Salem's Lot Filmmaker on Working with Stephen King

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Posted in: HBO, Movies, Streaming | Tagged: film, horror, max, Salem's Lot, stephen king

Salem's Lot Filmmaker on Working with Stephen King

The writer and director of Salem's Lot reflects on the film's lengthy pause and how author Stephen King helped him navigate the process.

Published Sun, 13 Oct 2024 09:17:08 -0500
by Aedan Juvet
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Article Summary

  • Salem's Lot faced a lengthy production pause before its release on Max.
  • Stephen King provided guidance and support during development.
  • Director Gary Dauberman cherishes the film's sincerity and classic feel.
  • A fresh take on fear creeping into small-town America drives the plot.

Salem's Lot is known as a popular horror story by Stephen King, a mini-series, and more recently, a film that's been in development for over five years. Although the project was filmed in 2021, the release of Salem's Lot remained in limbo for more than two years before its recent drop via Max. During a recent interview with the Salem's Lot writer and director Gary Dauberman, he revealed that the ambiguous details surrounding its unknown release were complicated to navigate — though he also explained that King had a lot of wisdom to offer throughout the process.

Dauberman admits, "He had words of encouragement and notes that were really, really helpful in a period of time that was… He was a light in a lot of dark. I think it's that pervasive fear of something coming into your small town or whatever it is and sort of infecting it. From a story standpoint, I think it's just scary, and the characters are really great and feel really grounded. I love the earnestness of it. It's a love story, not just between Ben and Susan, but clearly Ben and Mark, and there's an old-fashionedness to it and a genuineness to it that I find really refreshing and that I love. It's not filled with that kind of cynicism that sometimes we see today. It feels classic to me, and it felt classic even when it was written."

Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Makenzie Leigh, Lewis Pullman, and Jordan Preston Carter in Salem's Lot. Photograph by Courtesy of New Line Cinema/Max

Salem's Lot Plot Summary and Streaming Platform

Salem's Lot plot summary: An author returns to his hometown to write about an abandoned mansion in the small town. As he discovers the home has been bought by a mysterious man from Europe, the man also realizes that townspeople are slowly being turned into vampires. The writer bands together with a ragtag group to stop the spread of vampires, with the final confrontation happening in the house with the mysterious man.

Salem's Lot is available to stream via Max.

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