Director: Gary Dauberman
Starring: Lewis Pullman, Mackenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, Nicholas Crovetti, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, Pilou Asbæk
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 113 mins

Salem’s Lot is a new adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel, written and directed by Gary Dauberman. Dauberman’s no stranger to horror or King, having written co-written It before then having sole credit on It: Chapter Two. He also made his directorial debut with the solid Annabelle Comes Home. Although not the first adaptation, it’s the first time Salem’s Lot is committed to cinema. There were two previous television series in 1979 and 2004, with Tobe Hooper’s 1979 mini-series particularly influental.

Unfortunately, this adaptation’s faced an upward struggle – it was made in 2020 and has faced delay after delay ever since, including being cut down from an original three hour runtime. Although it’s receiving a theatrical release in the UK, it’s gone straight to Max in the US. 

The film is mostly faithful to King’s novel. Writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) returns to his hometown of Jersualem’s Lot to pen a new book but when a speight of murders happen after the arrival of a strange European man Straker (Pilou Asbæk) and a coffin that’s shipped to his house which people are warned not to touch.

Although significantly condensed from King’s original, Salem’s Lot is a lot of fun, especially in its second half. While it’s not particularly scary, there’s some excellent setpieces with real tension. Like with It, Dauberman does an excellent job of establishing the town and creating a believable world. The film’s handsomely shot by Michael Burgess, too, with some interesting lighting choices and the use of smoke machines. Although there’s a lot of characters to introduce and a sub-two hour runtime, he also does as decent a job he can with developing the characters. 

Lewis Pullman’s a solid lead as the scarred writer. The highlight, though, is Bill Camp as schoolteacher Matthew Burke who’s empathetic but proactive. Pilou Asbæk’s clearly having fun as Straker, as is William Sadler who shows up as a policeman who warns Mears not to cause any trouble. 

As much fun as I had with the film, I’m certain the original three hour cut would have been better. That would have allowed more time for the horror to really unfold and further develop the characters. But considering the disrespect by the studio with its delayed release, Salem’s Lot is very entertaining and not the car crash many were fearing it might be.