Salem's Lot (2024) Review

 

When author Ben Mears comes back to his childhood home, he discovers that people in his home town are mysteriously turning into vampires.

Gary Dauberman's Salem's Lot returns to familiar ground, but with a modern horror edge that favours shock over slow-burn dread. Set in the 1970s, it strives to recapture the period texture of King's novel. The intention is clear and often effective, though the era sometimes feels like polished recreation rather than something fully lived-in.

The film's real strength is atmosphere with Cinematography from Michael Burgess. Dauberman sustains a consistent unease. An on location feel and meticulously dressed sets sell the town's creeping infection.

The cast is reliably solid. All the youngsters actors do a great job. Lewis Pullman brings a measured gravity to Ben Mears, while Alfre Woodard and memorable Bill Camp lend weight in support. Pilou Asbæk adds controlled menace as Straker. Alexander Ward is great as classic Nosferatu-like Kurt Barlow, and Spencer Treat Clark holds his own in the ensemble. Notable is William Sadler as Parkins Gillespie and Spencer Treat Clark as Ryerson. Yet it's Makenzie Leigh who commands the screen. Sharp, magnetic, and utterly assured, she cuts through the surrounding mechanics and steals every scene. Both Jordan Preston Carter and Alfre Woodard deserve a mention for their likeable performances.

Unlike the 2004 version of Barlow that sticks closer to the novel, like the 1979 version, this adaptation opts for a traditional, monstrous take on the vampire-predatory and unromanticised.

Where it diverges is emphasis, it leans into modern horror conventions, with a younger cast, deploying frequent jump scares in a manner closer to the It films. The shocks land, but often at the expense of deeper character work and lingering dread.

Oddly Mark seems to feel second fiddle to young Ben, and last act feels more like Stakeland, Monstersquad, and 30 Days of Night.

That imbalance is the film's limitation. Momentum frequently overrides emotional weight, leaving the story feeling slightly surface-level despite its craft.

The sound design and score by Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott enhance tension without overwhelming it, and the visuals remain clean, controlled, and often striking.

It's not the definitive Salem's Lot, but an atmospheric retelling that knows how to unsettle-even if it sometimes forgets to breathe and run for the finishing line.