Warner Bros. Pictures presents Salem’s Lot in UK cinemas now.
Synopsis
Haunted by an incident from his childhood, author Ben Mears returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover the town is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire and his loyal servant.
Review
This new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic vampire novel Salem’s Lot is a perfectly watchable horror film, but it’s unlikely to leave any lasting impression. Director Gary Dauberman seems aware that he’s not going to reinvent the vampire genre or deliver the kind of bone-chilling terror that modern audiences have come to expect. Instead, he crafts a decent, if somewhat unremarkable, horror film that leans into its classic source material and gothic atmosphere.
The film does an ok job of building suspense and creating a creepy atmosphere, especially in the initial scenes as darkness descends upon the small town of Salem’s Lot. It does come across as artificial though with the town not really feeling like a real established place. The performances are fine with some “tongue-in-cheek’ cliche performances, with Lewis Pullman doing a good job as the troubled Ben Mears who returns to his hometown to confront his childhood fears. The rest of the cast are again all fine with some of the younger cast having some fun.
Special mention to Jordan Preston Carter who is the films MVP by being quick to react to the vampires and jumps right into action which feels like he would end up being some great paranormal hunter when he’s older.
However, Salem’s Lot struggles to truly frighten, even at times making our audience and ourselves laugh. The scares are often predictable and rely on familiar tropes. The vampires, while effectively designed, lack the truly menacing presence needed to make them truly terrifying. It feels like the film is holding back, perhaps intentionally, as if acknowledging that it can’t compete with the more visceral and shocking horror films of today.
The big bad villains are also left on the cutting room floor, giving them barely any real time to give their roles time to flesh out. Barlow being the big bad vampire is on screen for most likely less than 5 minutes and his ‘ward’ Straker was ultimately just a moustache twirling villain.
It’s possible that Stephen King’s brand of horror, which relied heavily on atmosphere and psychological dread, simply doesn’t resonate as strongly with modern audiences. What was terrifying in 1979 might feel somewhat tame by today’s standards.
Verdict
Ultimately, Salem’s Lot is a perfectly fine adaptation that might satisfy some fans of the book and those looking for a classic cliche vampire story. However, it lacks the bite and originality to become a modern horror classic. There are plenty of more accomplished Vampire focused horrors that just deliver a more filling experience.
⭐⭐.5
