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.