We seem to be experiencing something of a renaissance for Stephen King movies – and, by that, I mean many older films (or TV specials) inspired by the best-selling author’s work are being revived and reimagined for a modern audience. One of the many new Stephen King adaptations that is currently in the works is a theatrical version of Salem’s Lot.
The upcoming horror movie is based on the 1975 novel set in a small town in Maine (as per tradition for King stories), which serves as the author’s own most popular contribution to vampire lore. Fans have been keeping a close eye on all the major updates surrounding this new take on Salem’s Lot and we have compiled them all in one place below, starting with when a good time to grab a crucifix, a wooden stake, and some garlic would be.
What Is The Salem’s Lot Release Date?
The biggest mystery surrounding Salem’s Lot has been when it will come out and, while the film still does not have a specific release date, we know that it will debut in 2024 on Max. The news came months after Variety reported that Warner Bros. discussed distributing it as a streaming exclusive, meaning it would be available with a Max subscription, which has now been confirmed as fact.
This is a most exciting development in the long delay for Salem’s Lot, which actually wrapped principal photography in November 2021, as star Makenzie Leigh confirmed in an Instagram post. King himself has even seen the film and praised it on X, calling it a “muscular…, involving… [and] faithful” adaptation of his story. This makes us happy to know that it has secured a spot on the upcoming 2024 movies schedule, even if that means skipping a theatrical release.
Salem’s Lot Is A Modern Vampire Tale
The Stephen King multiverse is full of vampires, such as the nocturnal creatures a fan may find in short stories like “The Night Flier” – which inspired a mean made-for-TV creature feature in 1997 – and his series of Dark Tower novels, among others. However, the most famous bloodsucker of the author’s creation must be Kurt Barlow, who is the centuries-old antagonist of Salem’s Lot.
The novel (King’s second) gets its title from the shortened name of the town where it is set, Jerusalem’s Lot – the childhood home of writer Ben Mears. When he returns to the Maine community to research his next book, it becomes apparent that many of the locals are either disappearing, dying, or simply acting strangely. Upon further investigation, Ben starts to suspect this suspicious activity is the work of a creature of the night.
Lewis Pullman Leads The New Salem’s Lot Cast
Something that many of the best Stephen King movies have in common is a talented ensemble and this upcoming film is no exception. The Salem’s Lot cast includes a few actors starring in an adaptation of the author’s work for the first time, as well as a couple who can call themselves Stephen King movie veterans. Let’s take a look at who they are, who they are playing, and what else you may know them from, one by one.
Lewis Pullman (Ben Mears)
Starring as the hero of Salem’s Lot, author Ben Mears, is Lewis Pullman. The son of Bill Pullman is no stranger to horror – having starred in The Strangers: Prey at Night – but is best known from the Top Gun: Maverick cast as Bob, or from Amazon Prime’s sci-fi Neo-Western series, Outer Range.
William Sadler
One of the aforementioned Stephen King movie veterans slated to appear is William Sadler. The actor is known for playing Heywood in The Shawshank Redemption from 1994, Klaus Detterick in 1999’s The Green Mile, and Jim in the devastating 2007 creature feature, The Mist – all of which are written and directed by Frank Darabont. Sadler’s role in Salem’s Lot is currently undisclosed.
Makenzie Leigh (Susan Norton)
Playing Ben’s love interest, Susan Norton, is Makenzie Leigh of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk fame. However, many of her best known credits to date have come from the small screen – such as her brief stint in the Gotham cast and starring role in the NBC miniseries, The Slap, in 2015.
Bill Camp (Matthew Burke)
One of Ben’s most trusted allies against the vampire invasion is Matthew Burke – previously played by the late Andre Braugher in TNT’s 2004 miniseries adaptation of Salem’s Lot. This new version of the school teacher is portrayed by fellow Stephen King adaptation veteran Bill Camp (he starred in one of the best horror TV shows on Max, The Outsider), who also has Best Picture Oscar winners like Birdman and 12 Years a Slave, an Emmy nomination for HBO’s The Night Before, and a role in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit cast in his versatile filmography.
Spencer Treat Clark (Mike Ryerson)
A character who, unfortunately, falls prey to the vampire invasion is Mike Ryerson, played by Spencer Treat Clark. The actor already has plenty of horror experience – and even horror remake experience, having starred in 2009’s The Last House on the Left and The Town that Dreaded Sundown from 2014 – but is also best known for working with one of horror’s most prolific filmmakers, M. Night Shyamalan, on two of his less horror-centric titles: Unbreakable and Glass.
Pilou Asbæk (Richard Straker)
Salem’s Lot’s Richard Straker is merely the latest villain to be portrayed by Pilou Asbæk, who is best known from the Game of Thrones cast as Euron Greyjoy. He also played a genetically enhanced Nazi in Overlord, Ella Balinska’s deadly pursuer in Amazon Prime’s Run Sweetheart Run, and Kordax in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
John Benjamin Hickey (Father Donald Callahan)
A local priest named Father Donald Callahan is played by John Benjamin Hickey. The actor has a Tony award for his performance in The Normal Heart and an Emmy nomination for Showtime’s The Big C, but might also be recognized from the Pitch Perfect cast as Beca’s father.
Alfre Woodard (Dr. Cody)
Playing a gender-swapped version of a character named Dr. Cody is Alfre Woodard – known for her Academy Award-nominated performance in 1984’s Cross Creek and Emmy wins for Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Miss Evers’ Boys, and The Practice. Salem’s Lot marks her second collaboration with writer and director Gary Dauberman after starring in the 2014 Conjuring Universe spin-off, Annabelle, which he penned.
CinemaCon 2022 Showed An Exclusive Sneak Peek Of Salem’s Lot
At the moment, we have no Salem’s Lot trailer to mention – let alone any official promotional material to comment on (unless you count the movie tie-in reissue of the novel that hit bookstores in 2022). However, the crowds at CinemaCon from April of that year were exclusively treated to some early footage of the project that teased key moments from the novel, such as an introductory scene depicting Mike Ryerson succumbing to the vampire plague.
The clip has still not been made available to the general public, but curious fans may be happy to know that the sneak peek has received positive responses online, such as from Variety’s Rebecca Rubin with an X post that called out her colleague, Matt Donnelly, for screaming loudly at the scary sights. It even piqued the curiosity of Flick Direct’s X account manager, despite, as they state, Salem’s Lot not even being their favorite King property.
Salem’s Lot Is Rated R
The MPA gave Salem's Lot an R rating for “bloody violence and language.” We would consider the former detail to be a requirement of the utmost importance for a film that involves bloodsucking creatures.
Salem’s Lot Is 113 Minutes
We know from an exclusive by One Take News how long Salem’s Lot is. The film is one hour and 53 minutes, which is about half of the runtime of the novel’s two previous adaptations (more on them later).
It Writer Gary Dauberman Wrote And Directed Salem’s Lot
The person in charge of helming Salem’s Lot is certainly no stranger to the horror genre and is clearly a Stephen King fan. The film is both written and directed by Gary Dauberman, who is also known for writing both halves of Andy Muschietti’s theatrical It adaptation. He made his directorial debut with 2018’s Annabelle Comes Home in 2018 after penning the first two installments of the possessed doll’s own spin-off trilogy and The Nun, making him a key component of the Conjuring movies Universe.
Speaking of, the one who started that franchise, James Wan, is also joining Dauberman for this project. In April 2019, almost exactly a year before Dauberman was confirmed to be at the helm, Wan’s involvement with Salem’s Lot was officially announced. The director of The Conjuring and its 2016 sequel shares a producing credit on the film with Dauberman and others, but it will not be the last King adaptation Wan is attached to. He will also produce The Tommyknockers, which is yet another theatrical update of a miniseries based on one of the author’s novels.
Salem’s Lot Is The Latest Of Several Movies And TV Shows Inspired By Stephen King’s Novel
Salem’s Lot follows in the footsteps of the It movies as a feature-length adaptation of the author’s work that was previously made for television as a limited series. However, the original two-part event directed by Tobe Hooper (creator of one of the best horror movies of all time, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) is not the only time this vampire story came to the small screen.
The 1979 miniseries spawned a feature-length sequel called A Return to Salem’s Lot in 1987 and an aforementioned remake starring Rob Lowe that aired over two nights on TNT in 2004. While the plot of Salem’s Lot has nothing to do with the Hulu original series, Castle Rock, Jerusalem’s Lot was a prominent setting of its second season. King later wrote a short, 19th-Century-set prequel called “Jerusalem’s Lot,” that serves as the basis of the Adrien Brody-led series, Chapelwaite, which ran for one season on Epix.
How might this new adaptation of Salem’s Lot compare to its previous interpretations and other recent Stephen King films? Don’t lose sleep over that question, as there will surely be more for us to sink our teeth into as we wait for the film to premiere.
