Salem’s Lot Movie Review: A Mixed Bag of Bite and Speed

Salem’s Lot Movie Review: A Mixed Bag of Bite and Speed by Chris Brosnahan

When author Ben Mears comes back to his childhood home in search for some inspiration for his next book, he discovers that people in his home town are mysteriously turning into blood-sucking vampires.

Release date: 11 October 2024

Director: Gary Dauberman

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Adapted from: ‘Salem’s Lot

It’s rather incredible that Salem’s Lot was only Stephen King’s second novel, published when he was just twenty-eight years old. It’s one King remains fond of, so his recent, well-publicised thumbs-up was seen as a ringing endorsement. Unfortunately, the 2024 Salem’s Lot lacks… well, bite.

Part of the problem is that Salem’s Lot, while a terrific novel, is a sprawling, slow-burn tale of a town spiralling through an attack by a vampiric plague. It’s part Dracula, part Twin Peaks and part Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

This is a difficult thing to adapt into a 2h 15m film. 

This new version, co-written and directed by Gary Dauberman (Annabelle Comes Home), barrels through the plot at break-neck speed. As a result, it lacks the pace needed to create tension in scenes, or even get to know some of the characters that it then needs us to care about.

The speed with which we rattle through the plot also means that we don’t get much sense of Salem’s Lot itself. The town is a living, breathing entity in the novel, and we get to know it quite intimately through the residents. Unfortunately, the script specifically makes the point about how Jersualem’s Lot is a place with no ‘good people’ left, or that it was already a town slipping towards darkness. But we never see that side of the Lot. What we see is… quite charming, actually. 

We’re also kept a bit at a distance, since this version downplays the three main characters’ connections to the Lot. Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) has returned to the area he grew up, Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh) has also recently moved back, and Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter) is also new to the area.

There’s another major issue as well. 

Salem’s Lot was a novel about a centuries old evil infesting a modern town, referencing a novel that was, at that time, less than 80 years old. But Salem’s Lot is set in the 1970s, when the book and famous miniseries (adapted for a theatrical release as well) came out. Which means that we’re now watching something from 50 years ago. As a result, that modernity is jettisoned in favour of nostalgia.

But, despite all of these flaws, it’s still quite enjoyable and likeable enough. Jordan Preston Carter, in particular, helps to make the film, with a spirited, easy-to-like performance. And Makenzie Leigh adds a lot of energy to the first half of the film. As does Alfre Woodard as Dr Cody in the second half.

It’s also great looking – the cinematography is consistently strong, with great composition, framing and colour use. There are some effects with sunlight and the creeping night towards the end that are silly, but look really good.

Let’s be honest! As much as many of us may love the 1979 miniseries, it’s dated enough to be a bit resistable for newer viewers. Some people will find this a more accessible, mass-market version. 

If you can watch it without comparing it to the novel or other versions, you’ll probably have a good time – although it’s one that you will likely wish had been a bit braver in its choices.

Chris Brosnahan

Chris Brosnahan is a London-based writer, filmmaker and content marketer. You can find his first novella, POV, on Amazon, and his latest short story in a collection called The Psychogeography of Turnpike Lane. He’s also part of allgoodbookshop.co.uk, a community co-operative in North London. A life-long horror fanatic, you can find out more about Chris at chrisbrosnahan.com.

Links: chrisbrosnahan.com and allgoodbookshop.co.uk.

Salem’s Lot Movie Review: A Mixed Bag of Bite and Speed