'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:

Approximately 300 extras were used during the production.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Richard Straker confronts Susan Norton and Mark Petrie in Straker's house for the first time, Straker takes Norton's gun with his left hand, then Petrie's stake with his right hand. The stake then disappears and reappears in Straker's hand between shots.

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 Stand by Me (1986)

Soundtrack:

Paint It Black

Ill-advised remake of classic original

'SALEM'S LOT

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

Whilst researching material for a new book, a writer (David Soul) returns to his home town and finds it infested by vampires operating from within a creepy old house overlooking the area.

Mikael Salomon's ill-advised remake of Tobe Hooper's classic TV miniseries tells much the same story, but fails in almost every respect. Peter Filardi's script takes fewer liberties with Stephen King's novel than the original, but Salomon demonstrates no great empathy with the material, and the results are turgid and uninvolving. There's very little urgency in the depiction of a creeping menace which threatens to overwhelm the eponymous town, only a sense of indifference as Salomon consistently fluffs many of the ingredients which distinguished the original: The crate-delivery to the Marsten house is resolved in a perfunctory manner; Marjorie Glick's return from the dead occurs too quickly and lacks even the most rudimentary elements of suspense; the climactic showdown between Good and Evil inside the Marsten house unfolds in routine fashion, etc.

On the plus side, Rob Lowe is an inspired choice for the role originally taken by David Soul (his love-hate relationship with the Marsten house is clearly established this time around), and there's a memorable scene in which an unpleasant school bus driver (Andy Anderson) gets his comeuppance at the hands of his former 'victims'. Elsewhere, Andre Braugher essays the role of a gay teacher whose sexuality fuels his first encounter with the living dead (rough-trade beauty Christopher Morris), a huge turnaround from the original version. But the movie is labored to the point of redundancy, and seems to last an eternity. With his white hair and beard, Donald Sutherland's villain comes off looking like a demonic Santa Claus, and Rutger Hauer (Anne Rice's original choice for the role of Lestat in a film adaptation of her novel 'Interview With the Vampire') is barely on-screen long enough to make an impression as the lead vampire, though his portrayal is thoroughly undistinguished. Production values are fine, and Ben Nott's photography makes a virtue of the bleak landscape and wintry locations (the movie was shot in Australia, doubling for New England), but the characters seem totally disconnected from one another, and the film isn't remotely frightening. It doesn't simply fail in comparison with the original miniseries, or even with the novel; it fails on its own terms, and has few redeeming virtues.