The latest in a slew of Steven King’s adaptations, Salem’s Lot finally makes the big screen after years of struggling to find a release window. Like the vampires the film portrays it as if it was waiting for the sun to reappear and show itself, but if this is the case you will be left wanting everlasting light.
Set in the Maine town of Jerusalem’s Lot, a small town, tight-knit community, the film follows audience surrogates being Lewis Pullman’s Ben, an author who returns to his childhood home for research for his next novel, and Mark, who has also just joined and started school. There is an array of other characters and townspeople, the local policeman, priest, and Bill Camp’s teacher, who Ben goes to seek guidance on town gossip, as he is seen as an outsider.
Another noticeable shop is the antique shop Barlow and Straker, where the film opens, we see two locals get detailed instructions from Straker to take care of a coffin. They take it to a haunted house at the top of a hill which Straker has just acquired after years of being uninhabited, dropping it into a cellar, the wood breaks a bit revealing it is full of dirt, quickly escaping in fear for their lives, and thus, the haunted vampire narrative unfolds. However, the opening scene does not attempt to show or guide the audience in where the narrative is heading or what the film is trying to say, a trope that has been adopted by many great horror films.
Indeed, Salem’s Lot feels like a run-of-the-mill horror film, with the more interesting and atmospheric parts not being those of horror but of town gossip. The opening 30 minutes feature little in the way of scares or anything remote to thrill. Instead, it focuses on setting the characters in play like pawns on a chess board. However, the film uses our knowledge to its advantage. Cleverly using match cuts and transitions to connect two separate scenes and read into any form of misdemeanour. This is perhaps where the film is at its strongest, in a simmering tension of water about to bubble but not quite ready to erupt, we know something will go wrong, we just don’t know when or how. Whilst this is intriguing, it is pretty mild for a horror film, and when the horror begins many scenes fail to build tension or anguish, with some jump scares so short you barely process them as a scare.
Neither the use of fear, or mystery, found in some of King’s other adaptations work. It is clear who the villain is and it is to our annoyance when people miss clear and obvious signs of mallace. In more dramatic scenes the dialogue is flat and often falls into cliches of the haunted horror subgenres, with it becoming an allegory of faith, believers and non-believers without forming any sort of commentary. At one point the film seems to suggest the importance of studying folklore and folktales, but never extends it beyond, well you never know a vampire might arrive on your doorstep.
Perhaps the only saving grace of the film is the cinematography. There are some gorgeous shots which have no right being in a film this mediocre. The other highlight is a strong performance by Bill Camp as a source of knowledge both of the townspeople and of vampires.
Salem’s Lot is a Stephen King adaptation that falls flat. It has little in the way of horror, whilst the dialogue is often wooden, falling back on cliches to advance the plot. The cinematography is the only thing that kept me engaged in this otherwise bland piece.
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