Salem's Lot (2004) Directed by Mikael Salomon
 
Ben Mears: You're a vampire hunter now.
Dr. James Cody: We'll be home by midnight?
Ben Mears: No, that's Cinderella.
 
Not a remake of the 1979 classic starring David Soul, but a fresh re-envisioning of Stephen King's book, this mini mini series (its only three hours and a minute long,) has it's own identity.
 
The Plot
 
Ben Mears (Rob Lowe) is an author returning home to the small town in Maine where he grew up.  He is coming to face the fears that have shaped his life, by writing a book about the house where he was scarred for life as a child.
 
Fitting back into a small town is an exercise in familiarity, and self examination.  You remember how you fit, but can't anymore.  You have changed too much.  It is disconcerting.
 
However, there are old friends, like teacher Matt Burke (Andre Burgher) that rarest of finds, a teacher so good and discrete he is allowed to teach despite being gay.  And there are new friends, like local waitress Sarah Norton (Samantha Mathis), and the local doctor, James Cody (Robert Mammone).

However, there is something evil in the town, and not just the memory of a double murder.  Larry Crockett (Robert Grubb) is the local wheeler dealer big money, big money man.  He was supposed to rent the Marsten Mansion to Ben, but instead he rented it to a pair of antique dealers; Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland) and his mysterious partner, Mr. Barlow.  Straker looks like Santa, and acts like the Krampas*, far more interested in who is naughty, and might need a switching, than in anyone being nice.  Mr. Barlow (Rutger Hauer) we do not see until much later.

Tragedy strikes, suddenly and repeatedly, much like the birch bundles of the Krampas.  Danny Glick (André de Vanny) falls through the ice, and is in a catatonic state.  His brother Ralphie (Zac Richmond) is dead...sort of.  Then Ralphie pays Danny a visit in the hospital...  And Danny visits his bereaved mother (Rebecca Gibney).  Vampires are the ultimate pyramid scheme; they bite two friends, and they bite two friends, and so on and so on.

The Van Helsing Crew has one more member; Mark Petrie (Dan Byrd).  Mark is a friend of the Glicks.  He is uniquely armed to survive; he has seen every horror movie ever made.  He knows what to do when your best friend shows up at the window wanting an invitation to come in and kill you.

Slowly, these people find themselves lining up in opposition to the evil that has been invited into their town.  Ben Mears book about the evil inherent in a small town suddenly takes a back seat to simple survival, and to stopping the evil before it can spread.

The Analysis

Stephen King novels often do not translate well to the screen; there are notable exceptions; The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist...but there are a string of perfect examples.  So anytime you see one, you are rolling the dice, and praying for a seven.

This one is rather well done.  The evil of the vampires is not the only sin and sorrow in the ‘Lot.  Charlie Rhodes (Andy Anderson) is the bus driver.  He is a hard@$$, ruling his little yellow kingdom with an iron fist.  In the glove box he keeps mementos of Vietnam, pictures of death and dismemberment.  What was done to him to make him crave that much control?

And Larry Crockett, and his spawn, Ruth (Penny McNamee).  Larry's word means nothing, yet he expects every word to be obeyed.  Ruth hates him so much she is willing to destroy the trash man Dud Rogers (Brenden Cowell) just to mess with daddy.

And Sandy (Bree Desborough) and Royce (Paul Ashcroft), playing badger with their baby as bait, trapping Dr. Cody.  At first, we think he is saving her from an abusive relationship...later, we learn the nasty truth.  No, you don't have to be an undead monster to prey on your fellow man.

But it all takes a backseat to the horror that Barlow and Straker spread.

The acting is very well done; Rob Lowe brings a low keyed but intense quality to Mears that is King as King wishes to be.  Robert Grubb makes Crockett the perfect small town villain.  And Todd McDonald gives a touching performance as the handyman, gravedigger Floyd Tibbits.  His scene returned from the dead, reaching out to his teacher, feeling a longing in him that matches his own is wonderful...and the horror as he discovers the truth of his condition...  Nor was Andre Braugher a slouch in the scene.

Combined with an authentic small town feel, the entire production feels very well done; the pacing could perhaps be a spot tighter, but the story still flows.

It is a very good classic vampire tale.  If there are frills, it is in the fact it deals with the town as if she were a character as well; the evil of the vampire is concentrated.  The evil of the Lot is diffuse.  So it is a vampire tale with some depth.  That alone makes it worthwhile.


*The Krampas is the counterpart of Santa Claus, a demonic horned figure who searches for naughty children to beat with birch bundles.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age