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David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Reggie Nalder, Lew Ayres ... see more see more... , Barbara Babcock , Bonnie Bedelia , Joshua Bryant , Julie Cobb , Elisha Cook Jr. , George Dzundza , Bo Fanders , Ed Flanders , James Gallery , Clarissa Kaye , Geoffrey Lewis , Robert Lussier , Kenneth McMillan , Brad Savage , Ronnie Scribner , Fred Willard , Ned Wilson , Marie Windsor , Bonnie Bartlett

Novelist David Soul returns to his hometown of Salem, finding that things have changed a bit. More than a bit, in fact: the previously warm and friendly community is downright sinister. Soul suspects ... read more read more...that the bizarre behavior of his onetime friends and neighbors is the handiwork of oddball antique dealer James Mason. We won't reveal here the secret of Salem; suffice to say that the action goes directly to the jugular, and that makeup artists Jack Young and Ben Lane won an Emmy nomination. Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, Salem's Lot was originally telecast in two parts on November 17 and 24, 1979; it was subsequently pared down to a single three-hour installment, which in turn was whittled down to about two hours for cable-TV play. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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61% liked it

30,112 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

11 critics

PG, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Release Date: November 17, 1979

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DVD Release Date: October 26, 1999

Stats: 1,056 reviews

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Mr. Barlow Face the Master! Kurt Barlow
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Flixster Reviews (1,056)

  • jmanard52
    May 11, 2008
    jmanard52
    Classic horror . . you either hate it or like it.
  • phubbs1
    January 5, 2012
    phubbs1
    Now a pretty ancient vampire film and it certainly looks its age these days, made one year after I was born and I've only just got round to seeing it :)

    Adaptation of a well known King novel of which I saw the film version which is simply all the episodes of the mini TV series s... read moretuck together into one movie. As said this was originally a TV series and you can see how it has been put together for this film version but that doesn't detract really, it kinda adds a little charm to the proceedings. Its not terribly scary by today's standards but there is a nice spooky atmosphere throughout which feels good on a cold dark rainy night.

    Its a slow slow burner that's for sure, I must admit I was getting really quite bored in places as the film is three hours long and there's allot of dialog all the way through, not much vampire action to be honest. What action there is is now quite quaint and harmless really, not much blood on show and some pretty amusing melodramatic acting as people fall foul of 'Kurt Barlow', but the makeup is still very good, especially the eyes of the vampires.

    The film is well made and a good adaptation I think as it does seem encompass allot from the original source, I haven't read the novel but there is a heck of allot of info packed into the plot with good backstories and character development.

    Must mention the legend James Mason here as his calm gentlemanly demeanor accompanied by his smooth, eloquent, perfectly pronounced voice works wonders for the evil vampires right hand man, Hopkins and Price eat your heart out hehe.

    A curious addition to vampire lore which is slightly dull but altogether well crafted, the look of the main vampire obviously has been designed after the classic 'Nosferatu' look but in turn you can see how many future vampire films have also used this style and look.
  • blkbomb
    October 16, 2011
    blkbomb
    Straker: You'll enjoy Mr. Barlow. And he'll enjoy you. 

    "The ultimate in terror."

    Salem's Lot is Stephen King's take on the vampire story and it is a pretty good one. A lot of what made the story so scary didn't translate well to the screen, but I still consider this a good ada... read moreption of the book. Tobe Hooper is a skilled horror director and while this isn't his best work, it's still a solid entry into the vampire sub-genre. 

    The movie took me somewhat be surprise. I didn't expect the acting to be nearly as good as it is because it was a made-for-tv film. The cast isn't spectacular, but they do a good enough job. The film isn't at all scary or even creepy, but it was still a fun movie to watch. I probably had more fun watching it than I should have.

    A writer returns to his hometown that he left when he was 10 or 11 years old. He is obsessed with an old house that stands there, that is also rumored to be haunted. He makes it the subject of his next book. Shortly after arriving, weird occurrences begin and he suspects that whatever is going on has to do with an antique dealer, his partner and that house. The plot is solid enough, but it is nowhere near King's best work. Salem's Lot falls somewhere in the middle when it comes to King adaptions.
  • sergioogarcia
    June 23, 2011
    sergioogarcia
    Another child trauma. That vampire outside the bedroom's window...thanks...stupid curiosity.
  • ajv2688
    January 7, 2011
    ajv2688
    A good vampire movie from Stephen King. It's suspenseful and spooky for the most part, but the scary parts are really scary too. I really liked this movie, it's a classic King story, so if you like his work or just vampires, you'll enjoy it.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 9, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    As a die hard fan of vampire films, I gave Salem's Lot a viewing, I was very surprised. It's one creepy vampire film that has a dark, gloomy atmosphere to it, you feel uneasy throughout the film, and the film has terrific, tense moments. It's one one greatest vampire films ever m... read moreade, and Tobe Hooper, displays a broader range of his directing talents by directing something different. This was Tobe Hooper at his best, now he's beyond mediocre. Salem's Lot has a great cast, a terrific story based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. A solidly paced horror film, Salem's Lot is a tense film to watch and is one of director Tobe Hooper's very films along with TCM, The Funhouse and Poltegeist. Enjoy.
  • romy861
    January 29, 2010
    romy861
    I am really quite embarrassed to admit I screamed out loud at one point here (will not disgrace myself further by revealing which part!). Needless to say, it should not have happened as the special effects and make up are really not that convincing in this 70's horror, and I hav... read moree certainly seen worse with less of a response.
    What can I say, I blame it on a throwback to my childhood - the original Amityville Horror still scares me as well because I was so scared of it as a child, even though watching it, I can see it's crappy. I didn't actually ever watch this one before, but it has that feel to it.
    At 3 hours it is very long and does drag out a little in places, but I enjoyed it. It's nothing amazing, but I do tend to like Stephen King's stories, and 70's/80's movies in general, so I guess the era appeals to me as much as the story. Anyone with similar taste should enjoy this, I think.
  • matertenebraum
    July 27, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Stephen King's repertoire of books turned into films isn't all that good on the whole, but the list does have a few solid entries; and Salem's Lot is one of them. The cut that I saw was the cinema version, which has been cut down from the three hour TV version. Because of this, t... read morehe film is overlong in places and incoherent in others; but if you ignore that little fact, what you have here is a nice little vampire flick. The story takes place in the small town of 'Salem's Lot'. If I were to name a town, I wouldn't call it 'Salem's Lot' because with that name, something evil is bound to happen. It's like calling your town 'Werewolf Creek' or 'Demonic Possession Falls' - you just wouldn't do it! Anyway, Salem's Lot becomes a town of vampires after the local weirdo orders a strange package from somewhere. The plot follows a writer that has gone back to Salem's Lot to finish his book. Once murders start occurring, the inept police sergeant suspects the local weirdo, but the writer has more imaginative ideas about what's going on...and sees that it may be down to vampires!

    The special effects in Salem's Lot are very cheesy - so cheesy, in fact, that I got the impression that they were like that on purpose. The way that the small town is presented is good, and it gives director Tobe Hooper lots of chances to create an atmosphere around the story. He handles the atmosphere side of the film with great skill, and that makes up one of the film's best assets. There's a reason why many fans consider this Hooper's only good movie besides The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and the atmosphere is probably it. The story does take a while to get going, but the way that it introduces the characters is good and through it's atmosphere and the way that the story moves; the film never gets boring. I haven't read the book of 'Salem's Lot', so I cant comment on how the film relates to the writing; but I can say that it's nice to see the man that is probably the best contender to the crown of 'modern master of horror' handling a story about vampires in a traditional way. I loved the way that King didn't try to distance the story from the genre clichés, and it's nice to see a 'true' vampire film. Overall - good stuff and highly recommended!
  • kiriyamakazou
    March 27, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Another Stephen King 3 hour miniseries. I'd say overall it's successful. The chills and tactics used are still fairly impressive, though some have dated horribly. Like Stephen King's IT the film has an excellent slow build up, but an underwhelming pay off. I love getting to know ... read morethe characters and slowly see how the story progresses, but still I want something a little more by the end. The acting is brilliant, thumbs up to both the casting of James Mason and James Mason himself. He adds that unrivaled talent and star quality to a sinister role. Also great to see Fred Willard in a serious role, lately he seems to always be a bit mad. The story is very similar to Dracula (and not just the vampire elements), but these references are handled with respect and adapted, rather than just chucked in, to fit an excellent story.
  • harrycaul
    August 22, 2008
    harrycaul
    I hate reviewing movies that meant a lot to me as a kid, especially when they're not actually as great as they seemed at the time; it's so difficult to be honest! Part of me wants to pull this movie to pieces, yet I absolutely refuse to give it any fewer than four stars. My broth... read moreer and I were allowed to stay up and watch the original two-part version of "Salem's Lot" some time in the mid-'80s, and it had a profound effect on us both. Terrified but blown away by it, we spent the better part of the next decade taping subsequent, variously truncated TV screenings in the vain hope of seeing that full version again, complete with its meandering subplots and silly Guatemalan epilogue. It took me 20 years to see the full thing again!

    Looking at it now, the main problem with the long version is that, though there's more than enough exposition to make us question what the hell most of it has to do with the main thrust of the story (the answer: not much), there's still not quite enough to give us a credible feeling of an entire community being decimated in the second half. I used to think that David Soul was super cool in this but, watching it now, his Ben Mears is pretty surly and unappealing; his first meeting with Susan Norton (Bonnie Bedelia) is ridiculously corny, and would surely have earned him a liberal Maceing and a kick in the balls in the real world. The brilliant idea of a fantasy-horror nut (Lance Kerwin) using his expertise to battle real-life vampires is disappointingly squandered; though I hate to admit it, "The Lost Boys" makes better use of the same theme. Anyway, I'll wrap this up before I start getting hypercritical. Great cast, great music. Sayonara!

    The following are just a few points that have puzzled me over the years, products of the fact that so much of the action happens off-screen. SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS MOVIE!:-
    1. Who kills Mike Ryerson's (Geoffrey Lewis) dog? Since Barlow hasn't yet arrived on the scene, Straker (James Mason) presumably. But why?
    2. Who 'kills' Ralphie Glick? Although the health benefits of wrapping someone in plastic and placing them in the boot of a car are open to question, I think we have to assume that Ralphie is still alive when Straker carries him into the cellar of the Marsten house; though still in transit at the time of Ralphie's abduction, only Barlow could turn the lad into a vampire at this stage.
    3. Whose is that scrap of black fabric, found by Ben Mears when searching for Ralphie Glick? Straker's or Barlow's? Of course, we only have Straker's word for it that the two black suits he presents to the police constable are his only two. Sloppy police work, if you ask me!
    4. Who dumps Larry Crockett's (Fred Willard) body by the lake, and for what reason (other than to tie a largely superfluous subplot to the main storyline)? The supposition is that two vehicles were used for this piece of mischief, one presumably driven by Straker, the other by Barlow, which seems reasonable enough at the time - until we actually meet Barlow, that is. For all we know, he may wear sensible driving shoes and his clutch control may be second to none, but at risk of exposing a lack of imagination on my part, I find it impossible to visualize Reggie Nalder's Nosferatu clone driving that car. Given that his wife's lover has died in suspicious circumstances, I also find it incredible that the police allow Cully Sawyer (George Dzundza) to leave town so swiftly.
    5. What happens to Jason Burke (Lew Ayres) after his heart attack? Helpless in a hospital bed as vampirism and fire rage though 'Salem's Lot, the old man's uncertain fate is perhaps the bleakest and most unnecessary loose end in the whole movie. Why couldn't he just die of that heart attack? Similarly, what happens to Susan's mother when her husband and daughter fail to come home?

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Critic Reviews

Widgett Walls
October 14, 2002
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com

A truly unfortunate adaptation. Was the head vampire supposed to be scary? Oh sorry--my bad.

Ken Hanke
August 26, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Not bad, but Hooper has done much better work

Jon Niccum
August 23, 2002
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World

Very frightening for a TV movie.

Chuck O'Leary
October 10, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
July 30, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Nicolas Lacroix
January 29, 2004
Nicolas Lacroix, EnPrimeur.ca

No review available.

Audrey Rock-Richardson
September 12, 2002
Audrey Rock-Richardson, Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

No review available.

David Poland
July 26, 2002
David Poland, Hot Button

No review available.

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

Jeremiah Kipp
January 27, 2002
Jeremiah Kipp, ToxicUniverse.com

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Facts

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    • Ben Mears: But you remember that even then, that house had a reputation for being a haunted house?
    • Jason Burke: Every town has one.
    • Ben Mears: I went up there once, on a dare. You know how kids are. I was sweating scared. I sneaked around. Got into the house.
    • Jason Burke: What did you see?
    • Ben Mears: Ghosts, everything; every sound, every shadow. I'm not sure what I saw. I think I saw Hubie Marsten hanging by his neck. His face green, his eyes puffed shut his hands livid. It was ghastly. And then he opened his eyes and he looked at me. He looked at me, and I took off and I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I've never forgotten that.
    • Ben Mears: I think that an evil house attracts evil men.
    • Jason Burke: But if a house attracts evil men.
    • Ben Mears: Why did it attract me?
    • Ben Mears: Jason, do you believe a thing can be inherently evil?
    • Jason Burke: I've seen trees that look like tortured spirits.
    • Ben Mears: A house. The Marsten house for instance. Can it be evil in its stone foundations, in its wooden beams? In the glass of its windows? In the plaster of its ceilings? Evil.
    • Mike: (as a Vampire; in the rocking chair trying to hypnotize Jason) Look at me. Look at me, teacher.
    • Ben Mears: They've found us again. Another has found us.
    • Mark Petrie: We have to go further.
    • Ben Mears: Not yet.
    • Mark Petrie: (shouts) What did you do to her?
    • Richard Straker: I've taken her to where she wished to go. To meet the man she came here to meet.
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Salem's Lot Trivia

  • Stephen King, David Soul, James Mason & Lance Kerwin?  Answer »
  • What low budget (made for tv) film from 2004 starred Rob Lowe and was adapted from a Stephen King novel?  Answer »
  • Salem's lot starred which famous 70"s tv actor?  Answer »
  • James Mason who acted in films such as The Verdict, Evil Under The Sun, The Assisi Underground and Ivanhoe (1982) also acted in this movie.....  Answer »
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