Salem's Lot
Stephen King's beloved vampire tale is brought into the 21st century
Salem’s Lot is a 2024 horror film based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The film centres around Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot to research his next book. He left this town when he was nine years old after the death of his parents in a car crash.
In the town, he meets Susan Norton (Mackenzie Leigh), with whom he strikes up a romantic relationship. As time passes strange disappearances and deaths start to occur. This brings these two together with school kid Mark (Jordan Preston Carter), Dr. Cody (Alfre Woodward), schoolteacher Matthew Burke (Bill Camp), and priest Father Callahan (John Benjamin Hickey).
They all investigate these mysterious cases to discover that their town is gradually being turned into vampires by a head vampire called Barlow, who receives help from Richard Straker (Pilou Asbæk). This crew’s mission is to save the town before Barlow moves on and wreaks havoc elsewhere.
Nothing New as a Vampire Movie but Expect a Few Surprises
This vampire movie leans into some tried and tested formulas that people will have seen before. The spooky house on the hill, Mears as the stranger in town being suspected of the disappearances, and the cross as a symbol to combat evil.
However, you will find moments in the film that successfully jump-scare you, which you may not be expecting. One scene includes Matthew Burke as he battles a vampire in his house.
The lighting in the film is perfectly executed. Green lighting creates a sense that danger is afoot. A great example of this is when Danny Click (Nicholas Crovetti) believes his missing brother in the yard outside their house or when Mark sees Danny outside his window.
When people use the glowing cross to defend themselves, it does feel a bit gimmicky. The presence of the cross without any special effects would have sufficed because you would have still been able to see the distress this caused the vampires.
Overall, the pacing of this film is measured and calculated. It starts slow so you can absorb the idea of Jerusalem’s Lot being a quiet town with not much happening in it. From visiting the quaint residency Ben Mears stays at to watching him visit a near-empty library to do his research. Then gradually as the film progresses it becomes a more fast-moving film as the stakes are raised as people from the town have to navigate the streets and homes to fight for their survival.
Nostalgia and The Vampire Coffins
No one would blame you for enjoying the retro feel of this. It does a fantastic job of illustrating the lives of the average Joe living in the town during this period.
The gold sweeping tones of the lighting during daylight give the town a wholesome and warm feeling. This contrasts with the dark lighting when vampires are present on the screen.
One unique take on the vampire coffin you might enjoy which also makes sense logistically, was people who had recently become vampires using the boots of their cars as a makeshift coffin to sleep in during the day. It helps characters realise they are experiencing a ticking time bomb as soon as the sun dips behind the drive-thru screen.
Mark was the Real Hero in this Story
Ben Mears doesn’t feel like the central character or hero in the story. Instead, Mark is the bravest of the crew. He was the first to visit the house on the hill to take them on the vampire problem. Even after being caught, he managed to escape and take out Richard Straker. Later in the film he even visits Straker’s shop to try and find Barlow to kill him.
Meanwhile, Ben’s common sense was frustratingly entangled by his love for Susan, even when it became clear that she had turned into a vampire. You would expect him to lead the way but along with the adults in the room, he appeared less courageous than you might expect.
You’ll probably get the impression that Susan is absent-minded, especially during her first exchange with Ben. She can’t work out where she knows him from while holding one of his books with his image on the back cover. However, you’ll find as you watch the movie that there is a warmth to her personality. She also has the ambition to become an estate agent and plans to leave and move to Boston, which sells her as a woman who has her own identity.
Priest Callahan felt like a character forced into the movie plot. It was as though they needed a priest to symbolise the good versus evil fight. It was disappointing to see him lose faith when he was battling Barlow the vampire, especially after he proclaimed that the church can be used as a force for good.
Susan’s mother Anna (Debra Christofferson) did a fantastic job of getting in the way of Ben and Susan’s blossoming relationship and siding with evil. Her double standards for herself and her daughter were frustrating, and she did a great job of creating tension during the shootout in the drive-thru.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this film doesn’t disappoint but won’t captivate you either. If you’ve seen enough of these types of films, you can expect to see a film that delivers a formula you’re already familiar with.
Watching it, there were scenes where people battled vampires that felt predictable and at other times tense. I think the film’s real tension comes from the dialogue between these moments as these people try and figure out what's happening.
That said, it does have the ability to surprise you, and it does make you think that certain scenes in the film were clever in their execution.
It won’t be a film that will require repeat viewing, but it will do enough to keep you entertained if you only ever see it once.
Liam Donohoe