'Salem's Lot (2004) (TV)

Director:

Mikael Salomon

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
Peter Filardi (teleplay)

Release Date:

20 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

In a small town, evil spreads quickly.

Plot:

Writer Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot and discovers that it is being terrorized by vampires.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Priest | Antique Dealer | Hospital | Head Spin

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Rob Lowe	...	Ben Mears
Andre Braugher	...	Matt Burke
Donald Sutherland	...	Richard Straker
Samantha Mathis	...	Susan Norton
Robert Mammone	...	Dr. James Cody
Dan Byrd	...	Mark Petrie (as Daniel Byrd)
Rutger Hauer	...	Kurt Barlow
James Cromwell	...	Father Donald Callahan
Andy Anderson	...	Charlie Rhodes
Robert Grubb	...	Larry Crockett
Steven Vidler	...	Sheriff Parkins (as Steve Vidler)
Penny McNamee	...	Ruth Crockett
Brendan Cowell	...	Dud Rogers
Christopher Morris	...	Mike Ryerson
Todd MacDonald	...	Floyd Tibbits

Also Known As:

Salem's Lot (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

Argentina:181 min | USA:181 min (DVD version) | Finland:174 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | USA:TV-14 | Germany:16 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Creswick, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Coote Hayes Productions

Trivia:

One of the dogs in the movie is named "Cujo", Which is the name of another Stephen King novel about a killer dog.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In some outdoor night scenes crickets and other insects can be heard clearly yet the ground is covered in snow. During Maine winters there are no insects audible at night.

Quotes:

Floyd Tibbits: Crockett's paying us a hundred bucks to deliver this crate. If I said to you, Mike, I'd pay you two hundred bucks to come into the Marsten House, alone, at night, would you do it?
Mike Ryerson: Hell no.
Floyd Tibbits: Me neither. I find that humorous.

Movie Connections:

References Cujo (1983)

Soundtrack:

Salem's Lot Aria

Revisiting the "Lot"

Another film adaptation of Stephen King's masterpiece 'Salem's Lot, one of the scariest novels ever written. Presented by TNT as a two part mini-series.

Ben Mears returned to ‘Salems Lot, the small New England town where he was born, hoping to write the novel that just might put to rest what had happened to him as a boy in the old Marsten House. Unfortunately, Richard Straker and Kurt Barlow had other ideas.

A bit different than the 1979 version, mainly due to modern computer generated enhancements and Peter Filardi's loosely adapted teleplay.

Comparing the two mini-series, neither followed the book closely, although Tobe Hooper's earlier version was the scarier. Rob Lowe was more believable as Ben Mears than David Soul, but neither Lance Kerwin nor Dan Byrd fit the book's impish image of 11 year old Mark Petrie. Donald Sutherland's Richard K. Straker character never had a chance to develop, but it could never have compared to James Mason's portrayal, he was much more sinister.

The second part was filled with great performances by the cast and fantastic special effects and was far more enjoyable to watch with Rutger Hauer as vampire Kurt Barlow, while James Cromwell as Father Callahan gave the best performance.