Salem’s Lot (2024) spoiler free review
Be careful what you invite inside. Salem’s Lot is a 2024 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Gary Dauberman, based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Stephen King. It’s the third adaptation of the book and the first feature film after the previous miniseries versions from 1979 and 2004. It had its world premiere at the Beyond Fest on September 25, 2024 as the opening film, and was released on Max on October 3, 2024.
Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.
Film synopsis
The cast includes Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears, Makenzie Leigh as Susan Norton, Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody, William Sadler as Parkins Gillespie, Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, Pilou Asbæk as Richard Straker, John Benjamin Hickey as Father Callahan, Jordan Preston Carter as Mark Petrie, Spencer Treat Clark as Mike Ryerson, Nicholas Crovetti as Danny Glick, Cade Woodward as Ralph Glick, and Alexander Ward as Kurt Barlow.
My Opinion
Returning to the town where he grew up, author Ben Mears seeks inspiration for his next book. But Ben’s arrival coincides with the arrival in town of a mysterious man and his assistant who now live in the Marsten House, a structure that carries with it a dark history and evil. With the help of other locals, Ben decides to investigate the strange events now occurring in Salem’s Lot and save the town from a deadly fate.
Taking the story written by Stephen King in 1975 as a base, this new adaptation leaves out crucial elements, turning into a watered-down version. Salem’s Lot has been adapted twice as a mini series, in 1979 and 2004, and now for the first time as a film. A similar situation to another of King’s works: IT. This novel was adapted as a mini series in 1990 and came to the big screen divided into two parts in 2017 and 2019 respectively, written by Gary Dauberman. Given that prior experience and considering that Salem’s Lot is overly detailed, one might expect a similar approach; splitting the book into two films to allow for full exploration of the material. Instead, this new adaptation tries to cram the entire book into one hour and fifty-three minutes, leaving out any room for development.
The script turns messy, jumping from one plot point to another without proper transition or development. Changes in an adaptation are to be expected, but when you remove one of the most important elements of the story, the Marsten house and its past, you remove all atmosphere and impact. It becomes just that, just another house in town instead of the evil presence that it is and everything it represents for the story. Other notable changes were the omission of the epilogue and the origin of some characters. Their fate remains the same but a different route is taken to get there.
The acting performances do a bit to redeem the story, with Jordan Preston Carter as Mark Petrie standing out, making it worth sticking around to the end. The cast’s effort is notable, having to work with material lacking direction. The use of CGI instead of practical effects in some scenes takes away from the film’s terrifying nature in moments where it should be. This is unfortunately an average adaptation of King’s work. After two years of delays, Salem’s Lot has seen the light of day on a streaming service instead of in a theater as originally planned. But after seeing the final result, it was better to leave it to watch at home.