The long-awaitedSalem’s Lotremake just released its first trailer and the movie now has my full attention. Theadaptation of Stephen King’sSalem’s Lot, directed by Gary Dauberman, promises to bea fairly faithful adaptation of Stephen King’s bookwith some added flourishes. It tells the story of writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot to find inspiration for his next book, which he hopes to find in the local “haunted” house in the town. In my favorite Stephen King trope,Ben soon finds that a creeping, malevolent evil is slowly taking over the town.
I’m really excited to see what the movie has in store, and thefirst trailer for theSalem’s Lotremakehas filled me with hope. The vampire Kurt Barlow is one of Stephen King’s more terrifying yet underrated villains, andif his appearance in the 2024 remake can live up to the terror the 1979 version injected into my heart as a child of the ’80s, even better.Salem’s Lotis a true vampire classic, and it will be fun to see a whole new generation be introduced to it – especially when it seems like it will be as good as I had hoped.
Max’s Upcoming Salem’s Lot Remake Looks Great
I have to say, thefirstSalem’s Lotclipwas great, andtheSalem’s Lottrailer was even more worth the wait because it looks fantastic: dripping with tension and that trademark Stephen King horror peppered with great performances from everyman and everywoman actors who fit King’s small-town mold. It’s unsettling and creepy from the jump, with the trailer layering the building horror until a final, horrifying scene of Ben Mears seemingly being caught and dragged upward into the night by a vampire, perhaps even Kurt Barlow himself.
The horror of the trailer is elevated for me by the note-perfect music. The atmospheric dread of theSalem’s Lotremake turns Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown,” originally about a man worrying his girl is stepping out on him with another man,into a song about what monsters might be lurking about after dark: “Sundown, you better take care / If I find you’ve been creepin' ‘round my back stairs.” The song is transformed from a sad folk ballad into a sinister warning. The oppressive fear that seeps throughout the trailer is enough, which is why I think it was so smart to not reveal Kurt Barlow – not yet, anyway.
Why The Salem’s Lot Remake Took So Long To Release
Warner Bros. Discovery Couldn’t Make Up Its Mind With The Movie
Salem’s Lot, unfortunately, like many movies in the Covid-19 into writers’ and actors' strikes era, was involved in a long and tortured process to get to screens – so tortured, in fact,that for a while there it seemed like it would be permanently shelved.Considering that, while I am a little confused that it’s being touted as a streaming release for Max after Warner Bros. Discovery recently declared it would “fully embrace theatrical,” I’ll take streaming over not getting it at all.
Salem’s Lotwill stream exclusively on Max starting October 3.
That’s especially true considering the other factor that contributed to theSalem’s Lotdelays being Warner Bros. Discovery itself. If you follow movie and TV news like I do, then you know thatthe last few years haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for WBD,with the studio scrapping projects and canning completed ones left and right as it internally fought to figure out a new direction, much to the upset and fury of creators and fans alike. It certainly seemed likeSalem’s Lotwould suffer the same fate, after first being announced as a theatrical movie in 2022 before experiencing two years of tumult, and I was resigned to it never seeing the light of day.
2024’s Stephen King Remake Could Turn Around 1 Disappointing Horror Movie Trend
Stephen King is a master of horror, and he may be the answer to turning around one of the most disappointing trends in horror movie history.
Those two years of tumult were enough to annoy Stephen King,who took to Twitter to express his support forSalem’s Lotin February 2024– and subtly light a fire under Warner Bros. Discovery to do something with the finished film. “Between you and me, Twitter,” he wrote, “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.” The final lines of his tweet were the real kicker: “Who knows. I just write the f**king things.” Even on a screen, I could feel his frustration and displeasure.
Not coincidentally,Max announced the release window for theSalem’s Lotremakethree weeks later. Even though it was two years later than it should have been released, and even though it should be getting a proper release in theaters,at this point, I’m just happy it’s getting released at all. Constant Readers knowSalem’s Lotis a classic early Stephen King novel, and it deserves all the love it can get. With Gary Dauberman straddling the line between honoring the original source material and Tobe Hooper’s 1979 miniseries adaptation while adding his own personal touches, the story appears to be in great hands.
Salem’s Lot
Salem’s Lot is a 2024 remake of the movie of the same name released in 1979. The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, and Bill Camp, with Gary Dauberman writing and directing the Max original film. The plot revolves around a writer who discovers a vampire in his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot upon returning home for inspiration.
