Salem’s Lot

            Hello and welcome back to another week here at Mindless Movie Reviews. It’s October and here in my household, that means it’s scary movie time. So, what better way to start a spooky season than with a spooky movie? But not just any spooky film, one with the ultimate movie monster…a vampire! This week, I watched the newest version of “Salem’s Lot” on Max. Technically the book of the same name came out in 1975, so you’ve had almost 50 years to hear what happens, just in case you are a little behind the curve, just know that there will be spoilers ahead. So, if you want to keep the coffin closed and come back later, no one will blame you. You can always start here, to see what other reviews I may have waiting for you.

            Ok, for those brave enough to continue, let’s jump right into it. “Salem’s Lot” is the newest movie from a director with an already impressive lineup of horror movies. Gary Dauberman has been behind the camera on films such as the three “Annabelle” films as well as It Chapters 1 and 2. You can catch this right now on Max to stream, as well as the original if you so desire.

            Being a fan of the Stephen King novel (having read it eons ago) and always enjoying the original TV mini-series from 1979, I was excited to see a new take on this story. Yes, I am aware of the other TV mini-series from 2004 as well. That one doesn’t get as much love or attention, but I did enjoy it as well. This time around, Ben Mears is played by Lewis Pullman (the son of Bill Pullman). Personally, I did not like the way he portrayed Mears in this rendition. He left a lot of the character’s personality in the book and didn’t bring it to the screen like I would have liked. I felt the same way about John Benjamin Hickey’s take on Father Callahan. But I don’t think anyone could ever play him as well as James Cromwell, so maybe he was doomed from the start.

            On the other hand, Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh), Matt Burke (Bill Camp), Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter), and Dr. Cody (Alfre Woodard) were all better than both of the previous versions of said characters. Leigh, does a great job as Susan, she really makes you believe her character’s feelings, emotions, and   complicated relationship with her mom. I feel the same way for Camp’s Matt Burke. I love the role Burke takes to propel the story forward and the way Camp brought it to life. But the best part was seeing William Sadler back in another Stephen King movie. They couldn’t have chosen a better person to be the city’s lone law enforcement officer.

            For those that don’t know the story, basically, Salem’s Lot (short for Jerusalem’s Lot) is a small town with normal small-town issues and a history. An author named Ben Mears comes back to do some research and while he is there, he meets and falls for Susan Norton (to the chagrin of most people in town, including her mom). Also, during that time, a vampire starts to wreak havoc on the town as a young boy is taken by Straker (Pilou Asbæk) to be the initial sacrifice for Barlow (Alexander Ward). Once the sacrifice is done, things start to move fast as person after person in town is slowly turned into a vampire or is killed in the process.

            This includes a large portion of the starring cast until just Ben and Mark are left alive at the end. Most of the film is shot great, with good acting, and lots of scary and thrilling scenes. At some point though, they shift the focus from Ben, by completely neutering his character and allowing Mark to become the one with save after save by using various means to best the vampires even though he’s only eleven and three-quarters old. Don’t get me wrong, some of the scenes are fun, but I’m just not sure why they shifted the focus in that direction.

            Overall, this was a fun and entertaining way to start out the month of October and I’m glad I spent the two hours to check it out. If you are a fan of either the original or just a fan of Stephen King’s work as a whole, I think you will also enjoy this. Just remember though, once you invite them in, it’s too late, but it’s not too late to give this a 7 out of 10, just for the pure fun and nostalgia of it all.

            So, there you have it for another week of Mindless Movie Reviews. What are your thoughts on this new version of “Salem’s Lot”? Do you celebrate October with scary movies as well? Looking forward to the rest of this month for sure and looking forward to hearing from everyone as well. Please use the comments below to share your thoughts with me and I will be back next week for some sort of mindless movie fun.