What happens when a movie gets stuck on the shelf by the studio for 2+ years? Usually, it means that they have no faith in the film and that it’s likely not great. In the case of Salem’s Lot, a new adaptation of the classic Stephen King story, it makes no sense why it sat on the shelf for so long. The movie follows the plot of the novel with author Ben Mears returning home to Jerusalem’s Lot for inspiration for his next book, only to find out that the town is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.

It stars Lewis Pullman, Pilou Asbaek, Spencer Treat Clark, Alexander Ward, Bill Camp, Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, William Sadler, John Benjamin Hickey, and Jordan Preston Carter. The original adaptation from 1979 is well-regarded among horror fans and King fans for its faithfulness to the source material and frightening atmosphere. Trying to follow in the footsteps of that mini-series is a folly, because no filmmaker would be able to top it. However, director/writer Gary Dauberman does a great job here, by distilling down the material of a fat book to a clean 1 hour and 53 minutes.

The question on everyone’s mind, though, is, how do the vampires look, and is the film scary?

Lewis Pullman and Makenzie Leigh in Salem's Lot

Salem’s Lot captures an aesthetic with its production design, costumes, music, lighting, and locations. That aesthetic is classic Stephen King and gives the film a dreamy quality that routinely turns into a nightmare. The crew put plenty of effort into the film to match the feeling of the novel. There’s a layer of all-American charm over the proceedings that feels eerie. That whole feeling of a dream turning into a nightmare is the entire runtime of Salem’s Lot. Lewis Pullman’s turn as Ben Mears is about as star-making as it can get. The entire cast here is pitch-perfect with highlights including Bill Camp, as Burke, Makenzie Leigh as Susan, and Jordan Preston Carter as Mark. The only qualm is that the cast is quite large, so there are many moving parts for a movie that’s under two hours, but it doesn’t take much from the film.

Through the film, no one is safe. That’s apparent as the town turns into vampires, and people are picked off. Salem’s Lot doesn’t pull any punches and makes excellent use of the R-rating with blood, gore, and terror. It also doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to terror involving the kids. The famous scene of Ralphie showing up at the window is well done. If you’re a fan of more classic, less-sexy, glistening vampires, you’ll be delighted by the designs of the creatures in this movie.

That brings me to the biggest complaint about Salem’s Lot, though. The design and look of Kurt Barlow, the main vampire, is lacking. He’s played by Alexander Ward, a hugely successful monster actor. It’s clear that the whole vampire isn’t CGI, but they just look far too smooth, too fake, even without comparing it to the absolutely iconic look from the 1979 mini-series. To be fair, they’re not on screen for all that long, so it’s not a huge issue, but that is the biggest issue with Salem’s Lot.

Salem's Lot

Overall, it makes absolutely zero sense why Salem’s Lot can’t be enjoyed in theaters across the country. Instead, it’s going straight to Max on October 3rd. It is a crowd-pleasing horror flick with plenty of bite. This is a nearly perfect Stephen King adaptation with a flawless cast, including a star-making performance from Lewis Pullman, a dreamy aesthetic, and terrifying vampires.

For more on Horror, make sure to check out Fright-A-Thon, the Halloween content marathon.

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