This article contains spoilers for the Salem’s Lot book and movie.Stephen King’s 1975 novel Salem’s Lot is getting a movie in 2024 and there are some moments from the novel that the movie cannot miss. King’s novel pioneered vampire fiction and was followed in 1976 by Anne Rice’s seminal Interview with the Vampire. King was inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula but wanted to bring a modern horror sensibility to proceedings. King played a huge part in furthering the dialogue on vampire horror, changing the landscape of fiction and pop culture forever. The Salem’s Lot movie in 2024 will be most successful if it captures some of this freshness, and retains the novel’s highlights.
As far as Stephen King movies go, Salem’s Lot was delayed significantly before the triumphant announcement confirming its release. Gary Dauberman, who also directed The Conjuring and Annabelle, will direct Salem’s Lot, starring Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears and Makenzie Leigh as Susan Norton. These two leading roles feature in some of the source material’s standout moments, which the movie will likely focus on to ensure its impact. But Ben and Susan are just two important facets of King’s story, and there are many more influential horror moments that the 2024 movie can’t ignore.
10 The Funeral Home
Mrs. Glick Rises From The Dead
Gary Dauberman’s 2024 horror movie for Max should include Mrs. Glick’s spooky rise from the dead in the funeral home. Chapter 11 of King’s novel, “Ben (IV),” describes Ben and Jimmy’s unfortunate encounter with a zombie-like Mrs. Glick, devastated after her sons’ deaths. Mrs. Glick’s vampirism is one horror moment that the novel’s characters walk right into, which would coax viewer suspense on-screen.
Salem’s Lot
will debut on Max on October 3, 2024.
Salem’s Lot will be a period movie, set in 1975, the novel’s time of writing. The 2024 Salem’s Lot remake can bring the stylish and vintage tone of the ’70s to Mrs. Glick’s horror moment, combining King’s unique vampire lore with zombie inspirations. The remake’s lead actor, Lewis Pullman, described the movie’s retro styling as a “guttural approach” (via Entertainment Weekly).
9 The Truck En Route To The Marsten House
The Truck Carries Creepy Cargo
The ominous crate in the back of the truck on the way to the Marsten House provides some of the creepiest reading in Salem’s Lot and could be fearsome on-screen. The sinister container in King’s book speaks to the powerful presence of its antagonist, Barlow, who lies in the crate. According to Stephen King, on X, the movie does retain this element of slow-building disquiet:
The mounting fear of Hank Peters and Royal Snow as they transport the box is powerfully evocative of the evil of the box’s contents, which can’t help seeping out of it. The men have a preternatural sense of disaster, which adds to the narrative’s morbid atmosphere. If the movie can cement this supernatural fear, it will be doing a good job of adapting King’s novel.
8 Ben In The Marsten House
The Marsten House Is Petrifying
The main character of Stephen King’s novel, Ben Mears, has a scary encounter with a child in the Marsten House, which the Gary Dauberman Salem’s Lot movie should exploit. The King novel is exceptional at growing a gnawing feeling of anxiety, and this scene would capture that perfectly. Stephen King already watched the movie and commented on its faithfulness, which may mean that Ben’s experience in the Marsten House is included.
Stephen King wasn’t always so kind when discussing adaptations of his movies, which bodes well for Salem’s Lot. Ben’s unpleasant adventure through the Marsten House feels like a landmark moment in the story, so a faithful adaptation may well touch on it. Lewis Pullman’s previous experience in horror and drama will be helpful in fleshing out his role as King’s tormented writer as he suffers the story’s many frights.
7 Mike Ryerson’s Fear Of Danny
Mike Feels Like He Is Being Watched
One of the scariest parts of the Salem’s Lot book is the paranoia of gravedigger Mike Ryerson, who feels the presence of Danny Glick’s undead eyes on him. The 2024 movie would do well to describe Mike Ryerson’s anguish in this chapter. If the movie can communicate even a touch of the psychological horror penned by King, this would be a powerful scene.
Stephen King is a master of psychological horror, capturing elements of the psychological thriller throughout various works. Danny Glick’s fall to vampirism and his resultant terrorizing of Jerusalem’s Lot is an important part of King’s novel for the movie to pin down. Mike Ryerson’s fear of Danny is one of the novel’s best demonstrations of small-town isolation and fear, which could be powerfully seared into audience’s minds if done right in the movie.
6 Exploring The Marsten House
The Marsten House Hosts All Kinds Of Horrors
Writer Ben Mears returns to his old town, Jerusalem’s Lot, to write about the mysterious Marsten House, which the movie will adapt. Ben’s focus on Marsten House sets the stage for all manner of debacles to ensue. The horrors explored in Marsten House throughout Salem’s Lot could make the 2024 release one of the most iconic Stephen King movies.
Ben actor Lewis Pullman spoke to Entertainment Weekly, teasing the movie’s depth – “Salem’s Lot is such a special book because there’s a lot of macro sociopolitical themes in there. It’s not just a horror book.” This holds true for the story’s dive into Marsten House and its symbolism. The movie will work well when its small-town claustrophobia is focused on some of the dark corners of the Marsten House.
5 “There’s Someone Upstairs”
Matt And Susan Discuss Vampires
Matt Burke makes friends with Ben Mears in Salem’s Lot and discusses vampires with Susan Norton, laying the groundwork for some of the narrative’s creepiest dialogue. The 2024 movie should include the frightening moment when Susan and Matt realize they are not alone in their discussion. This leads to the “there’s someone upstairs” line, which definitely deserves its place on-screen.
There was a 1995 BBC radio dramatization of
Salem’s Lot
whereby Barlow was voiced by Doug Bradley.
Matt Burke and Susan’s fear grows from this line onward as they realize that danger could be at hand. The presentiment of danger is bizarrely tangible throughout King’s novel. Character interactions like that of Matt and Susan drive this solidly, indicating the importance of a strong script and dialogue for the upcoming adaptation.
4 Matt Burke Inviting A Vampire In
Matt Burke’s Fear Is Palpable
In Salem’s Lot, English teacher Matt Burke goes through the dawning realization that he has accidentally invited a vampire in, making for one of the best moments of the narrative. King’s story draws on rich vampire lore, including the idea of vampires having to be invited in to enter a home. Therefore, Matt’s realization is harrowing, making him vulnerable to attack.
Pullman’s comments to Entertainment Weekly characterized this kind of terror: “How Gary approached it was almost like, this is not a horror movie. This is a movie about a small town in America where something horrific happens.” The movie needs to utilize King’s anxious horror, rather than resorting to jump scare tactics alone. Thankfully, it sounds like it will go in this direction.
3 Barlow Turning Susan
Ben’s Love Interest Is Attacked
The 2024 Salem’s Lot movie must make a big deal out of Susan Norton becoming a vampire. Salem’s Lot’s main character, Ben Mears, was devastated when Barlow turned his love interest, Susan, into a vampire. It sounds like Susan will be more than just a love interest for Ben, judging from Susan actress Makenzie Leigh’s words to Entertainment Weekly:
I think specifically with the character of Susan, [Dauberman] had taken liberties that felt like I should take the same liberties, as well, and run with my instincts about how to play her.
Leigh was referring to the amount of changes that Dauberman had made to the story regarding her character. “Gary told [Leigh] how much he had changed,” according to Entertainment Weekly. Perhaps Susan will play an even bigger role in the 2024 movie than she does in the book, making it even more critical to get her vampirism right.
2 Barlow’s First Appearance
Barlow Makes A Terrifying Vampire
Barlow is an excellent example of a vampire in modern fiction, and the 2024 remake of Salem’s Lot has to get his first appearance right. Kurt Barlow, played by Reggie Nalder in the 1979 version of Salem’s Lot, is in league with the mysterious Richard Straker in King’s novel. Problems really start in Jerusalem’s Lot – protagonist Ben Mears’ childhood home – when Straker and Barlow arrive in town.
Barlow is a constant source of misery throughout the story, and the 2024 movie has the opportunity to use modern-day CGI and practical effects to create a hideous monster of him. Prosthetics could be used to bring Barlow’s disturbing visage to life. Alternatively, the remake could suggest that some of Barlow’s supreme and ancient power as a vampire helps him blend in, and could provide him with a more human appearance, recalling Rutger Hauer in the 2004 adaptation.
1 Ralphie Glick At Danny’s Window
Ralphie Floating At The Window Is Ghastly
In King’s novel, Ralphie Glick was attacked in September before becoming one of fiction’s scariest figures. The movie needs to get this part of King’s story right, lest it fail to square up to the 1979 adaptation, which sent a spooky version of this moment out into the world. The two-part TV adaptation of 1979 was highly effective in its own way, and it made Ralphie’s window scene a masterpiece of quiet horror.
Ralphie scratching at the window in the 1979 adaptation was unforgettable. The 2024 Gary Dauberman movie needs to nail this as well. Additionally, Salem’s Lot should present audiences with the inherent terror of Danny’s conflict and confusion at seeing Ralphie floating inexplicably by his second-floor window. The upcoming Salem’s Lot movie doesn’t need jump scares to sell in Stephen King’s important and eloquent story.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly
