Salem's Lot

For anyone old enough to remember, Coles Notes offered students an accessible summary of famous works, by the likes of Dickens, Shakespeare or Tolstoy.

Something similar can be said of the latest cinematic iteration of Stephen Kings book, Salem's Lot. This is an abridged version of Kings vampiric tale. It plays out in broad, somewhat hurried, expository strokes, absent the deeper essence of the work. Things happen quickly, at the expense of a slowly established atmosphere of creeping dread, as the viewer comes to see whats really going on, in the rural town, of Salem's Lot. Indeed, the core of what makes this tale so terrifying, is revealed in the opening scenes. In short, this is Salem's Lot for the impatient.

Frankly, the first cinematic production of Salem's Lot, starring David Soul, remains, I believe, by far the best re-imagining of Kings work, to this day.

In summary, the latest cinematic edition of Salem's Lot is not awful but it rushes through the story, largely spoiling the atmosphere of creeping terror, I believe, is at the bloody heart, of this nightmarish tale.