There have already been two TV miniseries, but a new theatrical adaptation of Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot was brought to life by horror maven James Wan in 2024. Salem's Lot centers on Ben Mears, an author who returns to his childhood hometown with plans to both write a book about the local haunted house and try to exorcise his various personal demons. Starsky and Hutch's David Soul played Ben in the 1979 CBS TV miniseries adaptation of Salem's Lot, which many regard as a creepy classic.

In 2004, Salem's Lot became another two-part miniseries, this time for cable network TNT, and starring Rob Lowe as Ben. However, it would take another 20 years for the next adaptation to surface, with the release of Salem's Lot on Max in late 2024. Following the basic framework of King's novel, creepy vampires and all, the movie was put through the wringer by Warner Bros. before it was finally, and reluctantly, released by the studio after sitting on the shelf for years. Despite the long and arduous wait, King's terrifying classic returned with a bang for the 2024 Halloween season.

Salem's Lot Remake Critical Reaction

A Mixed Reception For The Remake

After a long and complicated path to the small screen for the Max original movie, 2024's Salem's Lot hit the platform to very little fanfare. Scoring a paltry 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, the remake failed to inspire much of anything from the critics that did review it, and overall it lacked gusto. Stephen King projects are always a big deal, but the master of modern literary horror is also no stranger to a stinker or two. However, the critical consensus (as seen in places like IGN and The Guardian) is that Salem's Lot is mostly middling and doesn't revive the best aspects of the book.

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Salem's Lot Remake Cast

A Star-Studded Horror Ensemble

Because the Stephen King adaptation was completed for years before it released, a lot was known about the movie's cast before it even arrived on the small screen. Lewis Pullman was tapped to play writer Ben Mears who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot to find inspiration for his latest novel. Makenzie Leigh co-stars as Susan Norton, a local woman who strikes up a relationship with Ben. Bill Camp appears as local teacher, Matthew Burke, while Alfre Woodard plays Dr. Cody.

The entire cast includes:

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Salem's Lot Remake Trailer

Watch The Full Trailer Below

After years of delays and possible shelving of the movie, HBO finally released a full trailer for Salem's Lot in September 2024. Set to Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown", the trailer establishes the creepy town of Jerusalem's Lot, and introduces writer Ben Mears' quest to extinguish his childhood demons. However, a new threat has arrived in town as vampires begin to slowly overtake the sleepy hamlet. As a rag-tag team of vampire hunters comes together to stop the menace, all signs point to Ben's terrifying childhood nightmare as the origin of the town's vampiric menace.

Salem's Lot Remake Ending & Spoilers

The Movie Mimics The Book's Ending

Though the newest remake of Salem's Lot took quite a few creative liberties when it came to adapting Stephen King's beloved novel, the ending of Salem's Lot was quite similar to the book. While the violent conclusion was given new life by an interesting change of location, the actual conclusion of the story has all the apocalyptic tone of King's novel and more. Despite this, the chances of a sequel are quite low, and though there's clearly an entire world left to be explored, that likely won't happen.

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