SALEM’S LOT (2024) – Decent old school adaptation of a familiar vampire tale

This is a remake of that well-known and beloved 1975 novel by Stephen King. It was previously adapted into TV miniseries twice in 1979 and 2004. This time, the film makers chose to adapt this as a full-length feature rather than a miniseries. It is arguable whether this works better as a miniseries or as a full-length feature especially since I have no recollection of how the TV series were. What is noticeable about this latest adaptation is that it does suffer a little from the feeling of it being rushed. There is so many characters and plot developments to cover within the confines of the less than 2 hours. Perhaps the most apparent downside is in the under-development of its main characters, Ben Mears, the author who returns to Salem’s Lot in search of inspiration, and his love interest, Susan. Some other crucial supporting characters, like the young vampire hunter, Mark Petrie and the town’s doctor and priest could have also been given more substantial representation.

What we do get is a solid piece of vampire tale complete with all the familiar Stephen King trademarks. It brought back a bit of nostalgia with its old school treatment of vampire stories and the age-old maneuvers on how to confront and kill these vermins. While the film stays away from being overly gory in the violence, there was certainly no sparing in terms of the body count which kept us on the edge of our seats. Despite being numbed by today’s no hold bar gore in the horror genre, the sight of floating kid vampires still makes me cringe with discomfort. The director, Gary Dauberman is known more for his involvement in screenplays for a number of horror films including films in the Conjuring universe. While the film was decently directed, his style here seems conventional and not particularly bold.

The cast is made up on of unfamiliar faces and not given the chance to shine because of the limited screentime. The main vampire and antagonist, Mr Barlow, has a frightening presence but again, could have benefited from a meatier presence. The make up and style is reminiscent of the traditional way Count Dracula looked in early horror movies. His inevitable defeat felt too quick and easy.

Nevertheless, I did enjoyed Salem’s Lot despite all its short comings. It’s a good feature to watch in this month of October as we get swept by a flood of horror themed movies in conjunction with Halloween at the end of the month. Let the haunting season begin!