Salem's Lot: The Mini-Series (DVD, 1999)

Oh little town of Salem's lot,now this movie is destined to be a classic just like Hitcock's "The Birds" and "Psycho"because this is one of Stephen King's best novels about small town America being victimized by bloodsuckers that mainly targets the young.Unlike vampire movies being made today that starts right away with a huge bite,Salem's Lot is a low key slow starter type of a movie that actually builds up and hold it's suspense until the big payoff about in the middle part of the film where it reveals that the disappearance of children are the doings of a vampire and his day watcher an antique dealer named "Strayker"played by a veteran actor James Mason.The story begins where a long time absentee native in hiatus comes home to his native town of Jerusalem's lot known as Salem's lot to write a book about a house in which he feared mostly when he was a young kid and was put on a dare by his friends to enter and he discovers some eerie prescences in the house known as the "Marsten House" in a small maine town.On his return he met up with his old teacher and dated a girl named 'Susan.During his stay peculiar things started to happen where children started to disappear and home town locals are dying unexplained causes.While him and his former teachers are the only one concerns about the evil mishaps happening around town in which they suspect has something to do with the "Marsten house that resides on a hill located just about the entrance to the town and casting it's shadow over it.While Ben Mears Played by David Soul (Starksy and Hutch)intends to write a book about the house,him and Strayker (James Mason)had some confrontation about the "Marsten House"in which Ben Mear's aunt had work and that he claims had a lot of strange peculiar things had happened and that the owner was never proven guilty.Ben believes that the house attracts evil men and that Strayker and the unknown Mr. Barlow are evil men who have evil intentions on Salem's lot.This movie is the kind of film that one will enjoy on a quiet evening,either to watch alone or with someone (recommended)and it is very book like because it doesn't start right away with a bite and gets you curious of what and who is Barlow and what is in the Marsten House.I suggest you buy this dvd and get comfortable in your sofa and make sure that your window is closed!This is Nosferatu immigrating to America to spread vampirism and to turn a small Maine town U.S.A into a land of vampires into the modern era.

When David Soul returns to the small New England town of Jerusalem's Lot, people begin dropping like flies. Even in the movie you'll notice from the beginning how the streets are quiet. This, to me, was the best movie from a book by Stephen King. It really scared me when I read the novel and then it didn't disappoint me when I saw the movie. The film centers around a suave antiques dealer (James Mason) who's knowledge goes way beyond bric-a-brac. Mason's partner is a vampire (no mention of him being "Dracula")....who wants to drain the whole town of blood before moving on. The spookiest sight is that old house. When the kid, Lance Kerwin, is walking in it by himself I got huge goosebumps! The make-up job on the vampire was enough to give me nightmares. Bonnie Belinda plays Soul's love interest, who gets captured near the end and never makes it out. That makes for a second movie, which never did catch on. Well, it's hard to keep the undead down,....but a good fire might!. Last scene is of Soul and Kerwin leaving town on their own....last ones left. I watch this every Halloween night!

When the Horror Film Really Scared You!

With all of the tremendously ridicilous vampire trash that there is out there today it's really a wonder that Bram Stoker's original novel hasn't had a wooden steak driven right through it's heart in the name of Hollywood silliness. Little pretty-boy vampires that couldn't scare a fly and tough little girls in feminist/vampire rolls that are so stupid that their just laughable. Levitating people and preposterous action sequences have most definately made the modern day vampire movie quite literally SUCK!! =(
Not so with Salem's Lot...where we see a frightening return to believeability with heart-freezing realisim. Taking the title of Stephen King's most successful mini-series, the entire production, with it's dark, brooding mood and evil just behind the curtain undertones, is certainly a formula that Hollywood could learn from today. Oh the standard, tiny-bopper, cell-phone obsessed brat with the attention span of a tumble weed may get bored with it...but for those who are interested in an actual plot with believeable characters and a story with direction; Salem's Lot does not disappoint!
The characters are all quite interesting and their individual portrails by the various actors cut's across the one dimensionality and wooden acting of today in such a way that it involves the viewer in the story. (Isn't that what movies were suppose to do?) The bad guys are nothing short of fascinating while the good guys are easy to relate to. The thrills and chills that are offered are realistic, practicle and fairly hard-hitting. The tried and tested, iconic symbolism of Halloween-style fright has the effect of taking you back to when you were a kid; when Halloween ment more than just an excuse to get high or drunk...but rather a day set aside to have some real scary fun!
Devoid of all the campy stupidity and cartoony special effects of the modern day vampire movies, Salem's Lot is a reminder to us all of what we really love about horror movies and things that go bump in the night. James Mason is excellent as Mr. Straker, the antiques dealer and liaison to Mr. Barlow; one of the most frightening, classic vampires in all of cinamatic history! (Special notation to the late Reggie Nadler for his memorable preformance in this chilling role!) The late David Soul is also convincing in the role of the reluctant hero who faces the demons of his past as well as the very real ones in the present. The writing by Stephen King and adaptation to the small screen is nothing short of excellent and provides a great deal of interesting fun as well.
Oh I have little doubt that the whole thing could have been better; but aren't all things easy to improve on once their finished...even when their extremely good to begin with? Doubtless that many of the critics trashed this mini-series adaptation of the Stephen King novel, but unless your someone who worships at the alter of political correctness...who on Earth would listen to the critics anyway? We watch and love films for their fun value and their ability to entertain us...not for their politics or social acceptability! Salem's Lot was made back in a time when fun ment just that; FUN! So if your after some classic thrills with memorable moments, then Salem's Lot does not disappoint. Unlike the editted, two-hour movie, this three-hour, extended version of the novel is more in-depth for the die-hard fan and I do highly recommend it folks. =)

This is Salems Lot The Mini-Series which aired on television in 1979. There is also Salems Lot The Movie which is an edited version of this mini-series released on home video. Just compare the running times to realize how much footage was left out of the movie. The mini-series is 183 minutes while the movie is 112 minutes. In my opinion the movie is superior to this mini-series in terms of editing. It seemed as though every scene which was rather pointless or explained for in a simular scene had been edited out of the movie. I want to point out one particular scene in the mini-series which shows Susan Norton (Bonnie Bedelia) lying in a coffin for having transformed into a vampire. I felt this scene alone should have been left in the movie because there is no real explanation for what happens to Susan Norton after being caught wandering around inside the Marsten House. Therefore the mini-series is more accurate to what Stephen King had written in the book. Salems Lot is about a low population of residents living in a quite New England village who are being transformed into vampires. The mysterious Marsten House has a reputation in town for being haunted and sits alone up on top of a hill. Unknown to the residents of Salems Lot it is also inside the Marsten House where the vampires seek their shelter during daylight. Author Ben Mears (David Soul) had a frightening experience as a child inside the Marsten House and has returned to Salems Lot after several years to write a book about it. There have been quite a few vampire films and Salems Lot still ranks among the very best. Most of the scenes are quite shocking without ever being gruesome. Salems Lot relied more on suspense which makes me realize why it has held up so well. The Nosferatu looking vampire is truly terrifying. Director Tobe Hooper has done a wonderful job directing such cast members as David Soul, James Mason, Bonnie Bedelia, and Reggie Nalder. I consider this to be one of the best Stephen King novels brought to film.

This movie was quite scary the first time my wife and I watched it together. One of the earlier Stephen King stories I remember and Tobe Hooper did a great job directing. The vampires were particularly eerie looking, resembling the original Nosferatu vampire and at the time I had not seen anything like this for a TV mini-series. Good acting with a good cast (James Mason, David Soul, Bonnie Bedelia and Reggie Nalder was especially good). I'm a big horror/Sci-Fi fan with several hundred home movies and this will be a welcome addition.