Salem’s Lot Doesn’t Quite Scare Up Satisfation

Salem’s Lot has been a beloved Stephen King publication for astir 50 years, and has already been adapted twice. The Maine municipality whose quaint exterior masks an aggravated vampire occupation finds its mode backmost connected the representation acknowledgment to Gary Dauberman’s caller feature, primitively slated for a theatrical release earlier being shuffled to Max. It offers a golden-hued nightmare that admirably commits to its 1970s setting, but doesn’t rather nail the elements that person made King’s communicative truthful enduring.

Perhaps it’s conscionable that Salem’s Lot, a doorstop of a publication arsenic galore King novels thin to be, isn’t suited for containment into a movie that runs nether 2 hours (both erstwhile adaptations were TV miniseries, and hovered person to 3 hours). While there’s a wide protagonist—novelist Ben Mears, played present by Lewis Pullman (Outer Range, Lessons successful Chemistry, Thunderbolts*)—the publication besides gives abstraction to respective different Salem’s Lot residents, introducing them and exploring their twisted interior lives. The scholar has ample clip to recognize the spot isn’t arsenic wholesome arsenic it appears adjacent earlier a supernatural menace lurches into town.

King besides devotes a batch of words to the astir salient landmark successful Salem’s Lot: the Marsten House. The crumbling mansion with a tragic past looms implicit the town, broadcasting a changeless reminder that acheronian tin fester successful adjacent the astir idyllic communities. Its sinister allure is what draws Ben, who lived successful Salem’s Lot arsenic a child, backmost to town; it’s suggested on the mode that the location is really intertwined with evil itself, making it the cleanable HQ for a traveling vampire.

If your archetypal brushwood with Salem’s Lot is Dauberman’s film, however, you mightiness not prime up on… immoderate of that. The Marsten House is portion of the story, sure, but its value feels reduced. Details astir its past are relegated to a montage successful the opening credits, a speedy speech oregon two, and immoderate room microfiche scrolling. While it’s understood and adjacent expected that immoderate adaptation volition instrumentality liberties with its root material, audiences should besides beryllium fixed capable item that they tin conscionable beryllium down and bask a movie oregon TV bid without having work what came before.

© New Line Cinema/Max

The characterization of Ben Mears is astir apt the biggest stumble successful this instrumentality connected Salem’s Lot. In the book, Ben is haunted by an brushwood helium had successful the Marsten House decades agone aft entering connected a kiddie dare; he’s besides grieving the acold much caller nonaccomplishment of his wife. Both details are absent here. Instead, each we get is that Ben is simply a semi-successful writer whose astir caller publication received middling reviews; he’s returned to Salem’s Lot, wherever his parents died 20 years prior, hoping that reconnecting with his younker volition spark caller inspiration. Pullman’s show doesn’t adhd overmuch depth; it feels similar he’s skating crossed the surface, adjacent arsenic Ben’s drawn into a romance with the lone chill miss successful municipality (Makenzie Leigh arsenic Susan Norton) and befriends section teacher Matt Burke (Bill Camp).

His ellipse further grows when, a week into his stay, the machinations of Richard Straker (Pilou Asbæk, unluckily underused) and his vampire master, Kurt Barlow (Alexander Ward), escalate from “antique store opening soon” to “bloodsucking chaos,” and we conscionable Dr. Cody (a wonderfully wry Alfre Woodard), Father Callahan (John Benjamin Hickey), and tweenage fearfulness instrumentality Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter).

They set unneurotic to combat back, but without the groundwork laid to suggest what’s happening successful Salem’s Lot is simply a cosmic inevitability—the sheriff, played by the large William Sadler, declares astatine 1 constituent that the municipality is dying and that’s wherefore Barlow settled there, an reflection that seems plucked from bladed air—it feels a spot similar Ben conscionable happened to prime the worst imaginable infinitesimal to visit.

There are different flaws successful the script—there’s immoderate heavy-handed foreshadowing, similar a harmonica seemingly introduced solely truthful that it tin supply a spooky dependable effect a fewer scenes later—but Dauberman’s evident affection for his setting, keeping Salem’s Lot successful 1975 conscionable similar King’s book, is perfectly a affirmative here. The accumulation plan and cinematography enactment existent to the retro vibes, and the summation of a drive-in theatre proves a play cleanable item that brings a nifty magnitude to the story.

The peculiar effects, however, don’t support up the vintage feel, particularly erstwhile it comes to 1 peculiarly memorable CG changeable (you’ll cognize it erstwhile you spot it). There’s decidedly much gore than we’ve ever seen successful a Salem’s Lot adaptation—an vantage of not being made for broadcast TV—but it doesn’t spell implicit the top. Unfortunately, it’s ne'er precise frightening, with leap scares doing the dense lifting and “Character X, wherefore did you bash that dumb thing?” supplying an atrocious batch of the tension.

And possibly that’s the wide occupation with this Salem’s Lot. It’s entertaining and it follows the wide contours of King’s well-loved story, but it doesn’t bring overmuch of thing caller to the array different than the drive-in scenes. Without that consciousness of creeping dread—that the Marsten House is simply a focal constituent of unholy vigor that’s been infecting the municipality for generations—it feels similar an adaptation that’s some faithful but besides curiously missing immoderate of the astir absorbing parts.

It’s not a bad movie. It’s worthy adding to your Halloween-season viewing queue. But watching it, you’ll recognize wherefore Warner Bros. opted for a streaming release—and apt hold with the decision.

© New Line Cinema/Max

Salem’s Lot arrives October 3 connected Max.

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for the DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir the aboriginal of Doctor Who.