Salem’s Lot

Stephen King adaptations have a reputation for either being incredible (The Shining, Carrie, Gerald’s Game) or some of the biggest misses ever made (The Langoliers, Maximum Overdrive, and the author’s own version of The Shining). The latest adaptation of Salem’s Lot lies right in the middle. Although Gary Dauberman’s (Annabelle Comes Home) take doesn’t instil much terror, its small-town charm makes for a largely entertaining time.

Set in 1975, the film sees author Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) return to the titular town that he grew up in. He’s there to do some research for his new book, but his arrival coincides with the disappearance of a young boy alongside some other strange happenings. It doesn’t take long for him and a small group of locals to discover that their locale is being overrun by vampires, so they decide to fight back.

The first half of this feature is very much focused on acquainting audiences with the town’s inhabitants. There’s the new kid loyal to his friends, the obligatory school bully, a surly teacher and Susan (Makenzie Leigh), Ben’s burgeoning romantic interest. It’s all distinctly King in tone, right down to the amusingly dated schoolyard insults and disturbing child death. Pullman does a solid job playing the warm-hearted artist, as do the other cast members in their respective roles. The problem, though, is that everything feels incredibly rushed.

From the writer’s tragic childhood, his relationship with Susan, the new kid’s promise to help his friend and every other side story going on, there’s simply not enough time to become invested in anything that’s going on. When the vampire slaying commences and innocents meet their ends, these losses don’t hit anywhere near as hard as they should.

The movie isn’t all that scary either. Aside from a handful of creepy moments, many of the horror scenes are a collection of clichéd genre tropes that don’t have much bite. What these sequences do have is a dash of B-movie silliness that adds some personality to the second half. Although moviegoers have seen a menacing figure draped in a sheet a dozen times before, watching the heroes struggle to tape a makeshift crucifix together brings some lighthearted novelty to the moment.

This version of Salem’s Lot may not be as memorable as other adaptations of the author’s work, but there’s enough going for it to make this film worth visiting.

Andrew Murray

Salem’s Lot is released digitally on demand on 11^th November 2024.

Watch the trailer for Salem’s Lot here: