10/15
Author Gary Dauberman told Den of Geek in June 2019 that with the new version of Salem’s Lot, he wants to make vampires scary again
Story
An author returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to find that the townspeople are under attack by a bloodthirsty vampire. He wants to move away from the more attractive, romanticized undead that have plagued pop culture over the past quarter century thanks to all sorts of movies like Interview with the Vampire, Twilight, and The Vampire Diaries. As Ben reads old newspapers on microfilm in the library, one headline reads “Local Couple Victims of Drunk Driving.” The newspaper was supposedly printed in 1956, at a time when the term “under the influence” was not yet in use.
References to Trog (1970)
SundownWritten and performed by Gordon LightfootCourtesy of Warner RecordsIn arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing. What makes the book a masterpiece is the slow buildup. The budding love affair.
The pacing is largely incoherent
The vignettes of strange things happening in town. The eventual coming together of a band of misfit heroes in perfect King fashion.All of that is gone. Characters jump to conclusions (always the right ones) without thinking about it.
But unfortunately, this adaptation is toned down
It’s hard to like any of the characters as they all lack the depth they need to move the story forward.There are some truly amazing moments here and some small sparks of genius. The final season of What We Do in the Shadows is one of this month’s biggest TV and streaming premieres. Check out our October calendar for more!