Stephen King fans have been waiting a long, long time for writer/director Gary Dauberman's Salem's Lot. This is a feature that went into production all the way back in 2021 in advance of a set September 9, 2022 release date... but plans were changed in summer 2022, and after a temporary push to April 2023, the film was taken off the calendar completely.
Hope was restored that the adaptation wouldn't simply be deleted by Warner Bros. when a pivot to streaming was announced earlier this year, but only now do we finally have our first public look at the upcoming Stephen King movie, as seen above.
It was all the way back in spring 2022 that footage from Salem's Lot was first debuted at CinemaCon, but now everybody can enjoy a preview of the new horror film, which will be made available for anyone with a Max subscription on October 3. It's the first feature adaptation of what was Stephen King's second published novel, with two previous efforts turning the source material into TV miniseries.
Emmy nominee Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons In Chemistry) stars as Ben Mears, an author who hopes to explore the greatest trauma from his childhood by writing a new book. When he returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, however, he discovers that the house he wants to rent (the setting of the aforementioned trauma) is being occupied by mysterious new tenants.
As Ben settles into town, he gets to know people in the community, but he also comes to recognize that the little hamlet has been plagued by a vampire infestation, and he and his friends must do everything in their power to stop it before it's too late.
In addition to Pullman, the talented cast also includes Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbæk, John Benjamin Hickey, Jordan Preston Carter, Spencer Treat Clark, and William Sadler.
While we've been waiting ages to see Salem's Lot, it's worth noting that Stephen King has had the opportunity to see the movie, and he has given it his stamp of approval. Earlier this year, he posted about it on his personal Twitter account, writing,
Between you and me, Twitter, I've seen the new SALEM'S LOT and it's quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it's embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the fucking things.
Salem's Lot is set to be part of a spooky season that includes a number of exciting upcoming horror movies, including the Christmas-themed return of Art The Clown in Terrifier 3 and the extreme insanity of The Substance, but Gary Dauberman's film is a special title as the first Stephen King adaptation of the year.
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates about the title as we get closer to its streaming premiere, and for a full look at everything on the way to the big screen and subscription services in the months ahead, head over to our 2024 Movie Release Calendar.
