'Salem's Lot (2004 film)
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| 'Salem's Lot | |
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| Directed by | Mikael Salomon |
| Produced by | Jeffrey M. Hayes, Brett Popplewell, Marc van Buuren, Mark Wolper |
| Written by | Stephen King (novel), Peter Filardi (teleplay) |
| Starring | Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis, Rutger Hauer |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros., TNT |
| Release date(s) | 2004 |
| Running time | 181 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ? |
| IMDb profile | |
'Salem's Lot was a two-part miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's classic vampire story 'Salem's Lot. The story set out to bring the 1975 novel into modern times. Characters now use cellphones and the internet. There are also a number of small inside jokes to other King works. (A dog is named Cujo, and "Stand by Me" is sung at a karoake).
Large portions of film were shot at Creswick, in Central Victoria, Australia.
[edit] Synopsis
The story opens with Ben Mears (Rob Lowe) attacking the priest, Donald Callahan (James Cromwell) in a homeless shelter. They fall together from a high window into the street. In the hospital, Ben Mears tells his story and his reasons for the way he acted to a nurse in the hospital. He starts, naturally enough, at the beginning of it all. Ben, now a successful writer, returns to his hometown, Jerusalem's Lot (also known as 'Salem's Lot), intending to write a novel while he deals with the demons of his past. However, he soon discovers that the evil dwells in 'Salem's Lot. Ben slowly discovers that the town is filled with vampires, despite his skepticism. He gathers with his friends and battles against the vampire leaders Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland) and Kurt Barlow (Rutger Hauer).
[edit] Reactions
The movie received mixed reactions from both critics and fans. Most praised the lavish production values and the casting, but many were put off by the major changes to both the novel's plot and characters. For example, Father Callahan, rather than being the tragic character whose faith fails him, now turns into Barlow's new apprentice after Straker is slain. At this time the fifth Dark Tower novel, Wolves of the Calla, had come out, which featured the return of Father Callahan's character and the start of his redemption. This made his turn to villainy in the film all the more blasphemous to the fans.
