cormac_zoso While this version of Stephen King's epic vampire novel, "'Salem's Lot", is by no means perfect, it is better than the 1979 TV movie tho James Mason as Richard Straker will be hard to beat in any version ever attempted ... it is also better than the rating on here or on the competitor's site, Rotten Tomatoes ...Rob Lowe does an excellent job handling the lead role and his voice-overs of various passages make me want to hear him read a King novel for an audio book ... he has a perfect touch with the voice-overs and that hooked me before he was halfway thru his opening speech over the scenes driving thru "the Lot" ... he also does a fine job portraying Ben Mears, perhaps it's obvious to others but he is much better than David Soul who played the role as he played all his roles: he's a 'hunky blonde' and that's all he needs to be ... Lowe puts out a top drawer effort and it's obvious he worked to get it right ...some of the complaints are about changes made to the original book and everyone is entitled their opinion of course but the film makers tried to update the work a bit since it wasn't set in the '70s any longer and bringing in some 'modern problems' such as a black gay teacher in what is obviously a predominantly white town ... and as Lowe's voice over explains, this is just fine as long as he, the English teacher Matt Burke, keeps his alternative lifestyle out of the classroom and up in Lewiston (if i am recalling the line correctly ... at least meaning that he go to the nearest 'big city' to 'be gay' and probably 'be black' as well) ... this is how it still is these days even in smaller towns throughout the USA sad as it is to say ... but it gives this version an updated feel and i don't see why it would be a problem ...as far as other casting goes, Rutger Hauer and Donald Sutherland as the "antiques dealers" Kurt Barlow and Richard Straker respectively, do a great job portraying the vampire and his 'watchdog' as Straker is described .... Barlow in the '79 version is a nothing character, nothing more than a manikin really ... and while Mason is hard to beat, Sutherland gives it a very creepy and energetic reading and it works nearly as well as the smooth and aristocratic style Mason applied to the same work ... Hauer of course gives a performance better than the manikin in the original but aside from that, he gives it a nice smooth-talking vampire style at first but when it comes to the physical power of the vampire he really kicks it up (with the help of special effects for the 'ceiling crawling' scene) and makes it work perfectly ...and while Lance Kerwin did a very good job in the original, Dan Byrd gives Mark Petrie, the poor kid who teams up with Mears to try and beat the vamps, a whole different feel and makes it a strong and important part ... i haven't seen him in much else since but this role showed a lot of promise with his talent ...overall, this is a very good TV-quality translation of a King novel into film ... TV has certain restrictions that the big screen doesn't have but i doubt that any studio is going to risk this film being made as two parts which is what it needs to be to fit in all of the story (it's not King's thickest novel but there is a ton of story jammed between the covers) ... perhaps they'd risk it for "the stand" but it seems "'salem's lot" is getting to be a bit overlooked in the King lexicon which is unfortunate since it is the best vampire book i've ever read ... this film is one of the best vampire movies as well and considering the restrictions with TV, i think it's a very good effort

SteveResin Let me start off by saying this isn't terrible. If you're bored there are worse ways of spending 3 hours than watching this. The trouble is, it's not terribly good either. I applaud the producers for attempting to work as much of the book into the screenplay as they could, and the location is excellent, with a decent smattering of special effects to boot. However, the bad far outweighs the good. Let's start with the good points. The location is great, on a par with the 1979 masterpiece, giving a real feeling of small town isolation. And the Marsten house looks suitably creepy and foreboding. The music is good, and the special effects are above average for a TV mini series of it's era. A few of the cast do a great job, James Cromwell is excellent as Father Callahan, Dan Byrd does OK as a shell-shocked Mark, and Julia Blake is a wonderful Eva. That's about it for the good stuff. Onto the bad. The series' biggest failing for me was the decision to drag it into the present. By setting the story in modern times with the internet and mobile phones, the the idea that a small community like this could just collapse under the visit of vampires without any outside help being summoned is ludicrous. Some of the casting choices and changes to the characters are poor. I've enjoyed Rob Lowe in many movies but the role of Ben Mears didn't suit him at all. David Soul brought a lot of passion and intense emotion to his 1979 portrayal, whereas Lowe only has two emotions through the entire series, bored and scared. The use of a narration from Lowe throughout is another bad idea. The character changes are disastrous. Matt Burke is now a gay man for some reason, Doctor Jimmy is a sleazeball who beds one of his married patients, and worse of all Larry Crockett is a child abuser who is sleeping with his daughter, the town 'Goth' Ruthie Crockett. Worse still is the relationship between Ben and Susan. In the book and 79 mini series their gentle romance and meeting of minds made you ache for Ben when Susan is turned. In this series there is zero chemistry between the leads and there is absolutely no romance, save for a few small chats about literature and a possible vacation to New York. When Susan is turned Ben hardly seems bothered and neither do we. The only interesting side character is Dud Rogers, the local hunchback who lives on the town garbage dump, but he is used so fleetingly it's hardly worth it. Another waste is the use of heavyweight actor Donald Sutherland as Straker, who is completely lacking in any menace whatsoever. Rutger Hauer is also wasted as Barlow, taking up about 5 minutes of the total screen time. All in all this is watchable fair, but doesn't warrant repeat viewings. It's neither captivating or remotely scary, which is kind of missing the whole point.

kluseba Salem's Lot is another television adaption of a Stephen King novel and definitely too long with a running time of three hours even though the ending definitely lacks of details and seems to be produced in a hurry. It's not a very thrilling movie but it has some entertaining moments, some intriguing characters and a solid acting. Note that the movie features legendary and skilled actors such as James Cromwell, Rutger Hauer and Donald Sutherland. Even though they don't always shine in this production, it's interesting to see them all together in this mini-series.The movie kicks off as a documentary when the sleepy town called Jerusalem's Lot is introduced by the protagonist. The introduction is definitely too long and bores a lot after an interesting opening sequence.The movie tries to introduce several story lines with different characters. Some of them are interesting like the love story of Eva and Ed but some are also quite boring like as the fate of the police officers. The movie feels a little bit stretched and lacks focus at some points.The second half of the movie has some thrills, some action elements and feels overall more dynamical. The main problem is that the ending of the movie is too predictable to surprise, convince or grab any attention.In the end, I can't really recommend this production as there are almost as many weak as there are strong points. If there's nothing else to watch late on television, it's a good choice but a purchase or loan is definitely not necessary.

mikereilly_1999 I have been a Stephen King fan all of my life, and rank "Salem's Lot" and "The Stand" as his two essential, indispensible works. I read Salem's Lot at the ripe age of 8 (over three decades ago) and even after becoming an e-book lover still keep a paperback copy on the shelf so I can appreciate it in all of its yellowing-paged-original-glory.I saw the original "Salem's Lot" miniseries with David Soul and Lance Kerwin when it originally aired on television in 1979 and thought nothing could ever compare to the feelings of terror that it provoked in me. The scenes where Ralphie Glick (and later on Danny Glick) appear in the windows as vampires have haunted me to this day - and I was unsurprised to hear that many of my generation felt the same way.So I was with some excitement that I viewed this 2004 remake of the story, to see what was done with the tale. After having read the comments and reviews I must admit I was skeptical that it was adapted to the screen successfully. As things turned out, it was a decent piece of work. Not as good as the book or the first movie, but it had some strong components.This film doesn't start out particularly strong. I spent the first hour shocked at the sluggishness with which the plot moved, envisioning how I would trash it in this online review, frankly. The original story was set in Maine in the 1970's, and the advent of cell phones, e-mail and other technology seems so foreign to the story. I am also a fan of keeping as true to the original tale as possible - changing Matt Burke from an aging white man to a younger gay black man was an odd, though acceptable, course of action, but having Dr. Jimmy Cody involved in a sleazy affair with teenaged Sandy was an offense.However, as I watched past the weak beginning I could see some strong roots of this tale beginning to take hold. David Soul was a capable Ben Mears, but Rob Lowe outshined him, I feel. I could tell Lowe had really studied the character and tried to present his personality as realistically as he could. And while beautiful Bonnie Bedelia was believable as Susan Norton in the original film, Samantha Mathis takes the lead in this one. The 1979 miniseries transformed Jimmy Cody's character into Susan Norton's father, who was a bit player at best. It was good to see a real adaptation of Jimmy Cody - a likable and reliable figure in the book - show up in this movie. This isn't to say every cast member was an improvement; certainly Christopher Morris's Mike Ryerson doesn't belong in the same room as the character played by Geoffrey Lewis in the 1979 film - who was so frightening when he returned from the dead in Matt's house, unlike Morris's weak and confused appearance.Straker was magnificently played by James Mason in 1979. Donald Sutherland did his best in this role, but fell a bit short. However, Rutger Hauer's Barlow - though given a pitifully small amount of screen time - is far truer to the book than Reggie Nalder's "Nosferatu" version. One of the strongest elements of the book was Barlow's charming, intelligent, charismatic personality. His booming laughter, his easygoing guile, his believable role as the Master was better represented by Hauer, though woefully underutilized. I believe Hauer appeared in all of 3 scenes.Then there is the working relationship between Ben Mears and Mark Petrie. Of course the level of detail the book offers into the curious pairing of these two, so much alike, can't be fully transferred to the screen, but the manner in which all of their allies drop one by one, leaving these two as the sole survivors responsible for saving what's left of the town, seems a credible fit.An odd turn of events twists Father Callahan from a pathetic failure who flees the town into a pathetic failure who replaces Straker as Barlow's human sidekick doesn't ring true at first. However, after further inspection it seems to fit an appropriate niche. Who better to turn into a vampire's living henchman than a doubtful priest? The plot twist serves as an intro to the movie as well as providing material for the denouement and I think ultimately it works.Overall, I didn't find the sense of stark terror that I did in the original book and movie, but I found nearly comparable levels of suspense and intrigue. Some of the vampire scenes were a bit cheesy - Ed and Eva's "wedding" for instance, but I appreciated the fact that some elements not in the first film adaptation - Charlie Rhodes and his school bus from hell, for instance - were included this time around.In summary, some elements worked well, and others bellyflopped, but it was a valiant effort and a mixed bag of success. Worth the viewing to see how it compares to the book and first movie.