Emma Caroline Brown
Reporter & 2024 editor
After five years of waiting, Gary Dauberman’s fresh take on Stephen King’s classic horror novel “Salem’s Lot” has arrived just in time to become a fang-tastic Halloween watch.
King’s vampire-centered novel has been adapted as a mini-series two times before, once in 1979 by Tobe Hooper and again by Mikael Salomon in 2004. But most recently, the screenwriter and producer for the “IT” and “Annabelle” franchises stepped up to adapt King’s sprawling story.
“Salem’s Lot” is set in 1975 and follows author Ben Mears returning to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot to do research for an upcoming novel. However, an infamous haunted house Mears has history with has been bought by two mysterious men, one of whom is never out when the sun is up. It is not until mysterious deaths and disappearances happen that Ben begins to suspect a sinister force is at play.
‘Salem’s Lot’ poster courtesy of New Line Cinema
The lead character is now played by Lewis Pullman, who leans into Mears’ character arc of being a timid, gentle author into becoming a fearless vampire slayer. Mears’ childhood trauma fuels his actions, but as an adult turning back to his childhood in Jerusalem’s Lot, he sees himself in a 12-year-old boy who is new to the Lot, Mark Petrie.
Petrie, played by Jordan Preston Carter, is a horror fanatic who uses his pop culture and comic book knowledge to understand what is happening in his new hometown. Carter is one of the more memorable parts of the movie as he brings a no-nonsense approach to his character that perfectly plays off of Ben Mears’ rational action and offers some comedic relief.
The novel follows seven main characters, with a whopping 60 extra characters weaving in and out of the town’s plot and subplots. Dauberman did not go the extra mile in attempting to involve all of the Lot’s citizens, which has become a popular criticism among viewers.
“Salem’s Lot’s” two previous miniseries adaptions clock in a few minutes over three hours, while Dauberman’s feature adaption is a tidy 114 minutes. Needless to say, this adaption was pared down, and the cause seems to point to the movie’s distributors or its straight-to-streaming path since Dauberman recently said in an interview that his original cut was more than three hours long.
King usually centers his stories around small towns, and Jerusalem’s Lot has a population of less than 1,300 people. Dauberman shows Salem’s Lot as full of small-town charm on the surface while also decaying at the roots of its townspeople. Autumn-centered shots of small businesses, woodsy pathways and local hotspots give this adaption of “Salem’s Lot” the most important fuel for the story— the town’s atmosphere.
Without the atmosphere of “Salem’s Lot” being brought together by its terrific cinematography and production design, the movie would not be so beautifully spooky as the perfect October watch.
“Salem’s Lot” is full of vibrancy, effects and lighting techniques like that of 1960s horror.
Scenes are saturated in beautiful blues, oranges or reds coming from hazy moonlight, dusky afternoons or mosaic-stained glass filling in windows and doors. The autumn and Halloween aesthetics pour out into each scene, with early fall sunsets creating a playground for King’s creatures of the night.
Fans of the novel or previous adaptions will be pleased that Dauberman kept some of King’s key moments in this adaption, including one scene of iconic nightmare fuel that has haunted generations since 1979. However, Dauberman did take creative liberties that take
“Salem’s Lot’s” filmmaking, action and spookiness to new heights that may frustrate or amaze viewers.
Even though “Salem’s Lot” is facing harsh reviews, viewers cannot get enough.
‘Salem’s Lot” holds the number one spot in Max’s daily updated Top 10 movies list, and it looks like the movie will stay there through the Halloween season. So, before Halloween is over, go sink your fangs into Dauberman’s adaptation as you step foot into the town of Jerusalem’s Lot.
“Salem’s Lot” is now available to stream on Max as a part of its “No Sleep October” collection.