Directed by Gary Dauberman and based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, ‘Salem’s Lot follows writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration, only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a vampire, leading him to band together with a ragtag group to fight it.
I have grown up reading many Stephen King novels due to my mother, who was a major fan of his work, and out of the many that we read together Salem’s Lot was always a major favorite of ours. The novel was a chilling and thrilling vampire story that was initially adapted into a two-part miniseries in 1979 that did well, earning itself a cult following and having a significant impact on the vampire genre. 45 years later we now have this new film adaptation of King’s novel finally released to the public on Max after numerous delays by the studio (courtesy of Warner Bros) that prevented it from releasing sooner in theaters.
Despite the long wait, I think this film was a fun and faithful adaptation that would have made for an awesome spooky season watch in theaters. It’s a great old-fashioned vampire invasion flick that is crafted incredibly well and wonderfully captures the haunting atmosphere and tension of the original novel as well as adding its own spins. While it doesn’t necessarily add anything majorly new for the vampire genre it is a solid reimagining of one of my favorite vampire stories that proves how awesome vampires can be when portrayed as terrifying monsters rather than soap opera love interests.
Let’s get into the strengths and weaknesses of this take on Salem’s Lot. The ensemble cast is great, both in performances and how accurately most of them are written in the film. There are a few characters that were a bit underdeveloped compared to their counterparts in the novel but for the most part, I really liked how everyone was portrayed, especially the lead character Ben Mears, played by Lewis Pullman.
Pullman excellently plays the part of a well-mannered writer who goes on to become a convincing hero who has his morals and intellect tested as things start getting bloody when his hometown falls prey to the vampire’s influence. His performance in this film proves that Pullman has the talent to lead his own project and deserves to have larger roles compared to most of the small supporting roles he has been given in recent years.
Makenzie Leigh does a great job as Ben’s love interest Susan Norton and while I do wish their relationship was more fleshed out like it was in the book she does share good chemistry with Pullman on screen and captures the character’s independent personality. Bill Camp delivers great heart and humor with his performance as Matthew Burke, showing strong resolve against the forces of darkness surrounding him, making for a great addition to the cast that adds layers of humanity to the ensemble.
Alfre Woodard also has her own strong moments of humor and drama with her performance as Dr. Cody, though considering it is Alfre Woodard I never expected anything less from here.
The surprise performance of this film for me was Jordan Preston Carter as Mark Petrie who was an absolute rockstar in this film, showing immense bravery and cleverness in his performance as this character even in the face of extreme danger. Father Callahan sadly does not get the same development he had in the novel and is sadly underutilized as a result, even though he does deliver some great moments in the film thanks largely to the performance by John Benjamin Hickey.
The villains of the film are portrayed excellently by their respective actors, starting with Pilou Asbæk as Straker, the head vampire’s familiar. He captures both the unsettling and sadistic nature of the character from the novel, proving himself to be just as menacing as his master. Pilou Asbæk seems to have a talent for playing psychopaths on screen and here it is no different as he goes all in when he needs to but manages to also be reserved yet still creepy when the scene requires it.
And then we come to the head vampire Kurt Barlow who is given a terrifying performance by Alexander Ward. Similar to his role in the novel and the 1979 miniseries, Barlow doesn’t have as much screen time as one would expect since it’s most of his vampire minions doing his bidding, but when they do eventually show him in his full glory he has an absolutely amazing practical look that is a massive upgrade from the already iconic look he had in the 1979 adaptation. And given how damn freaky the 1979 appearance of the character looks it takes a lot to top that, but the crew behind this film certainly did it. I am grateful they kept Barlow practical throughout the film rather than making him fully CGI as I was initially worried they would do.
The rest of the vampires are also really damn great with their glowing orange eyes and ravenous hunger being given terrific practical make-up and effects that make them a terrifying presence that can come out of nowhere in the dark of the night. Nowhere is safe when they are on the prowl and you can’t help but feel constant paranoia about the surroundings because of them.
The film is mostly faithful to the novel in terms of its story although given how large the novel is there are some corners they did end up cutting in the narrative. Certain plot elements involving certain characters and their backgrounds being explored are sadly either glossed over or not included in the film, which may be an issue for some people who would have preferred more exploration of select characters. But what it may be missing in some places is hugely made up for when this film perfectly captures everything else in the novel, including how the lore of the vampire is the driving point of the story, as well as the perfectly crafted tension and terrifying atmosphere of the story and setting.
Through very clever visual storytelling and great build up we see the once busy town of the Lot become more dead every day that passes when the sun is up, but then the nights become far more alive as the vampire’s invasion begins to spread. The scares and terror occur mainly during the night, which is when this film will make you feel immense dread for when the sun goes down and the nocturnal monsters come out to launch their attacks on unsuspecting victims at any time from anywhere. It may be a simple premise but it is greatly heightened by the tension that makes this film so much fun to be engaged in, especially when all the build-up and small elements of foreshadowing hugely pay off by the time the film ends. The film’s finale is actually a big departure from the one in the novel but to be completely honest I may actually prefer this finale over the one in the novel as well as the 1979 miniseries. It is a much more thrilling and creative finale that is cleverly set up earlier in the film and I think a lot of people will enjoy it for how fun it is.
Most of the technical elements of this film are phenomenal, enhancing the horror of it as a whole while also giving this film a unique visual identity compared to the 1979 miniseries and even other vampire films in general. It captures the unsettling and tension-filled looks that are described in the novel through amazing practical work and super stellar cinematography that oozes with haunting beauty in every frame. One of my favorite elements of the film on a technical level is how it very masterfully establishes the dread of the sun going down and the night creeping in quickly through awesome visuals and cinematography that I have not seen done in a vampire film in so long.
I also appreciate the high usage of practical effects, sets, and gore over CGI throughout the film, especially for the vampires since it makes them feel more real and menacing compared to how they would have looked through CGI. I also really liked how they used old-school wirework for some of the vampire flight scenes, feeling like a nice little nod to the 1979 miniseries. Now there are brief occasions where CGI is used and I will admit it does look rather rough and unfinished in its moments but given how brief they are it doesn’t impact the film that much.
The score by composers Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott is excellent as it helps elevate the film’s tension alongside the visuals, and we also get a small selection of fitting songs paired with it including Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot.
Overall I found this adaptation of Salem’s Lot to be a satisfying one despite some of its flaws. As someone who really loved the novel, this modern retelling gets a seal of approval from me and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good old-fashioned vampire story to watch this October. It is currently available to watch on Max in the US and will be released theatrically elsewhere. I’m going to give ‘Salem’s Lot a B+ = 89.
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