Salem´s Lot

I believe that most horror fans all over the world can agree that author Stephen King have written some of the most classic horror books ever. If you woud ask fans of his books which one is your personal favourite i guarantee you will get a lot of different answers. One of my personal favourite Stephen King novels is known as Misery ( and i really love the film adaptation with legendary actors James Caan and Kathy Bates ) and i usually don´t read the same novel more than one time. When it comes to Misery i have actually read that novel three times and that does barely ever happen. Over the years i have read a couple of Stephen King novels although i know i have plenty of them that i have not read yet. It´s the same thing with me everytime i start reading a book, i only read a certain amount of pages and then it can take weeks before i continue. However i am planning to read more of his noves closer to my retirement ( i have at least 20 years left to work, so always good to have something on the bucket list ). Since we are talking about the novels of legendary author Stephen King let´s dive into one of his books known as Salem´s Lot released in 1975. I have not personally read this book so far ( but it´s going on my bucket list i promise ) but i have seen the legendary TV mini series released in 1979. Now, if you are a fan of vampire horror films in general i have a feeling you will enjoy this TV mini series ( 3 hours long ). The story takes place in th small town of Salem´s Lot where author Ben Mears ( David Soul ) return to his hometown to write a book regarding a very mysterious house known as the Marsten House. The owner of the house Richard Straker ( James Mason ) is a local antique shop owner in Salem´s Lot and Ben is suspicious about what is happening in the Marsten House after people suddenly disappear. They later return but in the shape of a vampire. Salem´s Lot is a very well made horror TV mini series and have some really good vampire make up effects as well as a solid story considering running for 3 hours. Great acting as well especially from legendary actor James Mason ( who Alfred Hitchcock fans remember from the classic North by Northwest ). A sequel came out in 1987 called A Return To Salem´s Lot and to be honest it´s not good. A TV mini series remake of Salem´s Lot came out in 2004 with a great cast such as Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland and Rutger Hauer. I enjoy this remake even though i prefer the 1979 version. So, after many years and much buzz regarding a new film adaptation of Salem´t Lot it have finally been released on MAX. A new film adaptation of the classic novel, is this latest version better than i expected or is this not what fans of Stephen King film adaptations asked for at all?

Writer Ben Mears ( Lewis Pullman ) returns to his hometown of Jerusalem´s Lot to write a book about his childhood. He befriends and starts a romantic relationship with Susan Norton ( Mackenzie Leigh ), a local who has an overbearing mother and dreams of leaving town. In this town a strange European man called Richard Straker ( Pilou Asbaek ) opens up an antique store and moves into the long-abandoned Marsten House. When children and other people in town suddenly vanish Ben starts to investigate more what is going on, and it seems that the Marsten House is connected to this mystery.

I think we should be fair and say that taking on a new film adaptation of such a beloved book such as Salem´s Lot is not easy to do. You have to respect the fans of the book as well as try and tell a story that feels like something similar to the original story and still be able to make some changes. When it comes to this laterst version i will say this, first of all i think the film crew did a great job capturing the time perion of the 70´s. Everything from the costume design to hair styles and especially the town itself looks like it is during the 1970´s and to me that shows they actually made an attempt to make the time period look correctly. The sountrack does include songs from the 1970´s and one song that really fit in well is Gordon Lightfoot´s classic 1974 song Sundown ( a perfect choice for a vampire movie right? ). I am impressed by the children actors in this film and they reminded me a bit of the chemistry the children had in the 2017 horror film IT ( not as good acting wise as the children in that film, but still surprised me ). Lead actor Lewis Pullman ( who you have to see in the lovely film Bad Times At The El Royale ) as author Ben Mears delivers a solid performance and it´s nice to see him return to the horror genre. The vampire design looks alright i suppose but it is the vampire lord Kurt Barlow ( played by actor Alexander Ward ) who steals the show. I do like the performance from actor Bill Camp as the teacher Matthew, a small town rebel who don´t like bully´s. If i have to say something negative it might be that it takes a while before the film really finds it´s rightful place. That doesn´t mean this makes the film bad in any way, maybe i just wished that the horror atmosphere would have been more creepy regarding the vampires. I also feel certain details are left out sinc this is over an hour shorter than the TV mini series. Either way i have to say for a remake i enjoy this film and i am actually surprised how well they pulled this film off. It does have some flaws but if you are a vampire fan and prefer old school films in this genre i think you might actually appreciate that they tried to make this film feel like vampire films of the past. Director Gary Dauberman ( who directed Annabelle Comes Home as well ) have done a great job with this remake and in my opinion this is better than Annabelle Comes Home, a film i was disappointed in back in 2019. His version of Salem´s Lot manage to stand on it´s own and still pay respect to the 1979 TV mini series. If you love vampires you should watch this film on MAX for sure, nice to see someone trying to bring back this genre back on it´s feet.

Rating: DDD