Salem’s Lot: new adaptation was more challenging than expected, features callbacks to the Tobe Hooper version

Warner Bros. has been keeping writer/director Gary Dauberman‘s adaptation of the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot (buy a copy of the novel HERE) on the shelf for a long time – but they won’t be keeping it there for much longer. The movie, which was supposed to be given a theatrical release back in September of 2022, is now set to be released through the Max streaming service on October 3rd. During interviews with SFX magazine, Dauberman confessed that making this adaptation was more challenging than he expected it to be – and producer Michael Clear confirmed that there are elements that are purposely reminiscent of the Tobe Hooper-directed mini-series adaptation of King’s novel.

This is the third adaptation of Salem’s Lot. The previous two were both mini-series, which aired in 1979 and 2004. This new take on the concept is said to be set in 1975, the same year King’s novel was first published. Here’s the 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.

The film stars Lewis Pullman as author Ben Mears; Makenzie Leigh as Ben’s love interest Susan Norton; Spencer Treat Clark as Mike Ryerson, “one of the town’s simple folk”; Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, “a former high school English teacher who knows about the Marsten House’s evil past and helps out Ben”; Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody; Pilou Asbæk as the vampire’s familiar Richard Straker, whose style this time around includes a purple cloak, feathered Homburg hat, and push broom mustache; Nicholas Crovetti and Cade Woodward as Danny and Ralphie Glick; Jordan Preston Carter as horror fanatic Mark Petrie; William Sadler as Constable Parkins Gillespie; and John Benjamin Hickey as Father Callahan. Alexander Ward is the vampire Kurt Barlow.

James Wan and Michael Clear produced Salem’s Lot for Atomic Monster alongside Roy Lee of Vertigo and Mark Wolper.

Dauberman told SFX magazine that making this adaptation “was more challenging than I anticipated, and I anticipated it being really challenging! My initial goal was to try and stick to the book as much as I could, but when the first draft started to feel like it was going to be just as long as the book, I knew some changes would have to be made.” To trim it down, he dropped side characters and focused on the core group of Ben, Mark, Susan, Dr. Cody, Matt, and Father Callahan.

Although the vampire Kurt Barlow was “a cultured, charming, and very human-looking man” in King’s novel, the Tobe Hooper mini-series presented the character as a terrifying, Nosferatu-like creature… and the new adaptation decided to take the same approach to Barlow. Michael Clear explained, “Tobe Hooper’s Barlow had haunted all of us. When something like that is in your nightmares you would be doing a disservice to the movie by not bringing to life the thing that was terrifying to you. It’s similar to the Danny at the window scene, where we wanted to capture the essence of the thing that has stuck inside of our brains for so long.” The FX team didn’t try to do an exact replication of Hooper’s mini-series Barlow, though. They were able to “put a little bit of our own spin on it.“

Are you looking forward to this new version of Salem’s Lot? Let us know by leaving a comment below. JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols already had the chance to watch the movie, and his review can be read at THIS LINK.