The list of Stephen King short stories and novels (and everything in between) that have been adapted onscreen could fill the space of an abridged dictionary. Several more onscreen projects are in the works, too. There are not quite that many Salem’s Lot adaptations, but damn, there are a few. In 1979, Tobe Hooper directed the CBS miniseries, and in 2004, Rob Lowe, Rutger Hower, and Donald Sutherland appeared in a miniseries for TNT. A third version, helmed by Gary Dauberman (of the recent IT films and Annabelle Comes Home), was expected to be the first theatrical version of the tale.
The apparently finished film from New Line Cinema, however, somehow fell off the theatrical agenda for distributor Warner Bros. Pictures. That silence became so notable that King recently addressed the matter in an unvarnished manner. “Between you and me,” the horror maestro wrote on Twitter. “I’ve seen the new SALEM’S LOT and it’s quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it’s embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the f*cking things.”
Between you and me, Twitter, I've seen the new SALEM'S LOT and it's quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it's embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the fucking things.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 19, 2024
It appears that King’s declaration might have brought results (because the film will indeed surface), unless the timing is sheer coincidence. What can we expect from the impending Salem’s Lot movie?
Plot
Warner Brothers Discovery announced this week that the New Line film will not head into theaters but, instead, will premiere on Max as a streaming film. (That’s much better news than it never seeing the light of day or even ending up like the Coyote Vs. Acme fiasco.) Finally, the King tale will be able to spook an entirely new generation onscreen, and even better: James Wan’s Atomic Monster is onboard for executive producing duties.
The source material, of course, is King’s 1975 novel (his second book), in which an author, Ben Mears, hopes to find inspiration for another book in his hometown (Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine) and experiences much more than he bargained for. As in, the place is vamping out.
Previously, both miniseries versions of the tale were well received on TV, and details on how much this film will tweak the subject matter remain relatively vague. King, however, has not only expressed his satisfaction with the project, but last fall, he declared of the then-“shelved” film that it “is muscular and involving. It has the feel of ‘Old Hollywood,’ when a film was given a chance to draw a breath before getting to business. When attention spans were longer, in other words.” He added, “It feels like a horror movie version of slow-burn movies like THE GREAT ESCAPE. It builds very well. There are diversions from the book I don’t agree with, but on the whole, faithful.”
Given Warner Bros.’ relatively recent slow burn in HBO’s The Outsider series, that bodes well for the same with Salem’s Lot. Additionally, Dauberman and the rest of the producing team are well versed in effectively scaring the hell out of people, and King promised that a key scene “could have been directed by John Carpenter in his prime,” so we must trust the process.
Cast
Ben Mears will be portrayed by Lewis Pullman. Alfre Woodard steps in as Dr. Cody. They are joined by Makenzie Leigh (Susan Norton), Pilou Asbæk (Straker), Bill Camp (Matthew Burke), Spencer Treat Clark (Mike Ryerson), and John Benjamin Hickey (Father Callahan).
Release Date
2024 is official. Perhaps King’s little social media nudge helped mark the project on the calendar? Whatever the case, it’s good news.
Trailer
We should see a trailer soon, given that Max recently announced that the film would premiere on the streaming service this year. Until then, please enjoy the production values of 1979 again.
