A struggling author returns to his hometown in search of novel inspiration… if it doesn’t kill him and the rest of the town first.

Having left when he was nine following the death of his parents two decades earlier, Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) returns to his former hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot… shortened to ‘Salem’s Lot by the residents. Investigating the mysteries of his own past and the reportedly haunted Marsten House for inspiration on a new book, he becomes involved with local beauty Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh) who shows him around. When a boy named Ralphie Glick (Cade Woodward) goes missing, Ben befriends teacher Matt Burke (Bill Camp) while volunteering on a meager search party, finding out just how small the Lot has become. Unfortunately, Ben’s arrival coincides with the diabolical plans of Mr. Barlow (Alexander Ward) and his business partner R.T. Straker (Pilou Asbæk) to drain the town dry… of blood.

Writer/director Gary Dauberman, co-writer of The Nun and director of Annabelle Comes Home, took a break from James Wan’s The Conjuring Universe to play in Stephen King’s sandbox, directing a film that’s since been gathering dust on the shelf for over two years. King fans have clamored to have the film released, hoping for a better or more complete adaptation of the author’s second novel following his success with Carrie. Good news, everyone: the finished film has been slated for streaming on MAX just in time for Halloween! 2023 wasn’t kind to vampire movies, with less than stellar box office takes from The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield, but this year’s Abigail proved there’s some life left in the undead yet… although more fans should have definitely supported it. With low expectations but at least not being written off like Batgirl, can this newest incarnation of “Mr. Barlow’s Neighborhood” find a following?

Admit it: you probably haven’t read the original 1975 book in quite some time. If you do recall the plot points of the novel, the 2024 film plays like a compact version of the text. In a couple of ways, it follows the written work far more closely for a few characters than the significant liberties taken in 1979. The Marsten House lore has been paired down to library microfiche research, the triumphs and fates of a few characters get swapped, and the minutiae about this dying small town in Maine has been pushed aside to shorten the runtime. For movie lovers willing to let go of minor details or who are otherwise unfamiliar with them, this version is an effective spooky distraction improving upon many of the cheesiest effects from previous adaptations while still paying homage to the films and novel that inspired them.

The Ben Mears and Mark Petrie dynamic remains, Matt Burke and Susan Norton are still significant characters, and most of the action unfolds as it should with a departure only in where the climax occurs. True Stephen King fans will immediately understand why this change would tickle his twisted little heart, including a few clever references to the author’s later works (hint: watch closely when Ben Mears drives into town to have a look around). With an opening title card invoking the lavish font used for King novels in the 1970s (and later inspiring the titles for “Stranger Things” on Netflix) the production design serves the story and works well. The vampire effects are especially impressive, improving the design to be convincing even up close. In the same way the most recent Children of the Corn found ways to improve upon the abysmal original film (go ahead; read the story, watch the film, and tell me where I’m wrong), Dauberman’s film does the novel and its author justice, and it’s wonderful to finally have that. Are you listening, whomever is remaking The Stand again?!

There’s little hope of it, but an extended edition that might exist with some extra details would be wonderful, especially with any extras for a physical release; fortunately, there’s a far better chance of squeezing that out of Warner Bros. and Newline than getting Disney to release Hellraiser 2022 or Prey. Whether you enjoy this version or not, there’s at least one thing all movie fans can probably agree upon. No matter how evil or deadly of a monster you are, fully extending your arms over your head while your hands dangle at the wrists doesn’t look menacing; it looks like a Scooby-Doo villain, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Salem’s Lot 2024 is rated R for bloody violence, language, and finally making “Trunk or Treat” awesome.

Three skull recommendation out of four