'Salem's Lot (film)

Plot

In 1975, author Ben Mears returns to Jerusalem's Lot seeking inspiration for a new book. He befriends and begins a romance with Susan Norton, a young woman who wants to leave the small town. Eleven-year-old Mark Petrie is bullied at his new school and meets teacher Matt Burke. A European man named Straker opens an antique store and moves into the abandoned Marsten House, which has a history of murders.

Straker has a large crate containing a coffin and his vampire master, Kurt Barlow, shipped to the house's basement. Straker kidnaps Mark's friend Ralphie Glick as a sacrifice. An unseen creature attacks Ralphie's brother Danny, who later dies of apparent pernicious anemia; after his funeral, Danny emerges as a vampire and bites gravedigger Mike. Matt encounters sickly Mike and suspects vampirism.

After witnessing Danny fly into his house, Matt tells Ben and Susan. With Dr. Cody and Sheriff Gillespie, they examine Mike's lifeless body. Mike returns as a vampire but Matt wards him off with a cross.

Danny tries to enter Mark's home, but Mark fends him off with a cross. Mark researches vampire-killing methods. Dr. Cody learns the Glick boys' mother died of the same disease.

Production

The feature film from New Line Cinema was announced in April 2019, with Gary Dauberman set to write the screenplay and executive produce, and James Wan attached as a producer. In April 2020, Dauberman closed a deal to become director. Lewis Pullman was selected for the lead role in August 2021. Principal photography began on September 6 in Boston with cinematographer Michael Burgess.

Filming in Massachusetts took place in Ipswich, Sterling, Clinton, Princeton, and Medford. Additional photography occurred in late May or early June 2022. Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott composed the score during post-production. Dauberman stated the film was shortened from nearly three hours, which would have included an opening scene set in the Marsten House.

Release

Salem's Lot was originally set for a theatrical release on September 9, 2022, but was delayed to April 21, 2023, due to COVID-related post-production delays, then lost that date to Evil Dead Rise. Concern grew that the project might be scrapped, similar to Batgirl, Scoob!

Holiday Haunt, and Coyote vs. Acme, which were treated as tax write-offs during the Warner Bros. Discovery restructuring. By October 2023, Warner Bros. Pictures considered releasing the film on Max due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike creating a need for content, though no decision was confirmed.

In February 2024, Stephen King questioned the lack of release plans. In March, Warner Bros. confirmed a Max release, and in August it was scheduled for October 2024. The film premiered as the opening film at Beyond Fest on September 25, 2024, and was released exclusively on Max on October 3, 2024. Releasing on Max in October ahead of Nosferatu in December helped avoid competition.

The Film Distributors' Association reported a theatrical release in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 11, 2024; UK residents lack access to Max due to agreements with Sky.

Did You Know?

• Dauberman was asked if he would apply the same writing approach used for It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).
• The Princeton Public Library in Princeton, Massachusetts, was booked as a filming location for three days.