Salem’s Lot 2024

• Written and Directed by Gary Dauberman
• September 25, 2024 (Beyond Fest) / October 3, 2024 (US)
• Based on the 1975 novel Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

A writer returns to his hometown in search of inspiration only to learn it is infested with vampires.

As a drama, Salem’s Lot 2024 really sparks. The hometown boy with a tragic past returning to his roots for vaguely defined personal reasons. He meets a young woman who feels trapped in that very town yearning to break free. Plenty of movies have used that as a basis for a romance or just a drama. All that works when it comes to the story.

The horror elements not so much. It failed to creep or scare. It really tried for an atmosphere during the horror moments but produced no reaction. I think that goes to the fakery used in making this film. When something supernatural or scary was supposed to be happening the environment did not look real as if it was either CGI or just poorly constructed sets.

I am curious how much green screen was used in this. It feels like there was a lot used. Rather than scout locations writer/director Gary Dauberman created them on a computer and it is noticeable. The filmed version of the story from ‘79 was able to craft an atmosphere. It had a definite feel. I felt something.

Richard Straker (Pilou Asbæk) looks like a discount Jesse Plemons trying to be creepy. And he is but in the way a sexual predator is and not as the servant of a vampire trying to take over a small town. Heck, he even pulls up to some random kids and offers them a ride with that part of the scene ending awkwardly. At least until he hunts them.

Logic is weak and characters make inexplicably stupid decisions to get to the next step of the story. Like why does Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) leave Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh) alone with her mother Anne (Debra Christofferson) when Anne is clearly not well? How does a rabies shot stop a supernatural infection? Dr. Cody (Alfre Woodard), with no knowledge and a skeptics view of vampires until a few minutes prior, decides that the rabies shot is the correct step to take to cure herself. HOW?!

Ben and Susan are supposed to be in love (I guess) but how does the romance develop? They have a meet-cute but is that enough to craft this (supposedly) tragic love story? And the jealousy of the other guy doesn’t amount to anything. It gets a few mentions, but I cannot recall Ben or he meeting.

While Ben Mears gets a lot of screen time young Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter) is much more important to the story to the point of being the real hero of the story. Ben does finally stake Kurt Barlow (Alexander Ward) but he couldn’t have done it without Mark. Mark even gets some of the coolest moments in the movie such as when he takes a car and drives it through the supports of the movie screen in order to expose the sun to the gathered now converted people. A moment of silence for all the CGI vampires lost during production…

I do like that they did not set the story in the present day. It completely avoided issues created by having cellphones and allowed for a unique feel all its own. But a unique feel is not enough to save a movie. This looked okay but had no scares or enough development for anything to matter.

Salem’s Lot 2024 just never gets to where it should be. Because of too much fakery and weak presentation it’s kind of boring. There are a few cool moments but that’s not enough to salvage the entire movie. Stick with the ‘79 TV miniseries but view it as a three-hour movie.