By The reviews are in for the long-delayed “Salem’s Lot” ahead of the film’s arrival on Max next week, and the verdict is mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film is pulling in a 62% positive with an average rating of just 5.7/10.
The film adapts Stephen King’s iconic second novel and is set in the year 1975. It follows author Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book.
He soon discovers the town is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire and his loyal servant. Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, Bill Camp, John Benjamin Hickey, Spencer Treat Clark and Pilou Asbaek star.
Veteran horror scribe Gary Dauberman pens and directed the movie which James Wan produced. Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“It may be the only Stephen King remake that gets it right. He’s telling a scary old-fashioned vampire story, yes, but he’s also making a damn movie, and that movie is a popcorn-spilling, shriek-inducing, tricky little treat.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“It’s a horror movie that makes time to develop the personalities of the characters and their bonds amid a time of extreme crisis (a specialty of Stephen King’s writing), and while it feels rushed in sections and lacks the scope of the source material, it balances the scales with smart story and style ideas” – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend
“Is Salem’s Lot a top-tier King adaptation? No. But not for nothing is a drive-in theater a key location in the action – this is the kind of fun midnight movie that teens flocked to in the ’70s. ” – Jamie Graham, GamesRadar+
“Stripped to the bones by writer-director Gary Dauberman, Salem’s Lot rises after years in the dark, a vampire tale with no heart and no stakes” – Jacob Oller, AV Club
“Despite its occasional scares and striking style, this adaptation lacks any of the terror or emotional depth of its Stephen King source material.” – Josh Korngut, Dread Central
“Many of the novel’s essential subplots and side characters, which added necessary depth and complexity to King’s tale, have been either removed or drastically altered. What’s left are a few uninspired original ideas that fail to capture the nuance of the source material.” – Josh Korngut, Dread Central
“There’s clearly a reason that this movie was shelved for years. I was hoping they’d finally be able to crack the code when it comes to adapting this novel. But it still just hasn’t happened, and at this point, I’m afraid it never will” – Tyler Nichols, JoBlo
“Even if you’re unfamiliar with King’s novel and therefore not comparing it to the source material, this new “Salem’s Lot” will still feel unfulfilling. I’m glad this movie finally got released … I just wish I liked it more.” – Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
The project marks the third official adaptation of King’s second novel following Tobe Hooper’s TV mini-series in 1979 and the Rob Lowe-led mini-series in 2004.
The new “Salem’s Lot” premieres on October 3rd.
The post The New “Salem’s Lot” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
