Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot to research his next book just as the residents of the town start to mysteriously disappear. Aided by a group of locals including schoolteacher Matt Burke (Bill Camp), Dr. Cody (Alfre Woodard), real estate agent Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh) and school kid Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter) they discover the towns people are being turned into vampires. 

Salems Lot is an adaptation of Stephen King’s second novel released in 1975 which was inspired by Dracula. It looks at what might happen if Dracula arrived in a small town in America in contemporary times. Or at least contemporary to when the book was released. This is the third adaptation for the screen, but the first feature film. The first adaptation in 1979 consisted of two television episodes totalling four hours, whilst the second adaptation in 2004 consisted of two television episodes totalling three hours. This film however condenses the novel into just 114 minutes. The outcome is an enjoyable but drastically abridged story that can feel quite choppy in places as it seemingly fast forwards through large portions of plot. 

It starts well. We are introduced to Ben Mears, seemingly the star of the story as he discovers the abandoned old house on the hill overlooking the town is no longer abandoned. We discover it is now owned by newcomers to the town named Barlow and Straker, who also own a new antique store in the town. Straker (Pilou Asbaek) is currently living there whilst Barlow is away on business. We are quickly introduced to a number of townspeople as Ben takes a backseat in the story. 

Some characters get more time than others. Bill Camp’s schoolteacher is probably given more time than most. Whilst the towns priest and sheriff both seem to be given rather short shrift. Anyone familiar to King’s stories will know that he likes ensembles where we understand each character and their motivations. Here we are left with the potential of that unfulfilled.

There are moments that are fascinating. The idea of the town slowly emptying during the daylight hours should have been an eerie and creepy plot development but is more of a blink and it has happened situation. And whilst it is fun and a little different that the characters pretty much jump straight to the idea that they are under attack from vampires it is not exactly a logic leap made believable by the lighting speed it happens. 

The period vibe is superb throughout though. The cinema drive in, the old house on the hill that harbours an evil secret and the quaint old fashioned town are beautifully realised. And the characters in them believable and interesting for the short times we spend with them. 

But as much as I enjoyed watching the story unfold it also felt hamstrung and ultimately not scary as a result of its abridged and rushed nature. 

A film that is both enjoyable and a missed opportunity. Maybe there is a longer version on the cutting room floor that will be released at a later stage?