Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  'Salem's Lot (1979)
Having just read Stephen King's excellent novel for the first time i decided to revisit the tv mini series from director Tobe Hooper as it was in my to-watch Blu-ray pile for October.
Whilst there are some major differences to the book - The character of Barlow looks totally different to his written description for example - essentially it remains the same; An updating of the vampire story to modern times although still remaining resolutely Gothic in style.
Even at three hours in length the film is certainly truncated which helps with the pacing during the first hour. Some characters are missing altogether whilst some appear to be merged. James Mason plays the charismatic Straker with some success whilst David Soul brings lead character Ben Mears to life quite well.
The film lacks gore - unsurprising for a tv production - but remains spooky and quietly chilling to this day. The sequences with Danny Glick floating at windows to be let into bedrooms is lovely and creepy whilst Barlow is still an iconic version of the vampire even though it's clearly influenced by the Nosferatu vampire from the 1922 silent film of the same name. That Hooper fails to capture the sheer scale of the vampire infection is the only let down for me in what was an absorbing, smartly acted three hours viewing. |
The new version apparently has been shelved by Warner Bros after the release date was changed and nothing has been mentioned of a new release date. Both 1979 and 2004 version were adapted as a 2 part tv series yet this new one has a running time limit of 2 hours almost, so looks like a few bits maybe missed out.