Salem's Lot (2004)

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Average Rating: (See all 9 reviews) Format: DVD (M) Ships within 6-11 days A journalist returns to his hometown to research the mysterious memories that have haunted him since childhood. But soon, the closely held secrets of small-town life turn into unimaginable terror when a fearsome stranger arrives--looking to sink his teeth into a new home. Donald Sutherland, Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, Rutger Hauer, James Cromwell and Samantha Mathis star in this terrifying new take on the classic Stephen King novel. Synopsis Welcome to Jerusalems Lot Salems Lot as the locals call it. Population: 1319 and growing eerier by the moment. An ominous outsider has moved into the sleepy New England towns foreboding Marsten House and bringing with him unspeakable horror. This powerful adaptation of Stephen Kings terrifying best seller stars Rob Lowe as a writer who returns to his hometown to confront his haunted past and who soon leads the fight against a heart stopping force of evil. Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis, Rutger Hauer and James Cromwell co-star and help supply proof that when it comes to chills, thrills and unearthly dread you cant keep the undead down. Walk the streets of Salems Lot if you dare. Run Time: 172 minutes FullScreen: None Widescreen: Yes Format: PAL Aspect: 1.78:1 Director: Mikael Salomon Cast: Donald Sutherland, Andre Braugher, Samantha Mathis, Rob Lowe, Robert Mammone, Daniel Byrd Writer: Peter Filardi Producer: Brett Popplewell Composer: Lisa Gerrard, Christopher Gordon, Patrick Cassidy Subtitles: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Czech, Polish Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0, German Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, Polish Dolby Digital 2.0 Publisher: Warner Bros. UPC: 9325336026281

I read the book first and have now watched the movie. Reading any of Stephen Kings novels takes you to another world, a scary world. Salem's Lot the novel did the same. I was apprehensive before purchasing this DVD but really enjoyed the transformation from book to movie. I know there was another movie before this, but haven't seen it, so can't comment on it. However this movie was made quite well and scary bits there were plenty. The acting was very good as well.

The Movie captures about 10% of Stephen King's imaginative horror, but it still is a great horror movie to watch. I have always argued that it is hard to make the transition from a book to a movie, because the movie spoon-feeds and doesn't leave room for what the major source of horror while reading a book is: one's imagination.

In Salem's Lot, the Marsden house, located on top of a hill, is inherently evil. Ben Mears (David Soul), who grew up in Salem's Lot and left to become a successful author, returns to confront the evil that is the Marsden house. Mears says in the movie, "an evil place attracts evil people." The house attracts the fancy of Straker (James Mason) and the unseen Mr. Barlow (Reggie Nalder), who open an antique store in the little town. However, Mr. Barlow is really a vampire, and along with his servant's help, he slowly starts turning the denizens of Salem's lot into his counterparts. Ben Mears, along with the help of a young boy (Lance Kerwin) fascinated with horror, must stop Straker and Mr. Barlow before they completely take over Salem's lot.

The plot is great, but however the execution isn't. There are a few moments of tense action and the periods in between are pretty boring. Some of the most powerful sections in the book, such as the one where the Priest confronts the vampire with the cross, are reduced to seconds in the movie and they lack the punch present in the book. Likewise for many of the other gripping sections of the novel. However, the movie does have its interesting parts, and for something that was filmed in 1979, it does manage to scare you now and then. Worth renting.

Salems Lot surprised me when it turned out to be actually quite a good film. Based on the novel by Stephen King, it lives up to the dark, creepy and thrilling reputation of King. Usually the movie is a somewhat butchered version of the novel but this wasnt too bad. The acting was good and the cinematics were good and it made for a pretty good movie

this is one of the only lengthy stephen king adaptations I've liked.
kept the interest going the hole time, exelent proformances from donald sutherland and rob low and an amusing guest apearance from rutger hauer.
true to the book. a stylish remake. very well done
worth the watch even if your a fan of the original.

Stephen King novels are notorious for being adapted into awful movies. Salem's Lot is however, the exception (and Stand By Me). The movie does well to involve a large amount of characters from the novel and give them all separate story lines whilst still managing to maintain the flow of the film. The main character Ben Marsden is played very well by Rob Lowe, who is also the narrator of the film. I really liked the cinematography of the film. It was pretty similar to what I pictured whilst reading the novel. Obviously the sheer size of Kings novels means movies cannot incorporate every aspect of the film into it, which is obvious in some parts of this film, had you read the novel before hand. The movie is relatively long, almost 3 hours but it seldom drags in my opinion.

Sinister events bring together a writer (David Soul) fascinated with an old hilltop house, a suave antiques dealer (James Mason) whose expertise goes beyond bric-a-brac and the dealer's "partner" - a vampire bent on draining the local bloodlines.

Classic! One of my favourite movies of all time! 5 STARS – No DVD collection is complete without this title amongst it. Powerful performances, superb production value with strong clear direction… a masterpiece. A must see for all movie fans, some might not agree with me but this film with live on for many years after the actors have all but been forgotten!!1!!!

This remake of the original Salem's Lot is really good. It does lack some of the intensity that you got with the original Salem's Lot. Just keep in mind that years ago, movies like this still had a major impact on peoples perception of horror movies. It has changed a bit and vampire movies are seen more as a novelty now days.

Overall the acting is good and the storyline is a little predictable but still worth watching.

I saw this film on Foxtel and i have had trouble trying to find it to buy but this is a really good price as some places want you to pay something rediculous.
I like this remake to Salems lot and i like a lot of the Stephane king novels and this one lives up to its writter.
Any horror fan should love it.