'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:

Unlike his film counterpart, Father Callahan (James Cromwell) survives the book, and even goes on to appear in Stephen King's epic series, The Dark Tower.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When they are in the church, Father Callahan is filling bottles with holy water. He fills one, fills the next and then fills the first one again.

Quotes:

Mark Petrie: [Mark is standing at the entrance to the Marsten House cellar, but he is unable to go farther, despite wanting to help Susan, who is held down there] Susan!
Susan Norton: Mark? I can't see, it's so dark.
[Barlow bites her offscreen]
Susan Norton: Ohhhhh...
Kurt Barlow: Come down, boy.
Mark Petrie: I know your name!
Kurt Barlow: I admire you, come down for a taste.
Mark Petrie: It's Barlow!
Kurt Barlow: There's enough here for two, why would you run, boy?
[Mark flees out of a window and out of the Marsten House]

Movie Connections:

References Stand by Me (1986)

Soundtrack:

Paint It Black

What if they filmed a movie and nobody knew how to act?

Rob Lowe has all the intensity of a bassett hound. Moping through the movie with sad puppy-dog eyes, he slowly comes to the realization that there are, gulp, vampires in Salem's Lot. The acting in this movie is horrible, it's as though the director told the actors to ad-lib everything, and to do it in a snarky California accent and roll their eyes all the time. This is Maine? I don't think so, especially since it was filmed in Melbourne.

There are basically three special effects in the entire four-hour movie, and not even good effects at that. Even Barlow's death was disappointing. Look, this is 2004, you fx guys have access to the most sophisticated equipment since the dawn of movie-making, and the only thing you can come up with is the vampire gently disappearing into the ceiling in a puff of smoke? What a rip.

Who wrote the screenplay? "Did you bring a stake"? One of the characters actually asks that, with all the sincerity that an unknown actor can muster. Only James Cromwell manages to elevate himself above the mess, gamely uttering his lines in his rough but convincing voice.

The 1979 version is far and away much scarier than this remake. It is more atmospheric and concentrates on the story and the plot, as well as building the characters. Barlow is scary, especially in the kitchen scene. In the remake, Barlow isn't scary at all, you don't believe for one moment that he's a vampire; he just looks like some angry drifter. In the original, James Mason could make your flesh crawl by raising an eyebrow, but Donald Sutherland looks like a high-school math teacher on a bender. I'm convinced the director ordered Sutherland to eat nine boxes of krispy kremes before filming.

This movie is a huge disappointment.