'Salem's Lot | |
---|---|
Directed by | Gary Dauberman |
Screenplay by | Gary Dauberman |
Based on | 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King |
Produced by | |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Michael Burgess |
Edited by | Luke Ciarrocchi |
Music by | |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Max |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 113 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
'Salem's Lot is a 2024 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Gary Dauberman, based on the 1975 novel by Stephen King. The film stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, Nicholas Crovetti, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, and Pilou Asbæk. It is the first feature film adaptation of the book, preceded by miniseries versions from 1979 and 2004. The plot centers on a writer who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration, only to discover the presence of a vampire.
'Salem's Lot was announced in 2019 and shot in 2021, with additional photography in 2022. The film's release was delayed multiple times. The film had its world premiere as the opening film at the Beyond Fest on September 25, 2024, and was released on Max on October 3, 2024. The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Writer Ben Mears returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot to write a book about his childhood. He befriends and starts a romantic relationship with Susan Norton, a local who has an overbearing mother and dreams of leaving town. Meanwhile, middle school student Mark Petrie finds himself the target of a school bully and meets school teacher Matt Burke. A strange European man called Straker opens an antique store in town and moves into the long-abandoned Marsten House which has a history of murders. Straker has a large coffin shipped into the house and placed in the basement. Straker kidnaps one of Mark's friends Ralphie and sacrifices him to his master, a vampire called Kurt Barlow. A search party is unsuccessful in finding the boy and the residents blame newcomer Ben. An unseen creature attacks Ralphie's brother Danny and he later dies from Pernicious Anemia. After his funeral, Danny emerges from his coffin, now a vampire, and bites gravedigger Mike.
Matt encounters a sickly Mike at a bar and invites him to stay the night before taking him to a doctor. After noticing a set of strange symptoms, Matt suspects that Mike has been turned into a vampire. After witnessing Danny fly into his house through a window, Matt flees and tells Ben and Susan. Along with Dr. Cody and Sheriff Gillespie, the group examines Mike's now lifeless body although Matt does not tell Cody or Gillespie about what he saw. Later that night, Mike returns, fully turned into a vampire but Matt is able to ward him off with a cross. Danny attempts to trick Mark into letting him into the house but Mark resists and also fends off Danny. Mark researches how to kill vampires. The next day, Dr. Cody is informed that Danny and Ralphie's mother has been found dead from the same disease that killed her son. After discovering that Mike's body has also vanished, Cody confronts Matt and he tells her, Ben, and Susan about the vampires and how to defeat them.
Mark and Matt both break into the Marsten house to kill Barlow but are locked in the basement by Straker. Barlow bites Matt while Straker captures Mark. Meanwhile, Ben, Susan, and Dr. Cody investigate Danny's mother's body at the morgue. She turns and bites Dr. Cody before being destroyed with a cross, but Dr. Cody manages to stop herself from turning by injecting herself with a rabies shot. Barlow's vampires rapidly turn the town's residents. The next day, Mark escapes his bindings and kills Straker. Seeking shelter at the church, Ben, Susan, and Dr. Cody consult the town's priest Father Callahan about what to do. Mark arrives informing them of what occurred at the Marsten house and about Barlow. They investigate the property and are attacked by a turned Matt in the basement. Ben kills him with a wooden stake. The town is completely overtaken by vampires. Sheriff Gillespie attempts to flee the town while Susan and Ben try to warn Susan's mother. Susan's mother reveals she has taken over Straker's role as human servant to Barlow and Susan is bitten by a vampire. Ben flees with Susan.
Father Callahan attempts to convince Mark's parents of the danger but they are ambushed and killed by Barlow. Mark flees and takes shelter in his treehouse from his former classmates, all now turned into vampires. Ben takes Susan who is in the midst of turning to the church which is protected holy ground from the vampires. Dr. Cody is unable to cure her and Susan fully turns, fleeing. Ben gives chase and is attacked by the turned town residents, seeking shelter in the church with Cody. Gillespie's corpse is thrown into the church by the vampires. Mark searches for Barlow and breaks into Straker's antique store where he kills Danny. He is found by Ben and Dr. Cody and the group realize the vampires are sheltering at the local drive-in movie theatre, using the cars as coffins. As they prepare to kill Susan, Dr. Cody is shot dead by Susan's mother. The sun starts to set and the vampires attack Ben. Mark runs over Susan's mother and destroys the theatre screen, exposing the vampires to sunlight and killing them all. Night falls as Barlow emerges from his coffin and attacks Mark. Ben kills Susan and manages to save Mark, killing Barlow with a stake. With the town's residents wiped out, Ben and Mark drive off.
'Salem's Lot is an adaptation of the 1975 novel by Stephen King. The feature film from New Line Cinema was announced in April 2019 when The Hollywood Reporter revealed Gary Dauberman was set to write the screenplay and executive produce and James Wan was attached as a producer. [11] In an interview, Dauberman was asked if he would apply the same writing approach he utilized for It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), adaptations of King's novel It, to which he replied "I like to be as true to the story as I possibly can until it gets a little too unwieldy for a movie." [12]
In April 2020, Dauberman closed a deal to become director. [13] In August 2021, Lewis Pullman was selected to portray the film's lead role. [2] On September 6, principal photography commenced in Boston with cinematographer Michael Burgess. [14] [15] [16] Filming in the state of Massachusetts took place in Ipswich and the towns of Sterling and Clinton, both within Worcester County. [17] The Princeton Public Library in Princeton, Massachusetts, was also booked as a filming location for three days. [18] Additional photography occurred in late May or early June 2022. [19] During post-production, Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott composed the score for the film. [20] According to Dauberman, the film was shortened from a duration of almost three hours, which would have included, among other things, the opening scene set in the Marsten House. [10]
'Salem's Lot was originally set to be released in theaters on September 9, 2022, [21] the post-Labor Day weekend that had been successful for the studio's past horror releases, but was delayed to April 21, 2023, [19] "due to COVID-related delays in the post-production realm", before losing its release date to Evil Dead Rise . [22]
There was growing concern that the project would be scrapped like Coyote vs. Acme or Batgirl , which were cancelled on November 9, 2022, and August 3, 2022, respectively, along with Scoob! Holiday Haunt , despite some of them being nearly completely photographed and deep into post-production. These films were ultimately treated as tax write-offs for the production company in the context of the Warner Bros. Discovery restructuring. [23]
However, by October 2023, Warner Bros. was considering releasing the film on Max, due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike creating a "growing need for Max content", although a spokesperson stated no decision regarding the film's future distribution plans had been made yet. [24] In February 2024, King questioned why there were still no confirmed release plans for the film, stating that he is "not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it's embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the fucking things." [25] [26] Dauberman believes that this escalation in King's speech contributed to the eventual finalization. [27] In March, Warner Bros. confirmed that it would be released on Max, and in August, it was scheduled for an October 2024 launch. [23] [28]
Before broader accessibility, it was the opening film at Beyond Fest on September 25, 2024. [29] The film was then released exclusively OTT on October 3, 2024. [30] Releasing Salem's Lot in October, ahead of Nosferatu in December, and on Max instead of theaters, helped avoid competition between the two films, preventing a potential split in ticket sales and viewership. [31]
The Film Distributors' Association reported that it would be theatrically released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 11, 2024. [32] Residents of the UK do not have access to Max due to due existing agreements inked between Warner Bros. and Sky ("the exclusive distributor of most HBO content" in the UK) that do not expire until late 2025. [33] [34]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 46% of 98 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "An old-fashioned spookfest, this 'Salem's Lot won't be the definitive adaptation of Stephen King's famed vampire tale but it makes for a solid reintroduction to a new generation of audiences." [35] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [36]
Josh Korngut of Dread Central awarded the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Despite its occasional scares and striking style, this adaptation lacks any of the terror or emotional depth of its Stephen King source material." [37] Bloody Disgusting's Meagan Navarro also gave the film 2/5 stars, noting, "it's an adaptation that feels heavily tampered with, gutting all story and character development solely in favor of vampire scares." [38]
'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot in Maine, where he lived from the age of five through nine, only to discover that the residents are becoming vampires. The town is revisited in the short stories "Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road", both from King's story collection Night Shift (1978). The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 1976 and the Locus Award for the All-Time Best Fantasy Novel in 1987.
Spencer Treat Clark is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his roles in the 2000 films Gladiator and Unbreakable. He has since appeared in the films Mystic River (2003), The Last House on the Left (2009), Much Ado About Nothing (2012), and the Unbreakable sequel Glass (2019).
Father Donald Frank Callahan is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He originally appeared in the 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot and later The Dark Tower, appearing in The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah and finally The Dark Tower. He is at first an alcoholic with a troubled faith, but he seems to find his peace in The Dark Tower novels, and his faith is restored.
'Salem's Lot is a 2004 two-part television miniseries which first aired on TNT on June 20 and ended its run on June 21, 2004. It is the second television adaptation of Stephen King's 1975 vampire novel 'Salem's Lot following the 1979 miniseries adaptation. Although the novel and original miniseries were both set in the 1970s, this version updates the story to take place in the 2000s.
Salem's Lot is a 1979 American two-part vampire miniseries based on the 1975 horror novel 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Directed by Tobe Hooper and starring David Soul and James Mason, the plot concerns a writer who returns to his hometown and discovers that its citizens are turning into vampires.
Salem's Lot is a 1994 BBC Radio 4 dramatization of Stephen King's 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot written by Gregory Evans. It combines the psychological thriller and the classic horror genres, making references to Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula at several points and sometimes replicating its storyline.
Kurt Barlow is a fictional vampire and the main antagonist of Stephen King's 1975 horror novel 'Salem's Lot. The character is a powerful vampire who moves to the Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot with the intent to form a vampire colony of its residents. Due to his own predations as well as those of the residents he turns, the entire town is ultimately overrun by vampirism; only a few of the residents escape. Although his true age is unknown, he claims to be so old that he predates the founding of Christianity by centuries.
Matt Reeves is an American filmmaker who first gained recognition for the WB drama series Felicity (1998–2002), which he co-created with J. J. Abrams. Reeves came to widespread attention for directing the hit monster-film Cloverfield (2008). He also directed the vampire drama Let Me In (2010), and the critically acclaimed science-fiction sequels Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). He directed the superhero film The Batman (2022), which stars Robert Pattinson as the title character.
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (WBPA), formerly known as Warner Animation Group (WAG), is an American animation studio that serves as the animated feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, by Jeff Robinov, the studio is the successor to the dissolved 2D traditional hand-drawn animation studio Warner Bros. Feature Animation, which shut down in 2004, and is also a sister to the regular Warner Bros. Animation studio.
Andrés Walter Muschietti is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film Mama. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It film series, the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel and its 2019 sequel, It Chapter Two. In 2023, he directed the DC Extended Universe film The Flash.
Vertigo Entertainment is an American film and television production company based in Los Angeles, founded in 2001 by Roy Lee and Doug Davison.
It is a 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman. It is the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King, primarily covering the first chronological half of the book. It is the first film in the It film series as well as being the second adaptation following Tommy Lee Wallace's 1990 miniseries. Starring Jaeden Lieberher and Bill Skarsgård, the film was produced by New Line Cinema, KatzSmith Productions, Lin Pictures, and Vertigo Entertainment. The film, set in Derry, Maine, tells the story of The Losers' Club, a group of seven outcast children who are terrorized by the eponymous being which emerges from the sewer and appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Skarsgård), only to face their own personal demons in the process.
It Chapter Two is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to It (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel It by Stephen King. The film stars Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. In addition to the latter, several cast members from the previous film also reprised their roles including Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, Molly Atkinson, Stephen Bogaert, Jake Sim, Logan Thompson, Joe Bostick, and Megan Charpentier. Set 27 years after the events of the previous film, the story centers on the Losers Club and their relationships as they reunite to destroy It once and for all.
Makenzie Leigh is an American actress, noted for playing the protagonist's romantic interest in Ang Lee's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016).
Gary Dauberman is an American screenwriter and director. He is best known for writing The Conjuring Universe horror films Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017), The Nun (2018), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). He made his directorial debut with the latter film. Dauberman also co-wrote the supernatural horror film It (2017), and wrote its follow-up It Chapter Two (2019), which are based on the novel of the same name.
Sunday Night Productions is an American film and television production company founded by John Krasinski and Allyson Seeger in 2013. It has produced the television series Lip Sync Battle, Dream Corp LLC, and Jack Ryan, the YouTube streaming news show Some Good News (2020), and the films Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009), Promised Land (2012), The Hollars (2016), and A Quiet Place Part II (2020).