Strange things are happening in Jerusalem’s Lot – the residents are turning into vampires!
Salem’s Lot (1979) is a two-part miniseries based on the 1975 Stephen King novel of the same name, following author Ben Mears (David Soul), who returns to his hometown to write about the mysterious Marsten House, now occupied by antique store owner Richard Staker (James Mason) and his unseen partner Mr Barlow (Reggie Nalder). When residents begin turning up dead following a mystery illness, Ben finds himself hunting a vampire who is preying on the town.
Recently re-released as a limited edition 4K UHD version, there are three ways to watch Salem’s Lot: as a two-episode miniseries with both episodes coming in around the ninety-minute mark, as an extended three-hour film merging the two episodes, or a shorter 112-minute theatrical cut that was initially shown to international audiences. I opted to watch the two episodes to get the authentic 1979 experience and was pleasantly surprised to see that the first episode opens with a trailer of what is to come, and the second opens with a recap of the first.
Salem’s Lot has all the hallmarks of a small-town horror and elevates them to make a truly spooky watch. Potentially haunted and definitely creepy house? Check. Everybody up in everybody’s business? Absolutely. Children being the first to disappear? Of course. Paranoia and suspicion cast on the new stranger to town? Got that. People who are clearly having an affair are, in fact, having an affair? Ding ding! The film captures the claustrophobic and suffocating feel of a small town, the horror of the everyday, even before the vampire arrives. Vampirism in Salem’s Lot is portrayed as similar to a virus ripping through the community, a solid metaphor for social rot and small-town gossip ruining lives.
It holds up well as a snapshot of small-town Americana towards the end of the seventies and the social commentary of the film feels equally as relevant today with paranoia and distrust sweeping through communities.
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Across modern vampire films and shows, there is an undeniable sex appeal to the creatures of the night. From Edward in Twilight (2008) and the Salvatore brothers in The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017), the vampires are always conventionally attractive, and the act of feeding on someone often has sexual undertones – see the scene where Dracula feeds on Lucy in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). Even in the Hammer Horror films, Christopher Lee’s Dracula (1958) is an attractive yet mysterious man surrounded by beautifully alluring vampire brides.
In contrast, Salem’s Lot leans into the monstrosity of vampires and their unnaturalness. Inspired heavily by the design of Nosferatu (1922), the creature is bald with glowing yellow eyes, a blue-grey tinge to the skin, protruding ears, and fangs where the central incisors should be, instead of the classical placement of the maxillary canines. The turned residents have glowing yellow eyes and seemingly the ability to levitate and summon fog. Whilst many iterations of vampires tend to blur together, the iconic scene of a vampire child floating through the window is unlikely to leave my mind any time soon.
All of the elements of the film/mini-series – from composer Harry Sukman’s eerie soundtrack, Paul Monash’s screenplay, to the cinematography headed up by Jules Brenner, all under director Tobe Hooper’s guiding hand – all slot together like a jigsaw. In addition, the film/mini-series does not feel particularly dated. It holds up well as a snapshot of small-town Americana towards the end of the seventies and the social commentary of the film feels equally as relevant today with paranoia and distrust sweeping through communities. Despite a 12 age rating, Salem’s Lot is masterful at creating a slow-burn yet truly spooky horror, proving that horror doesn’t need to rely on cheap jump scares or gratuitous violence to have an impact.
SALEM’S LOT IS OUT NOW ON 4K ARROW VIDEO BLU-RAY
