13 years ago, I covered “Scream” for my 100th review. Last spring, I tackled a classic – “Gone with the Wind” – for my 800th.
Knowing my 900th Movie Buff review would fall amid Two Months of Terror, I had to find an epic horror film worth watching.
“Salem’s Lot” is a two-part television miniseries based off the master of terror Stephen King’s second novel. The film premiered on CBS in November 1979, a year that straddled two great decades for the genre.
Directed by Tobe Hooper, “Salem’s Lot” was nominated for three Emmy’s. It’s beloved by devout fans of horror, becoming a cult classic five decades since its release. I hadn’t watched it before but was aware of several iconic and memorable scenes.
The Dawn of Vampires
Unlike some of King’s other works. “Salem’s Lot” has a simple concept.
Writer Ben Mears (David Soul) is returning to his small hometown in (shocker) Maine. Right away I love the play on words. The town is Jerusalem’s Lot, colloquially shortened by the locals to Salem.
Ben cruises around town in a sweet ’74 Jeep. There’s a haunted house on a hill and a young woman (Bonnie Bedelia) that he flirts with. There are strange townsfolk and creepy religious imagery.
Ben soon finds out the town is teaming with Vampires!
Slow Burn, or just Slow?
Stephen King’s novels are never short on words. It makes for some difficulties when trying to turn the pages into a film.
“Salem’s Lot” clocks in at over three hours, sans commercials, and you feel every minute of it.
There are lots of characters, some of which are so thinly crafted there is no need for them at all. Every scene feels deliberately elongated. The slow pace is clearly done to stretch it out for TV, and its distracting.
I don’t fault Tobe Hooper. The source material is robust, and the need for the film to cover two nights makes it impossible to be efficient.
The Window Scene
The iconic window scenes are cited as some of the best done in horror movie history.
They’re good.
There’s something about practical effects and television limitations that makes certain things scarier than anything a theater can do. The ghostly visage of a child, floating to the second story, and repeatedly tapping on the window of a friend or sibling is perfect.
The scares Are scant amid the three-hour run time. Windows aside, there’s some jumps and some creepy moments. The ultimate vampire looks a bit silly, but I get it – at the time it was terrifying.
Classic or Dud?
“Salem’s Lot” is a simple vampire story. There are some cool effects and solid scares, but the overall length and pacing wreck it from anything other than mediocre. I recommend watching it if you have never seen it before, but I won’t be revisiting.
My journey to 1,000 reviews begins!
