'Salem's Lot (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Mikael Salomon

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
Peter Filardi (teleplay)

Release Date:

20 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

In a small town, evil spreads quickly.

Plot:

Writer Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot and discovers that it is being terrorized by vampires.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Antique Dealer | Priest | Hospital | Suicide

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Rob Lowe	...	Ben Mears
Andre Braugher	...	Matt Burke
Donald Sutherland	...	Richard Straker
Samantha Mathis	...	Susan Norton
Robert Mammone	...	Dr. James Cody
Dan Byrd	...	Mark Petrie (as Daniel Byrd)
Rutger Hauer	...	Kurt Barlow
James Cromwell	...	Father Donald Callahan
Andy Anderson	...	Charlie Rhodes
Robert Grubb	...	Larry Crockett
Steven Vidler	...	Sheriff Parkins (as Steve Vidler)
Penny McNamee	...	Ruth Crockett
Brendan Cowell	...	Dud Rogers
Christopher Morris	...	Mike Ryerson
Todd MacDonald	...	Floyd Tibbits

Also Known As:

Salem's Lot (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

Argentina:181 min | USA:181 min (DVD version) | Finland:174 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | USA:TV-14 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Creswick, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Coote Hayes Productions

Trivia:

Approximately 300 extras were used during the production.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mike rises from the dead and confronts Ben, the autopsy scar on his neck continually changes from the left side to the right between shots.

Quotes:

Susan Norton: Now we're stuck with Matt Van Helsing.

Movie Connections:

References Stand by Me (1986)

Soundtrack:

Paint It Black

The closest thing to a scary vampire movie

This was a great movie for fans of vampire films who are sick of the recent trend of Gothic tragedy films inspired by Anne Rice. I like Anne Rice but every now and then I want to see a movie where the vampires are evil and frightening. The interesting thing about this movie was that it actually succeeds in making vampires scary and ominous. Modern cinema has become so obsessed with the idea of vampires as a sexual metaphor that they've forgotten that they were originally meant to be figures of fear. This movie goes back to that in a great way. It's hard to think of vampires as being scary when you consider all the weaknesses they have and the fact that everyone knows what those weaknesses are, but this film takes that into account and still keeps them more frightening than any other vampire film ever has. This isn't a perfect movie though. It's incredibly long and the small town it's set in is filled with every depressing small town cliché you could think of. And although it makes vampires scary that doesn't mean it's a really terrifying movie, it's just as scary as a vampire movie can get. So if you want to see a movie that shows how frightening vampires can be check this one out.