Rainey Dawn Do yourself a kind favor and watch the 1979 movie instead of this tripe. For those that have seen the 1979 movie, remember that creepy vampire boy well in this 2004 movie he's an awful CGI vampire boy - laughable, not scary at all.Something about the way this 2004 movie is filmed looses all the dark foreboding dread that looms over the town; the town is way to bright and cheery looking to scare anyone.90% of this cast is terrible. The characters are completely unappealing - unlike the original movie.OK I'm going to quit my bashing of this film here - it's not worth it. Be kind to yourself and watch the original 1979 - it might be a bit dated but it's a heck of a lot better looking and scarier over all.1/10

Paul Magne Haakonsen Oddly enough I never read the book upon which this mini-series is based, so how true it stays to the source I have no idea about. But as such, without having anything to compare it to, then I can say that it was actually entertaining.The story is about a writer returning to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, or Salem's Lot as the locals call it. Here he is forced to confront the haunts of his troubled past as well as the force of evil that now resides in the shunned Marsten house.They had some nice talents on the cast list, including Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, James Cromwell and Rutger Hauer. Personally I think that it was a shame that Sutherland and Hauer didn't have more time on the screen than they did, but they served as bait to draw in the viewers. The cast did a good job with their given roles.This is an entertaining mini-series, and even watched in one sitting the 174 minutes just fly by in no time.This 2004 version of "Salem's Lot" is well-worth watching and it is rather entertaining.

classicalsteve There is a very short list of classic novels centering on the vampire mythos. Of course the most famous is "Dracula" by Bram Stoker (1897); probably the deepest and most philosophical is "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice (1976); but the most disturbing may be in fact "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King. While Dracula was an ancient monster wreaking havoc on Londoners in late 19th-century Britain, King's tale involves the dark little secrets of a New England town whose residence become ripe fodder for a highly-intelligent demon. The point of King's story I believe is how the unspoken and unexamined behavior of a small town become easy prey to dark forces.The recent rendition of Salem's Lot into a made-for-cable film starring Rob Lowe, Samantha Mathis, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hower and Dan Byrd is a bit closer adaption to King's original story than the television-movie of the 1970's which starred David Soul and James Mason. Looming above the town is an old "haunted mansion", the Marsten House. The House itself is a character like the others, which the more recent adaption exploits a bit further than its 1970's counterpart, although the house is menacing in that adaption as well. In many scenes in this recent adaption, the House looms in the distance, as if watching the events unfold from on-high, a spooky version of the Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg of Great Gatsby fame.Rob Lowe in a solid performance in the wake of his years on "The West Wing" plays Ben Mears, a native-born of the town Jerusalem's Lot who returns to his place of birth and, as we'll learn, his coming-of-age. Mears has been away from the town for over two decades, nurturing a successful writing career in New York. (Many aspects of Mears ring of Stephen King who was also brought up in a small New England town.) The writer has returned from his hustle and bustle life in the Big Apple to write about the town, and, as it turns out, about incidents which occurred when he was on the verge of adolescents.Aside from the story of the vampires is the parallel story of the corruption of the town, such as a father abusing his daughter, then threatening the local garbage service who employs a crippled man who he believes had been with this daughter. A lower-middle class couple residing in a trailer park are not caring adequately for their baby, and they use blackmail schemes to raise money. Charlie Rhodes is an abusive school bus driver. He enacts "justice" by forcing children he believes are either misbehaving and/or simply doesn't like, to get off his bus and walk home.When Mears returns to Salem at the beginning, he meets Susan Norton (Samantha Mathis), a college graduate who had been corresponding with Mears through emails about her choice of academic studies. (Which is a bit of an upgrade from the original book and original film adaption. Online selling is also discussed.) Mears learns the Marsten House has been bought by two mysterious gentlemen in the antiques trade, Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland), and the mysterious Mr. Barlow who, according to Straker, is constantly on buying trips in Europe. They open a shop in Salem's Lot.Brothers Ralphie and Danny Glick, and their friend Mark Petrie (Dan Byrd), decide to see pictures hidden in the glove compartment of their school bus driver who had been abusing them, possibly as a blackmail scheme. The plan fails and the boys end up running for the lives through the woods near the town. Ralphie Glick disappears and Danny Glick is found by Father Callahan on one of the nearby roads. Danny is in hospital and shortly thereafter is paid a visit by Ralphie, the former making the mistake of a letting his ghostly brother pay him a visit. Later, Danny Glick, floating outside the window of Mark, asks to be invited in.The creation of the vampires spreads like a virus, somewhat akin to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A few characters realize what's happening, including Mears, Dr. Cody, the schoolteacher Matt Burke, and love interest Susan Norton. They realize the evil is emanating from the Marsten House but they must unravel what's happening before it's too late. There is something strange and sinister about their new resident, Richard Straker. A very well-done and satisfying adaption of Stephen King's classic of mortal good versus supernatural evil. This recent version is a bit more faithful to the original book, including the portrayal of Barlow which is closer to King's original vision than the Nosferatu-like character in the 1970's version.

icemanlions As a huge Stephen King fan, this 'mini-series' had the potential to top Tobe Hooper's TV-movie in terms of both frights and accuracy, but fails to do either. As a huge wuss when it comes to horror movies, it's not an unpleasant way to waste an afternoon. The performances range from mailing it in (I'm looking at YOU, Donald Sutherland and Rob Lowe) to borderline bizarre and against the original character (James Cromwell and Rutger Hauer). The amount of disregard for the original material is so overtly disrespectful I had a difficult time in viewing this movie from anything other than a critical perspective. Credits, score, directing, and special effects make this corny enough for TNT, because they know (melo)drama, but it is screenwriter Filardi who I have the hardest time understanding. Why are so many of the great scenes from the novel tainted by this melodrama screen writing? As the saying goes, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I believe there is hope for an actual mini-series of the novel which could be both faithful and clever-but I'm not holding my breath.