Saturday, 12 October 2024

Salem's Lot (2024) - The scoop and digest

Gary Dauberman writes and directs the first (and surely last) feature-length adaptation of Stephen King's 1975 novel.

Lewis Pullman - Ben Mears
Makenzie Leigh - Susan Norton
John Benjamin Hickey - Mark Petrie
Alfre Woodard - Dr. Cody
Bill Camp - Matt Burke
John Benjamin Hickey - Father Callahan
Nicholas Crovetti - Danny Glick
Spencer Treat Clark - Mike Ryerson
William Sadler - Parkins Gillespie

Summary

Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration for his latest novel, only to find the town infested with vampires.

He joins an unlikely mob to fight back.

Pernicious anemia

Speaking about Warner Bros. delaying release, King is quoted as saying:

"Not like it's embarrassing, or anything."

I agree with the great man, but result is just very ordinary, favouring action over story and plot development.

Head vampire (who also talks like the book) looks decent, but fails to match his 1979 miniseries counterpart.

Tobe Hooper changed the setting of final confrontation with Barlow from Eva Miller's boarding house to the Marsten House.

Now we move to the parking lot of an outdoor movie theatre, where the infected townsfolk are using trunks of cars as makeshift coffins.

Barlow stalks Mark but is surprised from behind by Ben, who drives a stake through his mouth.  He's then finished off in trademark fashion.

It's so anti-climatic.

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