Spooky Season 2024: Salem’s Lot Early Review

Shot in 2021 and originally scheduled to be released in September 2022, it’s safe to say this remake of Salem’s Lot has had a long road and faced many obstacles in getting released but is now upon us, coming very soon to Max (Crave in Canada). Based on the 1975 Stephen King novel of the same name, Salem’s Lot follows struggling author Ben Mears (Pullman) who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in order to find inspiration for his newest novel, only to discover that his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire. Apart from Pullman, the new Salem’s Lot features an all star cast consisting of Alfre Woodard, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Spencer Treat Clark, John Benjamin Hickey, William Sadler, and Pilou Asbæk. It’s never a good sign when a film originally intended for theatrical release sits on the shelf for several years before being dumped on a streaming service for no explainable or given reason, but thankfully Salem’s Lot is the rare exception.

Salem’s Lot is an old fashioned horror film reminiscent to the horror audiences rarely see get anymore. An extremely well crafted film, it is confidently directed, and expertly shot with strong cinematography, effective lighting, impressive camerawork, and solid editing that makes this stand out on a technical level, above most modern day horror. Though it might not be the most frightening film in the world or one that audiences will have trouble falling asleep after the credits roll, its atmospheric, tense, and the scare sequences are effective, cleverly staged, and don’t rely on cheap jump scares when it easily could have. Meanwhile, fans of vampires won’t be let down as it offers up plenty of vampire goodness, all featuring unique and chilling designs.

Horror films with small town settings are in desperate need of a comeback, and in this case, the setting of Jerusalem’s Lot is utilized very well to the point that it feels like its own character. Offering an engaging central storyline, for the most part, its mystery is fun to watch play out, perhaps more so for audiences that are unfamiliar with the source material. As mentioned, boasting a great ensemble, they all deliver in their respective roles, led by a solid Lewis Pullman as likeable lead to follow and care about. Sharing solid chemistry with Makenzie Leigh’s Susan Norton, their romance is easy to buy into, even though it could’ve been explored more.

Based on a very famous and ultimately lengthy Stephen King novel, the film feels a bit overstuffed. While it is nice to see its great cast get their own moments to shine, by the end, much of the characters and their storylines come off as extremely underdeveloped or quickly rushed through, including the leads. Because of its sheer number of characters, the film would have ultimately been better served had it had a longer runtime in order to fully flesh them out, or by simply cutting a few and focused more on some of the others if only to make the final act of the film feel less rushed through. Also, making some changes from the source material, fans may not love those choices the film does a decent job at staying mostly faithful. Aside from these gripes, the occasional rough looking digital effects shot, and a lack of true scares, there isn’t really much to complain about.

In the end, Salem’s Lot is a decent horror film and although it may not be quite a homerun, it is still one of the better Stephen King adaptations in quite some time, making for a perfect spooky season viewing experience with some killer Halloween vibes. It’s easy to see why sending this to streaming was probably the safer bet but nevertheless, it is a shame that the film will largely not be experienced on the big screen and is likely to simply get overlooked like so many streaming titles do these days.

still courtesy of New Line Cinema/Max

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/