Salem's Lot (1979)

How sad is this?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Blistering performances.

How can you not like this? Suspense...the late and great James Mason? (one of his very last roles) The window scenes and the prevailing menace of he film make it worthwhile. 20 odd years ago I let my daughter ( after badgering me) watch it when she was 9 years old...and she still winds me up about it even now..could not sleep for a month ( did warn her) but that's kids... Is it cerebral?..no..is it fun?.. hell yeah.. great book and David Soul isn't half bad either. and Mr. Tobe Hooper died today, Thank you for this Tobe..and Poltergeist and Texas Chainsaw... you will be missed bud x #RIP

David Soul, James Mason, Bonnie Bedelia, Lance Kerwin and Reggie Nalder star in Tobe Hooper's 1979 horror film based on Stephen King's novel. Soul (Starsky & Hutch) plays Ben Mears, a novelist who returns to his hometown, Salem's Lot, Maine to write about a mysterious, old house that may be haunted. He discovers that an evil presence inhabits the house turning the town's residents into vampires one by one. Mason (Heaven Can Wait) plays antique dealer, Richard Straker, Bedelia (Die Hard) plays teacher and Ben's love interest, Susan Norton, Kerwin plays creative, young boy, Mark Petrie and Nalder plays Straker's business partner and vampire, Kurt Barlow. Geoffrey Lewis (Tango & Cash) and George Dzundza (Basic Instinct) also appear. This is a great vampire/horror flick featuring a good cast, great score & creepy make-up effects. I recommend this.

Vampires are invading a small New England town. It is up to a novelist and a young horror fan to save it.Producer Richard Koblitz said, "We went back to the old German Nosferatu concept where he is the essence of evil, and not anything romantic or smarmy, or, you know, the rouge-cheeked, widow-peaked Dracula. I wanted nothing suave or sexual, because I just didn't think it'd work." "Salem's Lot" had a significant impact on the vampire genre, as it inspired horror films such as "Fright Night" (1985) and the scenes of vampire boys floating outside windows would be referenced in "The Lost Boys" (1987). Not to mention the antler impalement which was in both "Lost Boys" and later in "Hannibal".Sadly ,the film seems to be hard to come by. Despite being a modern classic, my library system did not have it, so I had to purchase the DVD for $15. And, frankly, that is way too much for a DVD with no special features -- not even a menu! This movie is in desperate need of a blu-ray upgrade.

This was an excellent miniseries. I use to own the full length miniseries on VHS as a kid. Idk why so many fans had a problem with making Barlow look more like Nosferatu? Honestly, I preferred this version over the 2004 one and the novel written by Stephen King himself. It just makes more sense. Barlow's appearance in the novel and in the 2004 version wasn't scary. I don't find a vampire with a more human like appearance like Dracula to be frightening. David Soul portrayed a better Ben Mears than Rob Lowe. I also liked the actor who played Mark. I found this version satisfying. Sure, it's not exactly like the novel. But then again it's Hollywood.