classicalsteve There is a very short list of classic novels centering on the vampire mythos. Of course the most famous is "Dracula" by Bram Stoker (1897); probably the deepest and most philosophical is "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice (1976); but the most disturbing may be in fact "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King. While Dracula was an ancient monster wreaking havoc on Londoners in late 19th-century Britain, King's tale involves the dark little secrets of a New England town whose residence become ripe fodder for a highly-intelligent demon. The point of King's story I believe is how the unspoken and unexamined behavior of a small town become easy prey to dark forces.The recent rendition of Salem's Lot into a made-for-cable film starring Rob Lowe, Samantha Mathis, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hower and Dan Byrd is a bit closer adaption to King's original story than the television-movie of the 1970's which starred David Soul and James Mason. Looming above the town is an old "haunted mansion", the Marsten House. The House itself is a character like the others, which the more recent adaption exploits a bit further than its 1970's counterpart, although the house is menacing in that adaption as well. In many scenes in this recent adaption, the House looms in the distance, as if watching the events unfold from on-high, a spooky version of the Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg of Great Gatsby fame.Rob Lowe in a solid performance in the wake of his years on "The West Wing" plays Ben Mears, a native-born of the town Jerusalem's Lot who returns to his place of birth and, as we'll learn, his coming-of-age. Mears has been away from the town for over two decades, nurturing a successful writing career in New York. (Many aspects of Mears ring of Stephen King who was also brought up in a small New England town.) The writer has returned from his hustle and bustle life in the Big Apple to write about the town, and, as it turns out, about incidents which occurred when he was on the verge of adolescents.Aside from the story of the vampires is the parallel story of the corruption of the town, such as a father abusing his daughter, then threatening the local garbage service who employs a crippled man who he believes had been with this daughter. A lower-middle class couple residing in a trailer park are not caring adequately for their baby, and they use blackmail schemes to raise money. Charlie Rhodes is an abusive school bus driver. He enacts "justice" by forcing children he believes are either misbehaving and/or simply doesn't like, to get off his bus and walk home.When Mears returns to Salem at the beginning, he meets Susan Norton (Samantha Mathis), a college graduate who had been corresponding with Mears through emails about her choice of academic studies. (Which is a bit of an upgrade from the original book and original film adaption. Online selling is also discussed.) Mears learns the Marsten House has been bought by two mysterious gentlemen in the antiques trade, Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland), and the mysterious Mr. Barlow who, according to Straker, is constantly on buying trips in Europe. They open a shop in Salem's Lot.Brothers Ralphie and Danny Glick, and their friend Mark Petrie (Dan Byrd), decide to see pictures hidden in the glove compartment of their school bus driver who had been abusing them, possibly as a blackmail scheme. The plan fails and the boys end up running for the lives through the woods near the town. Ralphie Glick disappears and Danny Glick is found by Father Callahan on one of the nearby roads. Danny is in hospital and shortly thereafter is paid a visit by Ralphie, the former making the mistake of a letting his ghostly brother pay him a visit. Later, Danny Glick, floating outside the window of Mark, asks to be invited in.The creation of the vampires spreads like a virus, somewhat akin to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A few characters realize what's happening, including Mears, Dr. Cody, the schoolteacher Matt Burke, and love interest Susan Norton. They realize the evil is emanating from the Marsten House but they must unravel what's happening before it's too late. There is something strange and sinister about their new resident, Richard Straker. A very well-done and satisfying adaption of Stephen King's classic of mortal good versus supernatural evil. This recent version is a bit more faithful to the original book, including the portrayal of Barlow which is closer to King's original vision than the Nosferatu-like character in the 1970's version.

skybrick736 King's classic story of vampires in Salem's Lot was remade as a two-part story on TNT in the summer of 2004. The movie was number one in programming both nights it originally aired, beating basic cable by garnering four million viewers. It's a shame that cable programming doesn't provide more original or adapted movies like Salem's Lot but it's Sharknado or other fake reality shows getting the nod. Mikael Saloman representation of Salem's Lot was quite the pleasant surprise, the Marsden house looked great and the collection of characters were an appropriate mix and screen time.If you're looking for something that stays 100% true to King's writing this is definitely not for you. The film wasn't necessarily rated based on this factor but I was taken aback by how many changes were made to the storyline. Otherwise the script had a great pace, for being over three hours long, it's easy to sit and watch the film in one sitting. Rob Lowe and Donald Sutherland were phenomenal catches for the film and they certainly had a part in carrying the film. Salem's Lot (2004) has it's pitfalls, tacky scenes with special effects and bad dialogue but it was an enjoyable movie that's worth taking a peak.

lourdesmeinhold Wow...What an atrocious movie! Doesn't hold a candle to the original made for TV movie directed by Tobe Hooper. This new version of Salem's Lot is poorly written, badly acted & terrible special f/x. What a waste of time but glad I was able to see it so that I could be subjective. Don't waste your time on that drivel; find a copy of the original Salem's Lot starring David Soul as Ben Mears. That version has some truly scary scenes that involve Danny Glick appearing at Mark's window and of course who can forget the great character actor Geoffrey Lewis rocking back & forth in Matt Burke's spare bedroom. Yikes! The best scene though is when Marjorie Glick come to life on the mortician's table. Unlike the 2004 film (which actually plays for campy comic relief) the original SL is waaaaaay scarier. That movie still frightens the hell out of me to this day.

liamforeman I own the original Salem's Lot on DVD, so when I saw this at the store I decided to buy it. I enjoyed the remake of The Shining and was hoping for a more in depth and psychological thriller. God was I wrong. I've read the book, and I'm okay with artistic license, so that wasn't the problem. This film was just a disaster. It was not scary, it was not a thriller, it didn't frankly keep my interest. Problem number one. Rob Lowe. I know he can do better than this. His narrative was grating, so wordy and pointless. I also swear he is wearing a hairpiece or wig in this. He was just going through the motions in this one, unfortunately. I never understood the lack of chemistry with "Susan". He was supposed to be in love with her, but they got along like bickering siblings. So when he offs her in the end, it was like "So?". At least David Soul and Bonnie Bedelia had some chemistry and you could feel the pain when he killed Bonnie. Number two. Matt Burke. He is supposed to be Rob's old English schoolteacher. He is like a year older than him? Made no sense. Number three. The acting. These were most likely locals who decided to try acting just for this movie. The Glick brothers were the absolute worst. Just horrible horrible acting. Dud was just that. I was embarrassed for his cerebral palsy portrayal. Awful. Number four. Straker. If I were a vampire and trusted my life to someone to watch me, well, Straker would be the last guy on earth i'd entrust that to. He was crazy, made public spectacles, and called attention to himself. Didn't make sense. Oh well. This was such a disappointment. Horrible acting, so many plot problems. I mean why were the vampires at the end walking around like zombies? Dud could move in a flash, and now it's Night of the Living Dead? A total mess.