Journey step started: Jan 31, 2022
Journey step ended: Mar 2, 2022
Click the Google sheet to the right to see every item covered on this step of the journey.
The Book — The 1979 TV Series — Remakes, Sequels & Other Adaptations — ‘Salem’s Lot (2024)
The Book
Day 31: Jan 31, 2022
Starting on Stephen King’s 2nd book, “‘Salem’s Lot”. I read this as a young teen, but not since. Time to circle back to this 37 years later! Will it hold up?
“Also, the local cantina was infested with cockroaches and the only whore was a fifty-year-old grandmother.”
As someone who recently turned 50 himself, I don’t see this as quite the negative connotation in which it was intended!
In Chapter 1, Ben Mears drives a “Citroën”. Never heard of that before. Had to look it up.
Instead of reading the book straight through, I’m going to read along with Kingslingers who’s taken up ‘Salem’s Lot a couple of chapters at a time.
Starting with the Prologue through Chapter 2, I have to observe that Scott and Matt spend twice as long discussing those 3 chapters as it took me to read them! But I do like the dichotomy of an experienced King fan chatting with a first time book reader.
For their Season 2, Kingslingers embark upon books that have Dark Tower connections. I never thought of ‘Salem’s Lot as being related in that universe, so I’m curious to see where those links are!
“He must’ve just Ctrl-F…”
“On his typewriter?”
😂😂😂
So they came right out an mentioned that Father Callahan (a character not yet introduced as of Chapter 2) is the connection to the Dark Tower. Interesting!
Day 32: Feb 1, 2022
Confession: I love vampire stories. I’ve read all of Anne Rice, Brian Lumley, Justin Cronin, etc. However, I have NEVER read the original Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. 🤔
Today, I’ll be continuing to read ‘Salem’s Lot with Chapter 3.
“The curves of her body were heroic, Rabelaisian.”
Rabelaisian – someone or something that is “marked by gross robust humor, extravagance of caricature, or bold naturalism”.
This Chapter 3, a day-in-the-life of Salem’s Lot, introduces so many characters so fast. It’s quite a blur!
“He paused in the steady waxing movements and looked thoughtfully out of the narrow Judas window on the second-floor landing.”
This is what Google is telling me a Judas window is. It’s a peephole?
“O my father, favor me now. Lord of Flies, favor me now. Now I bring you spoiled meat and reeking flesh. I have made sacrifice for your favor. With my left hand I bring it. Make a sign for me on this ground, consecrated in your name. I wait for a sign to begin your work.”
“There was no sound but that brought on the breeze. The figure stood silent and thoughtful for a time. Then it stooped and stood with the figure of a child in his arms.
‘I bring you this.’
It became unspeakable.”
And with that, Chapter 3 ends on a really dark note!
Day 33: Feb 2, 2022
Chapter 3 of ‘Salem’s Lot was a long one. Looking forward to hearing Kingslingers‘ take on it!
“We are 120 pages into the book and we haven’t met a vampire.” I was thinking the same thing! If I hadn’t known ahead of time this was a vampire book, I would’ve thought this was a haunted house story featuring the Marsten House.
And then a big twist later – VAMPIRES!
As enjoyable as the schoolyard battle between the Richie the bully and Mark Petrie, the “nerdy” kid, was – there’s a trope here with Mark: The young kid with the world experience of a 45-year-old James Bond. Does young Mark have Special Forces training? Reads like he does.
“Makes me wonder if ‘Satan’s Sex Slaves’ is a real book that people in the 70’s would’ve heard of or if it’s just a made-up thing that King put in to stand in for smut.
I’m disinclined to do a Google search to answer this question for some reason.”
😂😂😂
“delectable set of jahoobies”
Oh my poor wife is gonna suffer now that I’ve read this perfectly memorable King-ism.
“Delectable Jahoobies” is a better football team name than the “Commanders”.
So far, I’m digging the read-along of ‘Salem’s Lot with the Kingslingers. It’s really helping me focus on the story and solidifies the characters instead the usual mode of plowing on through and forgetting who Bob Smiffeldoffer was by pg 923. Now onto Chapters 4 & 5!
“Deals with the devil, all right, Larry thought, shuffling his papers. When you deal with him, notes come due in brimstone.”
Almost rolled my eyes at this blatant foreshadowing.
Somehow in my mind, I’ve got the character Richard Throckett Straker pegged as the alien undertaker from Phantasm.
“Parkins Gillespie smiled. ‘Well, there’s a fella over in Cumberland that’s got a used-furniture barn. Kind of a sissy fella, he is. Name of Gendron.’”
There’s a lot of “sissy,” “fag,” and other slurs scattered throughout this book so far & not just limited to “macho” characters
It’s offputting, but gotta keep in mind this was written in 1975. And for a rural town, no doubt this was gay-bashing was the societal norm.
The uncommon names SK uses in his novels… 50 years on this planet, travelled coast-to-coast many times. Never met a “Parkins” before. Not once.
“Make love to me? Do you want to?”
“Yes,” he said. “I want that.”
“Here on the grass,” she said.
“Yes.”
She was looking up at him, her eyes wide in the dark. She said, “Make it be good.”
…….
“Make it be good”??? That would’ve been the biggest mood killer in MY book!
“Ben, a little amused, thought of Edward Albee’s line about monkey nipples.”
Huh? Ok Google… Do that thing you do.
Day 34: Feb 3, 2022
Starting the morning off with Kingslingers and their third entry of the “‘Salem’s Lot” read-along.
Richard Throckett Straker saying “Ciao” to Parkins Gillespie… Never in a million years would I have thought of a double-interpretation of saying “chow” to a potential human snack. Brilliant!
“There’s this idea where we all kind of, in part of our mind, want to imagine when you drive through some little town, maybe on a road trip, and you stop for gas and look around… A part of you wants to imagine these people are cannibals.”
😲😂😂😂
Ahhhh… It’s my favorite time of the day – an hour with me & a Stephen King book. Onto Chapters 6 & 7 of ‘Salem’s Lot!
This chapter opens with the funeral of a young boy. Normally, I look for the quirky line or an inspiration for a witty observation. But at the moment, I’m feeling somber respect for this fictitious couple who’s burying one boy while the fate of their other is still unknown.
“No!” Tony Glick screamed, and propelled himself forward. “You ain’t gonna throw no dirt on my boy!”
—-
This line hit hardest. I lost my younger brother when he was only 19. I remember the absolute hardest moment was watching his casket be lowered into the ground. The finality.
“As the stranger came closer, Dud understood everything and welcomed it, and when the pain came, it was as sweet as silver, as green as still water at dark fathoms.”
I so felt like I was getting hypnotized by King’s words in this section.
“Your penance is six head-knocks and a good swift kick in the ass. Go your way and sin no more.”
I was raised Catholic, and oh yeah, had Penance been more like this, it would have been far more effective than 3 Hail Marys and 2 Our Fathers – which did NOTHING!
“It was more than dull. It was terrifying in its consequences for any meaningful definition of life, and perhaps of heaven. What there? An eternity of church bingo, amusement park rides, and celestial drag strips?”
I think Father Callahan and Father Karras (from The Exorcist) would have had great conversations.
Day 35: Feb 4, 2022
Vampire week continues with Kingslingers!
I tell you – this podcast is a godsend. My attention span must be waning here in my older years. These guys are pointing out plot points that I’ve completely missed – and I’m grateful they’re there to assist my waning comprehension skills! 😀
Loved discussion at the end about “evil” houses. I lived in an ancient house in rural PA where the unfinished basement (i.e. dirt floor) had a honest-to-goodness 6-ft scythe leaning against a stone wall & a set of thick metal chains coming from the the wall for no obvious reason!
Day 36: Feb 5, 2022
Chapters 8 & 9 of ‘Salem’s Lot on the docket for tonight. Hopefully, I’ll learn the answer to the question, “If a vampire shits in the woods, is it still guano?”
“I hear it around that you’re sparkin’ Bill Norton’s girl.” “Guilty,” Ben said.
——-
Let it be known I have never “sparked” anyone’s girl, ever.
As an aside observation, the style and maturity of Stephen King’s writing in ‘Salem’s Lot is leaps & bounds beyond what he did in Carrie. Not that his first novel was a lightweight, but there is such an amazing advancement between that and his second.
“Susan slapped her across the face.”
——-
Oh good, it wouldn’t be an authentic Stephen King book from the 70’s if there weren’t some good old-fashioned slapping going on!
If there’s one common theme across most of Stephen King’s works it’s this: There’s no supernatural horror, no unspeakable evil force, that humans can’t make worse with petty bullshit like jealousy, envy, religious superiority, etc. Sometimes, you end up rooting for the monsters.
The scene where Matt Burke walks up the stairs and enters a bedroom only to see a recently deceased Mike Ryerson sitting up and talking, fulfilling every bit of his worst fears about vampirism…
A completely masterful accounting of DREAD!
Day 37: Feb 6, 2022
Starting my morning off by listening to Kingslingers‘ take on ‘Salem’s Lot Chapters 8 & 9, where the vampire have started their takeover of the town.
“A real Nosferatu-looking motherfucker.”
========
Gonna have to add this line to my arsenal of insults to use during an argument.
Didn’t realize that Chamberlain (Carrie’s locale) and Salem’s Lot were located that close to each other!
“He’s a suave Nosferatu-looking motherfucker”
—-
Hmmmm… Second time today I’ve heard that exact same description used! (see thread above)
That was a cool, unintentional green-screen effect when waving around the book with the bookcase background coming through it.
Special recognition is deserved when a podcast or Vlog host puts such meticulous effort into wardrobe changes throughout an episode!
I agree! One day, I’ll revisit all of the Anne Rice books (I’ve read most, but it’s been over 10 years since the last one). As far as adaptations, I think we’re about to see a revival as AMC has announced they’ll be developing series for both the Vampires AND Mayfair Witches!
A fell a day behind in my book reading (Friday night was a bitch), so I’m going to try to get caught up today with a little early read of Chapter 10 of ‘Salem’s Lot.
“or that ten-month-old Randy McDougall did not even struggle when Danny Glick slipped through his bedroom window and plucked the baby from his crib and sank his teeth into a neck still bruised from a mother’s blows.”
======
That’s a dark, dark line, man. Really dark.
“I might have bypassed such a rustic community as this,” the stranger said reflectively. “I might have gone to one of your great and teeming cities. Bah! What do I know of cities? I should be run over by a hansom crossing the street!”
“I should choke on nasty air! I should come in contact with sleek, stupid dilettantes whose concerns are inimical to me. How should a poor rustic like myself deal with the hollow sophistication of a great city…even an American city? No! And no and no! I spit on your cities!”
“The rain,” he whispered hoarsely. “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. In vain he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.”
======
Wait! Isn’t that the line used often by poor stuttering Bill Denbrough in “IT”?
The guano really started hitting the fan in Chapter 10 of ‘Salem’s Lot. Looking forward to learning what I completely missed from my reading with Kingslingers‘ deep-dive into that chapter.
Stephen King has identified 3 types of vampires? Apparently, I have to wait until I get to “The Wolves of the Calla” for an explanation
The hour is late. It’s pitch black and cold outside. I’m alone in the house with nothing but the wind against the windows to keep me company. Sounds like a perfect time to read Chapter 11 of ‘Salem’s Lot!
“I’ll have Loretta Starcher on the phone when the library opens. Get anything and everything that bears on the subject. Psychological as well as pathological and mythic. The whole works.”
Strange how these small libraries always have the esoteric books. Same thing in Carrie.
“Aspirin, do you know how it works?”
“No.”
“Neither do I. Neither does anybody else. But it’s good for headache and arthritis and the rheumatism. We don’t know what any of those are, either. Why should your head ache? There are no nerves in your brain.”
Love unexpected learning!
I especially enjoy when science confronts the supernatural head-on, as seen with Dr. Jimmy Cody battling the freshly turned Marjorie Glick. In fact, my favorite scenes of The Exorcist were of Regan MacNeil (the possessed child) being put through a battery of medical tests.
Day 38: Feb 7, 2022
With an undead child taking a bite into an infant, who can blame me for an uneasy night of sleep? I look to Kingslingers to put it all in context and remind me that vampires aren’t really real (I hope).
I came for the Stephen King lore about vampires.
I stayed for the details about Count Chocula.
“Even when I first got married, I still remember times where I would wake up and my wife would be in bed next me. And I was like, ‘Oh yeah. I forgot about her.’”
====
I can SOOOOO relate to that! 😂😂😂
The reading assignment for tonight is Chapters 12 & 13 of ‘Salem’s Lot. I have a sneaking suspicion that crucifix sales are about to go through the roof!
The time spent fleshing out realistic characters is an absolute strength of this book & a joy to read, even without the vampire plot. But the boy Mark Petrie, wunderkind extraordinairre, is too unrealistic. He’s a master of lore, fighting techniques, bondage escape AND meditation?
Chapter 13 and NOW we finally get some focus back on Father Callahan.
“Kurtin attacked and killed over a dozen women,” Callahan said. “Mutilated many more with a hammer. If it was their time of the month, he drank their discharge.”
🤢🤢🤢
Day 39: Feb 8, 2022
Enjoying a bowl of Count Chocula cereal and listening to Kingslingers recap the two chapters of ‘Salem’s Lot that I read last night.
Point of disagreement: The boy, Mark Petrie, spending 5 pages using Houdini skills to escape his bonding ropes was overly long & tedious. I didn’t feel suspense. Quite the opposite, I was bored & wanting that scene to “HURRY UP!” Would’ve been more effective in 2 or 3 pgs at most
Only with Kingslingers do you get a 5-minute discourse on vampire boners.
Has a Prince of the Undead met its match in the little ole town of ‘Salem’s Lot? I’ll find out as I head into the novella-sized Chapter 14!
“By and large the town (not knowing it was dead) would go off to their jobs with no inkling of the night’s work.”
Loved this line.
“There were certain rites to be performed, in propitiation of the Dark Father. Even Barlow has his Master, you see.”
When a story’s “Big Bad” has an even “Bigger Bad” lurking in the background, I immediately get interested. Anne Rice’s vampire novels were very good at that.
“Father Donald Callahan was wearing his full gown, a surplice, and a white stole bordered with purple.”
I grew up Catholic and immediately wondered, “Where are the altar boys in this novel?” I think King missed out on giving Callahan a white-albed acolyte by his side.
“The Catholic Church is not the oldest of my opponents, though! I was old when it was young, when its members hid in the catacombs of Rome and painted fishes on their chests so they could tell one from another.”
Who was Barlow’s oldest opponent, then? The Zoroasters?
I like the point made how the ‘Salem’s Lot *ka-tet* consisted of a writer, a teacher, a scientist, a priest, a boy… Yet none of them could trust the Peace Enforcer, Officer Parkins Gillespie, with the truth of their situation.
“No,” Jimmy said implacably. “She’s Undead, Ben.” He had shown them; had wrapped the blood-pressure cuff around her still arm and pumped it. The reading had been 00/00.
===
Doc Cody taking the BP of a vampire. That image is gonna stick with me!
Day 40: Feb 9, 2022
Early vampire hunters tried using steaks through the heart as a weapon. While tasty, they were unsuccessful (even with A1 sauce! Kingslingers doesn’t even mention this in their review of the first part of Ch 14 ‘Salem’s Lot.
The empty Junior Mints box in the confessional is a “symbol”? Pray tell, I can’t wait to find out what it represents. Is it some sort of counterpoint to the 5 tons of garlic they’re about to purchase?
“My daughter isn’t yet trope-aware…” Ahhh… Now THERE’S an important skill for any young child to develop!
Matt Burke in ‘Salem’s Lot fills the role of “older man with wisdom of years”, a common character seen in many of King’s books. I wonder if anyone’s created a matrix listing out these common character types and laying in the name across all of SK’s books? I may have to do that.
Ahhhh… Time for a nightcap with some more of Chapter 14 of ‘Salem’s Lot. Nothing relaxes me more than reading about the crazy escapades of those “children of the night”!
“Come, false priest. Learn of a true religion. Take my communion.” Eeeeeewww and Fr. Callahan DID THE DEED! I didn’t see that coming.
“And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, that whosoever found him should not kill him. And Cain went out from the face of the Lord, and dwelt as a fugitive on the earth, at the east side of Eden. That’s Scripture, Miss Coogan. The hardest scripture in the Bible.” Why is that?
“Here is the peculiar thing: None of those awake in Jerusalem’s Lot knew the truth. A handful might have suspected, but even their suspicions were as vague and unformed as three-month fetuses.” Well, THAT’S a hell of an anology that gave me some pause.
Day 41: Feb 10, 2022
Getting near the end. I can sense the excitement over at Kingslingers as they cover the middle section of the humungous Chapter 14 of ‘Salem’s Lot.
Yeah, what DOES Stephen King have against women named Susan (or variations thereof)?
Tonight, I finish up ‘Salem’s Lot. Unlike with Carrie, I have no idea how this ends (it’s been over 35 years since I’ve read it and I never saw the movies). Who lives? Who dies? Who lives again? I can’t wait to find out!
There’s a writing style used here that I didn’t care for. A main character just perished, but the scene cuts to a moment 5 minutes later without telling you how the main character went. You only find out several pages later as another character tells the story. Confusing!
“Me and Nolly went to a drive-in show up in Falmouth a couple of weeks ago… I seen more blood and killin’s in that first Western than I seen both years in Korea. Kids was eatin’ popcorn and cheerin’ ’em on. They prob’ly like bein’ vampires. But not me”
And I reached the end of ‘Salem’s Lot. The edition I had contains bonus sections, including 2 short stories pulled from Night Shift. Skipping those for now. It also has a “Deleted Scenes” section which is odd to read for a book (vs watching for a movie). Uninterested in those too
First impression: Great storytelling, but I did find the ending to be weak. This sets the pattern for many of SKs books, as I recall. I thought Barlow was defeated too easily, especially for a 1000-year-old creature who’s faced more formidable foes.
I am enjoying the Afterword, as Stephen King recounts his memories of reading Dracula as a boy.
“When I discovered J. R. R. Tolkien’s Rings trilogy ten years later, I thought, ‘Shit, this is just a slightly sunnier version of Stoker’s Dracula, with Frodo playing Jonathan Harker, Gandalf playing Abraham Van Helsing, and Sauron playing the Count himself.’”
“I reencountered Dracula in 1971, when I was teaching a high school English class called Fantasy and Science Fiction.” Growing up in the 80’s, there wasn’t a single high school in the tri-state area that would teach a class like that!
Day 42: Feb 11, 2022
The book is finally behind me. Now it’s time for Kingslingers to point out all of the things I missed!
“sometimes you just space”
Matt is 100% correct! I’ve gone through 3-4 pages of a book where my eyes certainly hit every word, but my brain was somewhere else and I processed NONE of what I just read. It’s the strangest feeling!
Based on the prologue of ‘Salem’s Lot, I really thought the kid (Mark Petrie as we later learned) had been bitten or somehow physically affected by a vampire and yet figured out how to control it. It was a bit of a letdown that he was *just* broken by the experience.
Scott & Matt perfectly captured my problem with the ending of ‘Salem’s Lot. There was no skill, no clever plan, no interesting twist that was foreshadowed of how head vampire Barlow was to be defeated. It was merely brute force & a deus ex machina magic power that won the day.
Now listening to Kingslingers‘ final words on the subject of ‘Salem’s Lot. All I can say is… Once I actually get to the Dark Tower books series, these two guys are gonna live in my earholes for a loooooooong time.
The great depth and breadth of the large number of secondary characters in Salem’s Lot indeed was extraordinary. I dare say, it was the inspiration for how Springfield was built in The Simpsons!
Day 43: Feb 12, 2022
Some Saturday morning hilarity with Derry Public Radio and their hot takes on ‘Salem’s Lot.
There’s a nearly unanimous consensus that the first half of ‘Salem’s Lot was a slog and that only the mysterious prologue allowed interest to be maintained to get through it.
Those are fighting words based on other podcast opinions!
“You’re 7 years older than I thought you were.”
Well the gang did the math and ruined a sweet moment for me. This quote from Ben Mears meant that a 32-year-old man thought Susan was ONLY 17 YEARS OLD when he asked her out on a date for ice cream. Ewww
We share the same favorite character: Parkins Gillespie. He actually didn’t become my favorite until the end of the book when Ben & Mark run into him. Parkins had packed up his shit and was all “Best of luck to y’all!” That was the most realistic behavior in the whole book.
“I was listening to this on the way to work one day and it was the scene with the old men in the grocery store and their conversation occurs over the course of a lifetime. And I just thought to myself I could not live in this town! It would drive me insane!”
😂😂😂
“Unless you guys need to touch on the nightcap and what is, hands-down, the grossest first kiss in American history.” “Nah, we’re good.”
About the shady deal Straker struck with Crockett for the Marsten house:
“It was to get Larry under his thumb. He says this has a few caveats and that caveat is -”
“You’re my bitch!”
Now onto Pt 2 of Derry Public Radio’s doin’ the ‘Salem’s Lot boogie.
I totally saw the same thing C. M. Alexander did with the constant barrage of gay slurs throughout the book. Lot’s of references to “sissy”, “fairy” & “queer” in casual conversations.
Stupid confession: Up until tonight, I thought they were saying “Sam Alexander” and not “C. M. Alexander”. That’s what I get for playing podcasts at 1.3x speed.
I wonder if the kid, Mark Petrie, could warrant a ‘Salem’s Lot sequel set decades later, much like Doctor Sleep did for Danny Torrance.
I’m glad they brought this up. How exactly did Dr. Cody “cure” himself after he was bit by the vampire Marjorie Glick. Disinfectant & a tetanus shot? Really?
I wonder today if a COVID vaccine would do the trick or if boosters would be needed? Would ivermectin cause werewolfism?
Barlow’s taunts against Father Callahan:
Talking about how Ben was “required” to kill his former lover, the now-vampire Susan.
C.M. Alexander: “Well, he killed his first wife.”
“And Ben has to punch this child in the face – just knock him unconscious.”
“Yeah – which makes him lose the power of God!”
Can’t wait to check back in with the gang at Derry Public Radio after I’ve watched the 1979 miniseries rendition of ‘Salem’s Lot!
Day 44: Feb 13, 2022
Wrapping up the book ‘Salem’s Lot with a few more podcast discussions about it, starting with this episode from many years ago by The Stephen King Podcast.
Fun listening to podcast episodes that are quite a few years old. In this one, the hosts were lamenting bad news about the scrapped “IT” movie with Cary Fukunaga who was supposed to be at the helm. I feel like I want to travel back in time to console them that it will all be OK!
Of all the podcasts, The Stephen King Podcast is the hardest one to fit into my journey timelines. Their shows tend to cover multiple topics: A movie in the 1st half, a book in the 2nd half. In this case, 40 minutes were spent on “Stand by Me” before getting to ‘Salem’s Lot, the book.
But they do end up covering topics that no one else has (for example, “Haven”, the TV series loosely based on “Colorado Kid”). And the episodes are certainly high quality, so it’s often a judgement call where I incorporate them into my timeline.
You can tell we’re in for some hard-core shit here:
Three seconds in and David’s hitting the hard liquor (assumption on my part). Looks like we’re in for a doozy of a discussion about ‘Salem’s Lot.
I loved the exploration of a Thornton Wilder scripted version of ‘Salem’s Lot, “Our Town” style!
“Everything glows! Seriously. Everything. Crosses, hands, faces – if it’s been anointed with holy water and a vampire is nearby, it glows!” 😂😂😂
Absolutely brilliant piece of poetry.
And the last word for today on ‘Salem’s Lot, the book, goes to Chat Sematary. I always like hearing Deanna Chapman & friends’ analytic take.
I bet you could take the first 150 pages of ‘Salem’s Lot as-is and launch from there an entirely new story that has nothing to do with vampires and was more focused on the creepiness of the Marsten House.
I also hoped the Dump-minder (Dud the hunchback?) would’ve had a bigger role in the story. I thought his character was somewhat wasted
Day 377: Jan 12, 2023
***circling back***
Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came has a read-along of the novel ‘Salem’s Lot.
Here, they cover some of the book’s background and discuss the prologue.
It’s fun to revisit a book I read almost a year ago.
Here, Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came tear through Chapters 1 – 3 of ‘Salem’s Lot.
Can’t believe King was only 23 years old when he started this novel!
Day 378: Jan 13, 2023
‘Salem’s Lot currently ranks at the bottom of the King books that I’ve read so far. It’s not terrible, but I didn’t find it compelling either. However, it was King’s first attempt at deep world building and that aspect was very well done!
Here’s Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came continuing with their book analysis.
The gentlemen continue with the next few chapters of ‘Salem’s Lot. They are more rapturous over the novel than I am, but they do a good job of backing up their opinions with reasons.
Day 379: Jan 14, 2023
Revisiting ‘Salem’s Lot again this morning with a read-along analysis by Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came. Here they cover Chapters 11-13.
The read-along continues into the lengthy Chapter 14 where the shit really starts hitting the fan.
Day 380: Jan 15, 2023
The fellas over at Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came finish off the main book of ‘Salem’s Lot.
They wrap up their read of ‘Salem’s Lot covering the Epilogue and overall review of the book. They had an interesting complaint about the timeline as presented in the story.
The review of the “deleted” material that was published as part of the illustrated edition was really interesting to hear as well.
Day 455: Mar 31, 2023
***circling back***
Nobody dives deeper into a Stephen King novel than The Kingslingers.
Today, I started their nine-part series on the novel The Shining with each episode clocking in at 2 hours or more!
They spent 30 minutes on just the opening quotes of the novel.
If there’s blood to be drawn from a stone, The Kingslingers can do it!
Second greatest opening line of any Stephen King novel?
(“The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed” is the obvious first place line).
Day 698: Nov 29, 2023
***circling back***
Moving on to our favorite small town where everybody knows your name… Here’s Dark Tower Palaver.
Day 699: Nov 30, 2023
***circling back***
Today, I’m lingering around this small American town with some fellas from the UK as a tour guide. Their distinctive accents certainly make this podcast stand out from the rest!
Kingsize really stands out as a high quality Stephen King podcast. Hearing their British take on American culture is quite fascinating. One of the hosts took pains to explain to their listeners how EXPANSIVE the United States and Canada is! 😂
Day 821: Mar 31, 2024
Circling back to podcast episodes that have released covering books I’ve already completed:
Just King Things takes me back to the friendly old town of ‘Salem’s Lot.
Day 822: Apr 1, 2024
Circling back to podcast episodes that have released covering books I’ve already completed:
Today, I finished off the Just King Things episode about ‘Salem’s Lot.
Day 1002: Sep 28, 202 4
**circling back**
It’s my first time listening to Radio Free Mid-World, a podcast I recently learned about that focuses on The Dark Tower series.
Since ‘Salem’s Lot has a fairly large tie-in to that saga, they devoted an episode to it.
The episode opened with ZZ Top’s “Velcro Fly” and if I hadn’t just read “The Wastelands” I would have completely missed out on the reference!
The 1979 TV Series
Day 44: Feb 13, 2022
So instead of watching the Super Bowl (with these two teams it’s going to be super lame) I’m going to get a head start on the 1979 made-for-TV adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot.
Right off the bat there is a location change from Los Zapatos to wherever this is. Was that really necessary? It’s a distraction to those of us who’d just finished the book an hour ago and pay attention to this type of detail.
This Mark Petrie is a rather old looking 10-year-old. Guess it’s no different than those middle-aged men who were going to high school in Carrie.
If they don’t say “By the power of Grayskull!” every time something glows blue, they’re doing this movie wrong.
Plot question I hadn’t considered before: Why go through all the effort of purchasing a mansion, opening a shop, doing all the business type stuff if they were just going to turn the town into a bunch of vampires anyway? Could have just gotten a cheap apartment.
My God, such a young looking Fred Willard!
This Weasel is a bit of an overactor.
The story changes are coming fast and furious. Eva was once *married* to Weasel? Dr. Jimmy Cody and Bill Norton (Susan’s father) have been blended into a single character, Dr. Bill Norton?
Day 45: Feb 14, 2022
Continuing with the 1979 made-for-TV adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot.
Straker is such a worrywort in the TV version. The book portrays him as a supremely confident – so this change in demeanor is quite shocking.
The 70’s were an era of “wear whatever first three items of clothing you pull out of the closet.”
I knew that the HS teacher, Matt Burke, was an older fella. But geez, I didn’t picture him to be 90 yrs old!
So far, this outfit is the scariest thing about this movie.
There’s something off about the kid’s fall. Sort of Keystone Kops like.
Willard Scott wearing red silk undies is not how I wanted to end my Valentine’s Day, but well, here we are.
Jump scares are not their forte.
And here it is… The money shot we all know this movie is famous for.
And that’s it for tonight. I really can’t take that much more of “That 70’s Vampire Show” but there’s still 2 hours left! Gonna have to pick this up tomorrow.
Day 46: Feb 15, 2022
My hair continues to grow out. I hear disco wherever I go. And spooky kids are floating outside of my window. Today I carry forward on the 70’s time capsule known as ‘Salem’s Lot (1979).
Work is done, all other responsibilities completed. Now I get to join the Children of the Night and start on hour 2 of ‘Salem’s Lot (1979).
The Glicks have a rather long, calm conversation with the doctor about their son Danny who recently collapsed at home. HOWEVER, everyone seems to have forgotten about little Ralphie Glick who disappeared without a trace. Huh?
Cop eating a donut. How original.
How they got two young boys to act out this scene without them cracking up on each take is a miracle. I know that a 10-12 year-old me would never have been able to avoid the giggles.
If that’s Father Callahan, he seems like a doofus who wouldn’t survive 3 seconds in the Dark Tower universe.
Again – these “jump scares” are awful. Were people actually frightened during this film?
I’m almost 2 hours into this movie and I’m having a very hard time staying awake. I think I’ll call it a night and try to finish this off tomorrow. 😴
Day 47: Feb 16, 2022
It’s taking me longer to get through the movie than it did to get through the book. But I’m committed to see it through to the end! I *WILL* drive a stake through its heart!
It was another hellish day, one in which I’ve been completely drained by energy vampires. I look forward to returning back to the traditional vampires of ‘Salem’s Lot (at least THOSE you coud kill!)
Vampires can give such sexy come-hither looks!
I’ve seen scarier moments in the Muppet Show. How did people not giggle themselves silly while watching this?
Oh c’mon! What church clock glows like this???
I’ve got another 30 minutes to go in this thing, but I just cannot keep my eyes open any longer. Plus, it’ll be better to watch the end of the vampire plague during daylight hours.
Day 48: Feb 17, 2022
Five days in and FINALLY I’m finishing the 1979 rendition of ‘Salem’s Lot. I can’t wait to hear the various podcasts wax poetic on what I can only describe as a 70’s vampire dumpster fire.
I’ve got my glowsticks ready to put in the shape of a cross if necessary! And now for the “thrilling” conclusion of ‘Salem’s Lot (1979).
Worst parallel parking skills ever.
Susan’s father got the point.
If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought this was a Monty Python bit. Seriously, what’s with that sound that vampire Barlow makes when he sits up? It sounds like an old man straining on the toilet.
And for Zach Dionne: The answer is 28.
28 times he pounded on the stake.
Could’ve gone through three feet of concrete with that effort.
I don’t recall anything other than the church clock glowing blue (for no reason whatsoever), so why the holy water in Guatemala glows blue is beyond me. Maybe it’s botulism.
Susan being “alive” at the end was the worst attempt to improve a book ending since the first remake of “Carrie” where the titular character is alive at the end in a getaway car ala Thelma & Louise.
Only took one stab to kill her though.
The last shot focused on the moon for so long you would’ve thought this was a movie about werewolves.
That sneaky face superimposed on the moon tho…
And that ends the movie for me. So absolutely god-awful! Don’t give me that “it was the 70’s & made for TV” excuse. I saw an edited-for-TV version of “The Exorcist” in the 70’s & that scared the living SHIT out of me! This was just a terrible embarrassment to vampires everywhere.
And that ends the movie for me. So now to make that torture all worthwhile is Derry Public Radio with their episode “Salem’s Lot Pt.3 – Terror Comes From the Tongue”.
“It’s amazing how they made a 3 hour miniseries feel like I was watching it all goddamned day.”
EXACTLY! THANK YOU!
About the casting vs the book description of characters:
“I think they did describe a lot of them though. We know that Ben had dark hair. We know that Susan had boobs. We know that Larry’s assistant had boobs. We know that Bonnie ALSO had boobs!”
😂😂😂
The smoke machine behind the floating vampires – if I’m not mistaken, didn’t the smoke look like it was filmed in reverse? That’s just about the ONLY clever thing I saw in this film.
Oh yeah, the zooming in & freeze technique was so god-awful! Whose bright idea was that?
“I love cheesy. But I hate tacky.”
The goofs section for this movie indeed is longer than the Torah. Looking for the boom mics may be the only incentive to watching this atrocity again.
“There’s one scene we had to rewind to watch twice. It’s when Ben… How far into the movie was this? Do you guys remember?”
“Uh… A thousand hours?”
“OK, so a thousand hours in and Ben is returning to his room…”
So, Derry Public Radio, I have to ask. I’m still at the beginning of my journey, so you would have to know: Is there possibly a worse Stephen King related movie than the 1979 version of ‘Salem’s Lot? Could Lawnmower Man 2 be THIS bad?
Day 49: Feb 18, 2022
My escape from ‘Salem’s Lot (the 1979 movie) continues with Kingslingers’ episode on the subject. Apparently, they liked it a heck of a lot more than I did!
They’re right: Jason (formerly known as Matt) Burke’s sudden disappearance from the film after his heart attack seemed like the screenwriters just forgot about this character rather than it being an intentional plot element.
Speaking of Father Callahan – was he the ONLY Catholic in ‘Salem’s Lot. All of the residents seemed to be of one Protestant denomination or another, and the church was always empty. No wonder his faith was so weak – he was alone half the time!
It was tragic how the movie cut out all of the best scenes from the book: Mark Petrie’s battle with the bully. Barlow vs Callahan in a battle of the faiths. “Make it good” sex scene in the park…
It just dawned on me (no pun intended) but the sun seemed to play NO role in the movie whatsoever. Whether it was day or night seemed irrelevant to vampire rules. Or maybe I just missed that part – it was really hard to stay focused.
I don’t think this was a “sexy teddy”. Seems more like a Jane Fonda’s workout outfit.
Thanks to a great tip, I’ve picked up a new podcast to add to my journey. Stephen Kingcast has been around since 2014 and went through every book & movie in relative sequence as well. Good thing I caught him early in my journey! Tonight, I’m listening to:
I liked how he drew comparative links between Carrie & ‘Salem’s Lot. In both, characters were able to telepathically be aware of someone’s death. Sue Snell & Carrie at the end, and a minor throwaway character experienced the death of her sister at the hands of Hubie Marsten.
“I can just picture watching this car filled with, uh, three men and a boy. One of the men is a priest.”
Well… if you put it THAT way, I dare say vampires are the least scary thing we need to be worrying about! 😂
The quip that Barlow & Straker would fit right in as James Bond villains was spot on.
“James Bond: No Time To Die… and Die… and Die”
I think I can squeeze in one more episode from Stephen Kingcast tonight. Over 200 episodes after his original one about the book, he revisits Salem’s Lot to explore its ending. I, for one, wasn’t impressed by it (the ending, that is).
Day 50: Feb 19, 2022
It’s a 50th day milestone for my journey! But I’m still stuck in the nightmare that’s known as ‘Salem’s Lot, the 1979 made-for-TV movie with a $37 budget. Will David Farrington provide any insights that’ll change my mind?
I love David’s reimagining of the ‘Salem’s Lot trailer – the first half of it totally makes Ben Mears look like the main villian of the film! Would’ve been fun just to have left it that way.
I love David’s reimagining of the ‘Salem’s Lot trailer – the first half of it totally makes Ben Mears look like the main villian of the film! Would’ve been fun just to have left it that way.
I disagree that this was “campy fun”. But then again, I’ve always hated camping.
Sorry, my friend. I don’t share the same positive opinion of the movie’s soundtrack, which I found far too overbearing with the horns and screeching strings. It was overly involved in telling the story, overacting as much as the guy playing Weasel.
Excellent point! Why *DID* Danny Glick suddenly ditch his little brother Ralphie in a dark, foggy forest? What a dick.
I completely missed that! How did Larry’s clothes end up back in his car after he ran out of the house in nothing but his red silk undies??? Great catch!
More words are still to be spoken about the 70’s TV miniseries of ‘Salem’s Lot. But when those words are spoken by The Kingcast and Bryan Fuller, well now… You just have to sit up & pay attention!
The first 30 mins are spent with Fuller talking about serial killers & the documentary “Confluence” and I’m like, “I don’t *want* to hear about people killing people – I want hear about vampires killing people!”
Just kidding, I’m going to check this out!
Question: “Are you still a vampire guy?”
Fuller: “You know… I’m ALL monsters…”
Interesting to hear how Fuller connected with the character Mark Petrie because he was teased with gay slurs or for having “effeminate” traits. As a kid, I also connected with that character because he was picked on for being smart & liking horror stuff.
Day 51: Feb 20, 2022
I’m moving through the podcasts for the 1979 ‘Salem’s Lot as slow as the first half of the novel in getting to the damn point about vampires. But I’m excited to hear The Kingcast & great Barbara Crampton’s view on the topic!
Although she’s had an amazing career so far with many films & TV shows, I know Barbara Crampton mostly from the amazingly wacky “Re-animator”.
Speaking of “amazingly wacky”, Stuart Gordon, the directory of “Re-animator”, also staged an all-nude production of Peter Pan??? The things you just LEARN in these podcasts!
This is about the 15th reference to Dark Shadows as a precursor, if not inspiration, for ‘Salem’s Lot and the whole modern vampire genre. I’ve never seen it – don’t think I have the bandwidth for it either. But I’ll respect it!
Barbara Compton stated that the ’79 TV adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot scared the shit out of her. She would’ve been 21 at the time & I just don’t see grown adults being scared by this at all. Sure the floating kid at the window was iconic – but scary? Maybe on a psychological level.
High recommendations given for “Let the Right One In”. I will indeed put this on my “to watch” list.
Good point that TV standards at the time severely curtailed what could be shown on TV – not just in the imagery, but also in the subject matter. The most disturbing storyline in the book of the poor abused baby (whose fate got even worse) was left out of the movie completely.
“Larry Crockett and ‘Boom-Boom’ Bonnie?” They just don’t call ladies great names like “Boom-Boom” anymore, do they?
I disagree that Larry’s character wasn’t changed all that much between book & movie. Movie: Just a hapless horny guy but otherwise nice enough. Book: Made a deal with the devil & was complicit in covering up the discovery of Ralphie’s body in the Marsten house basement. Bad guy!
The lack of the “blue glow” that was found only in the holy water at the beginning (and the very end) as well as the oddly blue church clock, was very disconcerting. I’m glad David Farrington spent a good amount of time on this!
Day 52: Feb 21, 2022
Today, I’m finally able to escape the nightmare that is 1979’s ‘Salem’s Lot with three final contributions on the topic. First up is Chat Sematary!
Next up is Stephen Kingcast.
I apologize for lack of comments today as I consume these final podcasts. Work travel allows me to listen but not comment real-time as I like. I’ll be back to live commenting for sure as I watch through the more recent TV remake of ‘Salem’s Lot!
I’ve checked into a hotel and found myself with a little free time to say farewell to the 1979 Salem’s Lot movie with this excellent writeup from Zach Dionne.
Day 381: Jan 16, 2023
***circling back***
The Kingcast travels back nearly 45(!) years to review the original TV adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot.
Hilarious fact:
“For its release in Spain, it [‘Salem’s Lot] was titled Phantasma II, despite not being a sequel, or having anything to do with Phantasm, which came out that same year.”
Day 564: Jul 18, 2023
***circling back***
I’m continuing my catchup on all items prior to Firestarter with the book “Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide”.
Tonight, I start with the chapter on 1979’s ‘Salem’s Lot.
‘Salem’s Lot aired on CBS as a two-part miniseries. That I knew already.
What I didn’t know what that they aired those two episodes a week apart. Can you imagine how much momentum is lost in a horror movie when there’s a week break in the action? What a terrible decision on the part of the studio execs!
Day 1254: Jun 07, 2025
***circling back***
I love the movie review antics of Film Sack! Tune in for the review of ‘Salem’s Lot (1979).. Stay for the song “Party in ‘Salem’s Lot”.
Day 1255: Jun 08, 2025
***circling back***
Finished off this episode from Film Sack! who were rather fond of the made-for-TV adaptation, ‘Salem’s Lot (1979).
Remakes, Sequels & Other Adaptations
Day 53: Feb 22, 2022
I’d rather spend a night at the Marsten House than another evening in this hotel where the internet speed makes me pine for the AOL dial-up days. In the meantime, I’m watching the 2004 remake of the story that refuses to die.
I won’t be able to live tweet my experience with screenshots & gifs for a couple of days – but have no fear! I am saving them and will unleash with full fury once I’m back home safely in the warming embrace of fiber-enabled internet speeds.
Day 54: Feb 23, 2022
I made it through the first half of the 2004 remake of ‘Salem’s Lot. So many big-name stars. So uninteresting!
That’ll do, priest. That’ll do.
I’ll admit, it’s been a few weeks since I read the book. But 90 seconds into ‘Salem’s Lot (2004) methinks they may have taken a few liberties with the source material.
I am already thoroughly annoyed by the voiceover – the overuse of the “author’s voice”. Is this a movie or an audiobook?
Glad to see the dump is back. That was one of my favorite locales from the book.
Oh and the abused McDougall baby & Dr. Cody have been written back in to the story. Already, this is superior to the 1979 “classic”! But the “affair” between Doc Cody & Sandy was weird.
It’s Santa Sutherland!
I hated seeing a kid trapped under the ice in The Omen. I hate seeing it now.
Homages to Stephen King works are a little in your face. “Stand by Me” playing at the karaoke bar. Dog named “Cujo” chased away… Meh.
Credit where credit is due… The kid vampire floating outside a smoky window in the 1979 version is faaaar better than… whatever the hell THIS is!
They really turned Mark Petrie into a snotty little shit in this version, didn’t they?
Anyone find this to be scary? Yeah, neither did I. So why did the director this this was anything other than “Flash Bites”?
There are far too many high-profiled actors to be in a film this dull. But Andre Braugher is a definite highlight for me here.
Oh well, they tried.
You have to see for yourself how terrible of a creative choice it was to have flashbacks narrated by an emotionless Rob Lowe on valium.
What one yells when they stub their toe.
Day 55: Feb 24 2022
Almost done with the 2004 remake of ‘Salem’s Lot. I suffer through this in order to issue you the following warning: ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE (for a good rendition of the book).
Dr. Cody witnessed a freakin’ vampire disappear into the morgue ceiling in a puff of smoke, and he’s STILL worried about paying McDougal money for a hush bribe??? What sense does THAT make?
Exorcist III did this scene better.
The scariest thing about Barlow is his soulpatch.
Oh, so Father Callahan is a murderous vampire now? Cool change to the source material, bro.
Dr. Cody falling through the steps onto a buzzsaw instead of a bunch of knives was a semi-decent improvement. But Mark Petrie and Ben Mears merely shrugged their shoulders and moved on.
A vampire “O” face.
Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure did it better.
See?
Wow… I can’t say that the 2004 version of ‘Salem’s Lot was worse than the 1979 version.
But what I *can* say is that they were both godawful and I will never be watching either of them again.
Day 56: Feb 25, 2022
Which podcast dared to take on the 2004 remake of ‘Salem’s Lot? Apparently, only Chat Sematary was up for the challenge.
Learned an interesting fact from this podcast. ‘Salem’s Lot (2004) was filmed in Australia. Also, they built the Marsten house completely from scratch. I wonder if they built it with working plumbing and all the other living amenities?
“Anyone who is a King completionist might like to watch this.”
I am an extreme example of a King completionist, and no, I did not like watching this.
It’s Friday night at the movies and I’m looking to return to that lovely little town where I have so many wonderful memories!
You’ve got to be kidding me. This is a student’s school project, right?
Crazy to think this movie had to compete with The Lost Boys as the best vampire movie of 1987! 😂
This scene lasted just over 73 hours. Yes, it’s a kid driving his dad (sober) through the town of ‘Salem’s Lot.
You too can make a sequel to a Stephen King property if you only have a budget of $37.
OK, I’m making an executive decision here. While I won’t fast-forward through any movie, my internal rules will allow me to watch this at 1.25 speed to reduce the duration of my suffering. This. Is. So. Bad.
Good ole fashioned child weddings are all the rage now in ‘Salem’s Lot.
So this film was released in the theaters, huh?
Day 57: Feb 26, 2022
In which I conclude the laughable project known as A Return to ‘Salem’s Lot.
How to make vampires completely dull and non-scary in 30 seconds.
If Groucho Marx and Albert Einstein had a baby.
I haven’t seen that rubber vampire monster in over 30 minutes. I hope he’s ok!
Why does their car shake so much? Were they driving through a Maine earthquake? Were their tires square-shaped?
A vampire death scene this bad should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
It takes 73 vampires to hold back a guy who has as much struggle in him as a wet spaghetti noodle.
Stabbed him to death with an American flag. Where was this kid during the Jan 6 insurrection, hmmmm? 🤔
The most incredible thing about “A Return to ‘Salem’s Lot” were the credits. Namely, that there were any at all! Can’t believe anyone allowed their name to be associated with this travesty.
Day 453: Mar 29, 2023
Next, from The Kingcast, this time talking about one of the worst movies ever made: “A Return to Salem’s Lot”.
“A Return to Salem’s Lot” premiered at the Cannes???
“Filmed in Vermont in late 1986, A Return to Salem’s Lot was screened at the 1987 Cannes Film Market before receiving a limited theatrical release from Warner Bros. in the fall of that year.”
Day 564: Jul 18, 2023
***circling back***
Oh joy – now I get to read what “Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide” has to say about that abomination of a film, “A Return to ‘Salem’s Lot”.
Day 58: Feb 27, 2022
If a couple of 3-hr miniseries adaptations of ‘Salem’s Lot weren’t enough, here comes an epic early podcast episode from The Losers’ Club which also clocks in at nearly 3 hours. I need the eternal powers of a vampire to make it through!
Wait… wut? There’s a BBC radio drama of ‘Salem’s Lot out there?
Wait wait… wut? wut? Doug Bradley, Pinhead himself, is in this BBC adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot? This is totally being added to my journey before I exit this book.
How did I miss that Tara Reid was in A Return to ‘Salem’s Lot? Well that changes everything!
One thing I’ve learned from the The Losers’ Club‘s Lobstrosities series: Movies like “A Return to ‘Salem’s Lot” can only be enjoyed either with a lot of alcohol or with some really goofy friends. Now that I’m down to one kidney, my options have narrowed.
I can almost hear the giggle in Deanna Chapman’s voice as she begins this episode of Chat Sematary covering the worst film ever caught on camera
I’ve got my noise-cancelling headphones on & I’m about to embark on this 7-part BBC Audio drama recording of ‘Salem’s Lot from 1995. Didn’t know about it when I woke up today, but this is the type of stuff you learn from all these great podcasts!
30 seconds in and it’s already better than the 2 TV series & worthless movie sequel!
I’m assuming this is performed by all British actors, being a BBC production. If so, the American accents are spot-on (even if not the heavy Maine-twang we’re accustomed to). Some of the kid actors, though, they need to practice those accents better. It’s cute though!
Day 59: Feb 28, 2022
A bonus find this BBC audio rendition of ‘Salem’s Lot is turning out to be! It is allowing me to leave this step of the journey without a bitter taste in my mouth.
Here in episode 2, we finally hear the voice of Doug Bradly (Hellraiser’s Pinhead) as Barlow himself!
Episode 3 and already this is better produced & acted than all three of the other films combined.
Just finished Episode 4 and by all that is unholy, I want more!
Day 60: Mar 1, 2022
The BBC audio rendition of ‘Salem’s Lot is a faithful, if not spectacular, interpretation of the book material. It’s refreshing not having to be distracted by random plot or character changes.
The penultimate episode of this competent, if not particularly memorable, version of ‘Salem’s Lot. The voice actors are top notch with the exception of the actor (actress?) playing Mark Petrie who sounds like a woman trying to deepen her voice.
And this concludes the unexpected, but very welcome BBC audio drama of ‘Salem’s Lot. Not great, but easily the best interpretation of the book by a far cry.
Day 61: Mar 2 2022
Today, I wrap up another milestone in my journey, finishing ‘Salem’s Lot with an overall review of the book & movies by Stephen King Podcast.
Today, I wrap up another milestone in my journey, finishing ‘Salem’s Lot with an overall review of the book & movies by Stephen King Podcast.
Day 62: Mar 3, 2022
‘Salem’s Lot: Final thoughts
=====
46 pieces of media consumed
66 hours spent on this step of the journey
31 days living in this world.
Ranks #1 of the books read so far (the world-building was superior to “Carrie”)
✔️Strongly disliked every video interpretation and don’t buy giving the 1979 version a pass due to the times in which it was made
✔️The first example of an ending that doesn’t live up to the dire straits the protagonists found themselves in (Barlow was too easily defeated)
✔️Mark Petrie was my favorite character (albeit an unrealistic one – he was practically a 10-yr-old James Bond)
✔️Special shout-out to Kingslingers for providing episode read-alongs. My appreciation for the book was improved due to their deep-dive series.
✔️Funniest episode was Derry Public Radio about the ’79 TV series (“Terror Comes From the Tongue”)
✔️”Last Minute Surprise” award goes to the BBC Audio Drama of ‘Salem’s Lot. It did quite a bit to wash the bitter taste of A Return to ‘Salem’s Lot from my mouth
✔️Most insightful experience was The Kingcast‘s interview with Bryan Fuller. I didn’t realize what a homoerotic thriller ‘Salem’s Lot was until that episode!
✔️I’m looking forward to returning to this story when the new film comes out!
‘Salem’s Lot (2024)
Day 1003: Sep 29, 2024
The trailer for the new ‘Salem’s Lot adaptation recently dropped and today I’m going to listen to a pair of reactions to it.
My personal opinion of it? Meh. 🤷🏼♂️
First up is The Losers’ Club with some quick opinions.
Next is Dark Tower Radio with a deeper dive on the with some quick opinions on the new ‘Salem’s Lot trailer.
Funniest line? “The Tobe Hooper version was weird and boring.”
I agree!
Day 1364: Sep 25, 2025
It’s been a long, long time since I settled in to watch a Stephen King inspired film. So here I go with the 2024 widely-panned remake of ‘Salem’s Lot.
The screenwriter is Gary Dauberman who wrote the Annabelle screenplays and The Nun. So this has to be good, right?
Right?
Ahhhh… Euron Greyjoy is in this movie. Anything that’s got a Game of Thrones alumnus has to be good, right?
Right?
So far, I’m finding the cinematography to be quite impressive. And I’m surprised they kept this in the same time period as the novel. “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Operation Day Break” were released in 1975.
Am I crazy to have thought that Kathy Bates made a cameo in this ‘Salem’s Lot remake? Alas, i researched and it’s not her. But for a brief moment, I got excited!
I thought the lead actor playing Ben Mears looked familiar…
How cool would it be if this actor were to also appear as Father Callahan when Mike Flanagan gets around to adapting Wolves of the Calla?
A lot of effort went into the colorization of this film and it shows.
‘m stopping halfway through this movie and will leave Ben and Susan hanging. Until tomorrow evening when I finish off ‘Salem’s Lot (2024)!
Day 1365: Sep 26, 2025
Finishing the second half of ‘Salem’s Lot (2024). It’s been a surprisingly decent quality film so far!
The movie was rather faithful to the book up until the shootout at the drive-in theater where Sue Norton’s mom decided to go on a rampage. That was… a choice.
When I was a kid, my glasses would break if I sneezed too hard. This kid lands face-first in gravel and not a scratch.
‘Salem’s Lot (2024) final thoughts:
Filmmaking was high quality and had this been made in the 80s or 90s, it probably would’ve been a classic. But as good as King’s story was, it’s rather cliche and tame 50 years later, especially when so many quality vampire/zombie type movies have been made since then which has pushed the genre much further than this film did.
The fault lies solely at the decision to greenlight this remake.
Day 1366: Sep 27, 2025
Now listening to The Losers’ Club and their highly unfavorable review of ‘Salem
s Lot (2024). In this episode you’ll hear the line:
“With Ben and Susan – they might be the first couple in [movie] history that one has an overbite and one has an underbite.”
Day 1367: Sep 28, 2025
Finishing off The Losers’ Club and their highly unfavorable review of ‘Salem
s Lot (2024).
Day 1368: Sep 29, 2025
Listening to The Kingcast and guest co-host Steve Prokopy critique ‘Salem’s Lot (2024).
I’m joined by my Ain’t It Cool ex-pat, Steve Prokopy (aka Capone) as we break down what worked, what didn’t work, and try to figure out what the hell was going on behind the scenes from all the context clues left in the film.
Zach Dionne had a good writeup about ‘Salem’s Lot (2024).
“…there’s a lot to be disappointed by, so many things that feel not quite right, or very not-right. The Danny Glick window encounter simply cannot be this bad in 2024.”
Day 1369: Sep 30, 2025
Dark Tower Radio lambasted ‘Salem’s Lot (2024).
Day 1370: Oct 1, 2025
The Year of the Underrated Stephen King tried very hard to find the positive in ‘Salem’s Lot (2024).
Day 1371: Oct 2, 2025
Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came were very confused by ‘Salem’s Lot (2024).
Day 1372: Oct 3, 2025
Stephen King Cast does not recommend watching ‘Salem’s Lot (2024).
