A novelist and a young horror fan attempt to save a small New England town which has been invaded by vampires.
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Title: Salem's Lot (1979)
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
The successful writer Benjamin "Ben" Mears returns to his hometown Salem's Lot, Maine, expecting to write a new novel about the Marsten House. Ben believes that the manor is an evil house that attracts evil men since the place has many tragic stories and Ben saw a ghostly creature inside the house when he was ten. Ben finds that the Marsten House has just been rented to the antique dealers Richard K. Straker and his partner Kurt Barlow that is permanently traveling. Ben meets the divorced teacher Susan Norton that is living with her parents and they have a love affair. Ben also gets close to her father Dr. Bill Norton and his former school teacher Jason Burke. When people start to die anemic, Ben believes that Straker's partner is a vampire. But how to convince his friends that he is not crazy and that is the truth? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Taglines:
The ultimate in terror! See more »Genres:
HorrorParents Guide:
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Ben Mears: Coming on overnight?
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The album cover of Swedish band Ghost's first album Opus Eponymous was inspired by the movie poster. See more »Goofs
As Cully and Larry enter the living room, a crew member and a boom mic are reflected in the mirror. See more »Quotes
Dr. William 'Bill' Norton: We haven't completed our tests, yet but it could be... and I'm trusting you to keep this to yourself... it could be pernicious anemia.Ben Mears: Coming on overnight?
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Crazy Credits
The text of the opening credits appear and dissolve piece by piece into each other in a jigsaw puzzle fashion. See more »Alternate Versions
Salem's Lot originally aired as a 2-night mini-series with the first episode airing on November 17, 1979 and the second episode airing the following week on November 24, 1979. See more »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 November 1979 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Salem's Lot: The Movie See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$4,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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I was fourteen years old when this film was released, and it was really a shocker for its time. Although I can see the points raised by detractors of this film, nevertheless, it is, in my opinion, one of the most truly terrifying movies I have ever seen. The scenes in which first Ralphie and then Danny Glick appear in windows at night, scratching to be let in, were utterly horrifying, as were the scenes with Mike Ryerson in Jason Burke's guest bedroom ("Looooook at me ... I will see you sleep like the dead, teacher") and Marjorie Glick in the mortuary. Along with the original "Halloween," this is a film that really, really scared me, and I feel that a key element was the lack of gore (which is probably a disappointment to younger viewers used to explicit splatter). The nonverbal dialogue of expressions and actions, the music, and the significantly occurring silences resulted in the suspense which makes a film truly frightening in my opinion.
Having said this, I do feel that the book was much, much better than the movie, and I would recommend it as one of the best vampire stories ever written (sorry, Anne Rice, but it's true). But let's be fair and realistic. It's a rare film that excels the book on which it was based. Not one of Stephen King's wonderfully (and horribly) imaginative works has EVER been committed to film in a way that has equaled the written work. Never, ever, EVER. That is something that will just never happen. If it were possible, then nobody would bother to read his books, he would become a screenwriter, and that would be a real loss for the horror genre.