When I read through the reviews for "Salem's Lot", I saw that many, many people loved this television movie...so much that I knew I had to see it as well. Sadly, however, my reaction wasn't nearly so positive...and much of it has to do with the glacial pacing and heavy need for editing. When it ran on TV, it was 200 minutes long. Later, they edited down the film to 120 minutes for European release....and I assume that perhaps this shorter version is better when it comes to pace.
The story begins with Ben Mears (David Soul) coming to the town where he lived when he was a small child. He's very interested in an old haunted looking house and is surprised when he learns that it was just sold...after being on the market for 20 years! Something is up in town...and what, exactly, is something you don't really see for some time.
For me, one of the best things about classic horror films of the 1930s and 40s is that you didn't see a lot of the monsters, as the film kept teasing the audience and building suspense. But these movies were on average about 70 minutes long....and you might wait an hour or so until the monster appears...at most. Here, however, here in "Salem's Lot" you see almost nothing of the vampire Barlow until well over two hours into the film! Then, you really don't see that much of the hideous guy. It's just too long and too drawn out for my taste...and I wanted more vampire!
Overall, an interesting film but one that really needed faster pacing and more vampire scenes. Worth seeing, but it's just not a 9 or 10 like I see others say. My explanation is that perhaps many have reviewed the film many, many years after seeing it. When seen today, it just lacks pacing.
By the way, if you get the DVD you might also find that the film's volume keeps changing. Sometimes it's very loud, other times you'll find yourself turning the volume up because it's so soft. My advice is use the closed captions....that does help.
The story begins with Ben Mears (David Soul) coming to the town where he lived when he was a small child. He's very interested in an old haunted looking house and is surprised when he learns that it was just sold...after being on the market for 20 years! Something is up in town...and what, exactly, is something you don't really see for some time.
For me, one of the best things about classic horror films of the 1930s and 40s is that you didn't see a lot of the monsters, as the film kept teasing the audience and building suspense. But these movies were on average about 70 minutes long....and you might wait an hour or so until the monster appears...at most. Here, however, here in "Salem's Lot" you see almost nothing of the vampire Barlow until well over two hours into the film! Then, you really don't see that much of the hideous guy. It's just too long and too drawn out for my taste...and I wanted more vampire!
Overall, an interesting film but one that really needed faster pacing and more vampire scenes. Worth seeing, but it's just not a 9 or 10 like I see others say. My explanation is that perhaps many have reviewed the film many, many years after seeing it. When seen today, it just lacks pacing.
By the way, if you get the DVD you might also find that the film's volume keeps changing. Sometimes it's very loud, other times you'll find yourself turning the volume up because it's so soft. My advice is use the closed captions....that does help.