Jiannyna Vazquez

As a fan of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, I went into this movie with high hopes, but unfortunately, it fell flat. The casting choices were one of the biggest missteps. The actors just didn't capture the essence of their characters, and the portrayal of Straker, in particular, was a letdown. The actor's performance felt over the top, making it difficult to focus on the rest of the film. Straker should have been more menacing in a subtle way, but the exaggerated acting took me out of the story. The decision to focus on Ralphie's character was also puzzling. Not only was this additional attention unnecessary, but it shifted the tone of Straker’s character in a way that didn’t feel true to the original book. It also took away from other key storylines that deserved more development. Revealing Barlow so early in the movie was another major flaw. The book and the original TV adaptation carefully built suspense around Barlow's presence, and that slow reveal was a huge part of what made the story so terrifying. Here, by showing him too soon, the movie lost that crucial tension. To top it off, the extended focus on Ralphie's murder felt unnecessary and gratuitous, especially when other plot points could have used more attention. Overall, this version of Salem’s Lot missed the mark, lacking the suspense and character depth that made the book such a gripping horror classic.