It is with pleasure to stipulate that 2024 has entertained us with some heavenly horrific films. The horror genre has been more eclectic than ever, from: body horror with The Substance; sci fi horror with Alien: Romulus and now…vampire horror with Salem’s Lot. The fact that the US didn’t get a theatrical release and went straight to streaming on Max is disappointing. Nonetheless, the fact that the UK will get Salem’s Lot as a cinematic release is a true privilege as Stephen King’s 2024 remake truly delivers with a big bite. The 1979 three-hour TV film had its day and is sadly dated, but this version has an excellent ensemble, jump scares that make you spill the popcorn and tension tinged with tingles.
The plot is still loyal to King’s novel, or is it? Even better, very different from the TV movie but in a good way: An author returns to his hometown in the state of Maine named Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover that the townspeople are being attacked by a bloodthirsty vampire. That author is played by Lewis Pullman (Bill’s son) which is delightful to see him take a lead role evolving from the excellent Bad Times at the El Royale and Top Gun: Maverick. Pullman has been given a chance to lead an ensemble cast and pulls it off pleasantly.
The leading lady standout is his love interest, Mackenzie Leigh who plays Susan Norton, a local who develops a fondness for Pullman’s Ben Mears character, that when the two of them hit it off, they are our official protagonists that we root for and become emotionally attached to. Leigh’s performance stands out as she combines her beauty with brilliance and boldness.
The town of Salem’s Lot or correctly Jeru-salem’s Lot will obviously have locals that we develop a fondness for. Each character delivers their motivation and thrives with purpose, like William Sadler playing the town sheriff Gillespie. If he’s a sheriff who likes to cut corners and be in denial of a vampire killer, will he get his comeuppance? Will the beautiful lead lady Mackenzie Leigh get hers? Or the town’s teacher played brilliantly by Bill Camp?
The best parts are when our child hero fights back, most notably newcomer, Jordan Preston Carter who plays, Mark Petrie, the geeky underdog. The audience will marvel at his resilience to see him stab a stake through a bloodsucker’s heart and hold a crucifix to their face to which it glows like a lightsabre. It reminds us that the vampires have a weakness, (holy water and sunlight) and the film will follow all the cliches and rules of defeating a vampire just like The Lost Boys. It’s a dark and fun ride and sometimes cliché is good.
The objective is to sit back and enjoy a good popcorn vampire horror. The vampire attacks are brutally subtle. It is left to your imagination which is arguably the better option. To see characters, we like get bit and turn will make you react like your favourite GoT character has just died. However, to see a multitude of vampires lurking in the lot at night in the foggy streets amongst our protagonists is a true visual standout to achieve one goal: to disturb the viewer and to make us think that horror is exciting, and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot is way up there and a great addition to his many other great works.
This version has an excellent ensemble
Movie title: Salem's Lot (2024)
Movie description: An author returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover that the townspeople are being attacked by a bloodthirsty vampire.
Date published: October 12, 2024
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 54m
Director(s): Gary Dauberman
Actor(s): Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Jordan Preston Carter
Genre: Vampire Horror, Horror, Thriller
Aly has a strong passion for film as he enjoys reviewing and analysing them. He has written for Hey U Guys, The Hollywood News and The People’s Movies. He is an aspiring screenwriter and has had much interest by professionals in the industry. For the bread and butter, he teaches English Language and Literature in secondary school which he truly enjoys, but has dreams to enter the film industry professionally. He loves networking as making good contacts is key to moving forward.
