We’re still in the Stephen King renaissance, baby.
Salem’s Lot, announced back in 2019, finally premiered on Max on October 3, 2024. At one point, fans weren’t even sure the film would see the light of day, as there were rumors it would be lumped in with other Warner Brothers cancellations like Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme.
Thankfully, we got to see the final product, even if there was no theatrical release. I read the book ages ago, and I was excited to see a new adaptation of what I consider to be one of the OG vampire stories.
Salem’s Lot follows Ben Mears, an author coming back to his hometown to do research for a new novel. The subject of his research is the Marsten House, a mysterious old mansion that looms over the small town of Jerusalem’s Lot. Coincidentally, the once-empty house has recently been inhabited by Kurt Barlow, a wealthy Austrian immigrant, and his business colleague Straker. Folks in the Lot are wary of newcomers, Ben included, but in the case of the Marsten House’s newest occupants, they couldn’t be more right.
At the risk of spoiling an over fifty-year-old book, this is a story about vampires.
Book adaptations can be a mixed bag, but none are more mixed than Stephen King. His writing is verbose and often very internal, following our focus character through every minuscule thought and feeling. This makes for a compelling read, but a difficult adaptation. I believe that this is the reason many screenplay writers decide to deviate heavily from the source material or fall victim to having the characters explain everything they do as they do it.
Salem’s Lot strikes a good balance of staying true to the story of the book while making changes when it makes sense. While some aspects are a bit rushed, overall the story is fun and you care what happens to the characters by the end.
Back in February, King called Salem’s Lot “old school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff.” While I was left wishing for a bigger payoff overall, I’m inclined to agree. The vampires themselves look great, and I applaud the use of practical effects on both Barlow and the townsfolk. The way the movie is shot is fantastic, with many clever uses of mirrors, fog, and lighting to create a very classic haunted house feel.
Lewis Pullman (Bad Times at the El Royale, The Ballad of Lefty Brown) helms the ship as Ben Mears, a classic Stephen King author protagonist. His performance in this is nothing special, but he’s not given much to do other than emote and run away from vampires. The same can be said for Makenzie Leigh (The Assistant), who was stuck in the unfortunate underdeveloped romance subplot. I was particularly dazzled by the performances of Bill Camp (Birdman, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) as elementary school teacher Matthew Burke and Alfre Woodard (Star Trek: First Contact, Annabelle) as Dr. Cody. They brought much-needed levity and character to the cast of characters, rounding out an otherwise kind of bland ensemble.
I do want to also highlight the performance of Jordan Preston Carter (Shaft, DMZ) as Mark Petrie. While he doesn’t emote much, watching him go absolutely ballistic on these vampires is peak camp and I loved it. A majority of the movie’s action scenes involve him, and he flows through them like a seasoned action star. It was a blast to watch.
Overall, I liked this movie, though I didn’t love it. I won’t lie that as a Stephen King fan, I may have graded this on a curve since many of his book adaptations really miss the mark (I’m looking at you, Lawnmower Man). This movie is fun, spooky, and a great crowd-pleaser for a Halloween party after a few beers. While it’s no It (2017), the King renaissance continues on, and with many more adaptations on the way, there’s no end in sight.