scary and suspenseful.
- While the miniseries may not be 100% faithful, it is still faithful to Stephen King's 1975 novel of the same name.
- The scenes are very serious, nightmare-fueled and well-executed, such as the scene where Danny appears to his brother, Ralphie, through the bedroom window while levitating.
- Another one is that the prison scene where a man is awakened to a clawed hand opening his cell and when he takes a closer look, we see the sudden appearance of Barlow's face.
- The design for the main vampire/antagonist of the film, Kurt Barlow, is enough to strike fear into the viewers.
- The side plot of Ben Mears having a romantic relationship with a woman named Susan is pretty decent.
- Interesting, relatable and well-developed characters, such as Ben Mears, Susan, Mark Petrie, Richard Straker, etc.
The Only Bad Quality
- There are several disloyalties to the source material.
Reception
Salem's Lot has received generally positive reviews, praising the film's atmosphere, cinematography, Hooper's direction, and scares. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports 88% of critics gave the miniseries positive write-ups based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Director Tobe Hooper and a devilishly charismatic James Mason elevate this television adaptation of the Stephen King novel, injecting the vampiric tradition with fresh blood and lingering scares." British film critic Mark Kermode has called it "very scary" and "one of the very best screen adaptations of a Stephen King novel to date." Helen O'Hara of Empire Magazine gave the film three out of five stars. American critic Leonard Maltin called it "A well-made hellraiser." Time Out praised "Hooper's fluid camerawork, creepy atmospherics, and skilful handling of the gripping climax." Salem's Lot was also placed on Time Out's list of best vampire films. The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review called it "one of the most underrated of all King adaptations". Brian McKay of eFilm Critic wrote "Although I'll admit it is incredibly dated, it still manages to be thoroughly creepy."
New adaptation and legacy
On April 23, 2019, New Line Cinema announced that a theatrical film based on the novel would be made, with Annabelle Comes Home director, Gary Dauberman and The Conjuring director, James Wan producing. Dauberman wrote the screenplay for It and It Chapter Two. Writer Gary Dauberman told Den of Geek in June 2019 that his goal with the new version of Salem's Lot is to make vampires frightening again. He wants to get away from the sexier, more romanticized undead that have infested pop culture for much of the past quarter century, thanks to everything from Interview with the Vampire to Twilight to The Vampire Diaries. Gary Dauberman was confirmed as director on April 10, 2020. In August 2021, Lewis Pullman was cast in the film's lead role, with Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, and Spencer Treat Clark joining the cast. In September, Alfre Woodard was cast as Dr. Cody, a female character who in the novel is a man. Filming began that same month in Boston, with William Sadler announcing he will also star. Salem's Lot is scheduled to be released September 9, 2022 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was shown at the CinemaCon in April 2022.
Videos
Trivia
- Salem's Lot was planned to turn the 400-page novel by Stephen King into a feature film, while still remaining faithful to the source material. However, the project was eventually turned over to Warner Bros. Television and producer Richard Kobritz decided Salem's Lot would work better as a television miniseries than as a feature film format due to the novel's length.