Robin Riley

Being a fan of the original Salem’s Lot, I was excited for a fresh take. Firstly, the cast was nearly perfect. I don’t have many complaints in that department, especially since Lewis Pullman has this Patrick Wilson-esque quality about him that I could see in other horror films. Secondly, the cinematography was sharp and interesting, and was able to capture the mood that we all love so much in King movies. However, you simply cannot tell this particular story concisely, since there are so many characters that don’t just hide in the background. They all want and deserve attention but in an effort to give everyone “a moment”, they failed to build strong ties to them, whether they wanted us to hate them, love them, or root for them. The moments that were intended to create suspense, did not. The moments that were intended to make us angry, sad, or excited, failed to do so. I didn’t feel much of anything. Kurt Barlow in the original was a menacing, effectively scary vampire. But the 2024 version had too much CGI and they revealed him too early. All in all, this film needed to be longer, I would have happily watched it for another 40-60 mins if it meant it being a better story. Too rushed.