20/17

Writer Gary Dauberman told Den of Geek in June 2019 that his goal with the new version of Salem’s Lot is to make vampires scary again

Tale

An author returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover that the townspeople are being attacked by a bloodthirsty vampire. He wants to move away from the more sensual, romanticized undead that have plagued pop culture for much of the last quarter century, thanks to everything from Interview with the Vampire to Twilight to The Vampire Diaries. When Ben is reading old newspapers on microfilm in the library, a headline reads “Local Couple Victims of DUI.” The newspaper was supposedly printed in 1956, at a time when the term “DUI” was not yet in use.

The movie had some decent scares

References Trog (1970). Sundown Written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot Courtesy of Warner Records By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing. The acting was solid, but the plot was rushed and, something I will never understand, they felt the need to rewrite one of the greatest writers of our time.

Many storylines were abandoned while others were awkwardly created

I just wish the story had been properly developed, which is where a series of episodes would have been appropriate. The backstory of the Marsten house murder could have been given some time, too, as it is a great subplot and explanation for why Barlow and Straker chose the house/location. Barlow’s makeup was beautifully done, though, so that’s something.

Do movies still test audiences?

It seems that’s not the case anymore. The final season of “What We Do in the Shadows” is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres of this month. Check out our October calendar for more information!