Rating: 
Summary: A Classic Horror Movie
Review: Salem's Lot is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. I have seen it at least a dozen times. Despite being a made-for-tv movie that came out in 1979, it is quite well done. The music certainly helps to create a creepy atmosphere and the special effects stay within their limits. By that I mean that a lot is left to the imagination rather than cheesey gore or weak special effects. Scenes like the younger brother floating outside scratching the window, or the crate in the truck moving forward by itself still give me the creeps! If you are looking for a good story rather that a lot of gore or special effects, then you should check out this classic.
Rating:
Summary: Best TV movie ever!
Review: TV movies, as we all know, leave alot to be desired with regard to content and acting. This is not the case with Salem's Lot. Not only is this one of the most chilling horror movies ever made, it is 99.9% faithful to the original book written by Stephen King. This movie is an absolute winner!
Rating:
Summary: One of Tobe Hoppers better horror movies
Review: First of all Salems Lot has not aged that well and certainly it will create a divide in newcomers looking to see what all the fuss is about. The truth is that Salems Lot is a "generation" movie. If you remember this two-part film from 1979 when it played as a miniseries on television then you will lap it up on DVD. If you are of the new teen-horror-movie-goer type, then I have only one recommendation for you - get to know your 70s and 80s horror movies and learn as much as you can about horror that was made in these two striking decades. If you can get into these horror movies then Salems Lot shines through for what it is worth - i.e. extremely frightening for its time.... and this is why it still frightens some us today. However, newcomers will probably not like it, unless they try to settle into the period in which it was made.The premise is actually complex. A writer moves to the town of Salem's Lot to write a book about the Marstin house where he once had a ghostly encounter. A new owner has bought the house and runs an antique store in town. People there are eagerly awaiting the opening and the arrival of the owner's strange business partner - Mr. Barlow. Two local yobs are given the task of picking up a strange delivery and after that the townsfolk begin to experience a change, as weird dreams and visions of the undead take their toll on the people. The writer finds out that a vampire is slowly converting the town into a haven for nosferatu and joins forces with some of the locals to find and kill the source of the evil. The film is actually 3 hours long and is broken into two parts. There are very many sub-plots and lots of various things going on in the background but nearly everything and everyone is fleshed out. I have never seen a film with so many characters all having an important role to play and this is one of the reasons why this is a great horror film. Although it may not play exactly along the lines of King's book it is certainly one of the best adaptations of his horror literature to date when compared to others. The film is also very eerie and is top-notch on the suspense. In short, Salems Lot is one of the best horror films ever made and is certainly watchable again and again. I probably watch this film at least once a year and it never grows old. A must for any horror fan's collection, but even mainstream viewers will find lots of other things here to keep themselves fixed on the screen. If you are old enough to remember Starsky and Hutch then go for it! If the first horror film you ever saw was The Blair Witch Project then maybe you should prepare for twenty-four years of aging here before you get it.
Rating: 
Summary: I like the Book better!!
Review: This is another bad movie for a really good book, they actually change some of the story, cut some characters, an made it a very silly movie, the book it's very scary, the movie is not that scary at all.
If you like Stephen as I do, buy the movie, but if you want to see a scary movie, keep searching
Rating:
Summary: Salem's Lot, I wish that was my town's name
Review: an ok adaption from Tobe Hooper, director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 and 2, The Funhouse, and Poltergiest, which he made out of a bestselling Stephen King book. Vampires are in the town of Salem's Lot and people start missing. the cast include David Soul, Bonnie Bedelia, George Dzundza, Geoffrey Lewis, Fred Willard and James Mason and many others. some truly memorable scenes involving David Soul and the kid going after the master. this was made in 1979 and its NOT RATED.
Rating: 
Summary: I Didn't Like it!
Review: I like Stephen King who I think is a terrific writer and I like scary movies. I never read Stephen King Salem's Lot and usually I will read a book first before I watch a movie based on the book but when Salem's Lot was shown on TV in 1979 I watched it and I just didn't like it and it really turned me off, it even turned me off from reading the book which as much as I like Stephen King I will probably never read that book! Sorry, but I have seen better movies and TV shows about vampires. I wonder how the mini series remake is going to be and I will have to think about watching it when it premieres on TNT in June.
Rating:
Summary: A bit dated, but it still works well...
Review: I vaguely remember when this TV miniseries came out way back in 1979, although I have a vivid recollection of a commercial shown for this movie. They used a scene where a boy, who was turned into a vampire, was floating outside the room he once shared with his brother and he was tapping on the glass, trying to get his brother to open the window. That visual really freaked me out, along with the scene where the gravedigger opens the coffin and gets attacked by the recently dead little boy. Maybe it was the thought that someone within my peer group could be turned into a vampire. It seems pretty rare that young children are portrayed as victims in horror movies, so when it does happen, it can be unsettling. Salem's Lot, directed by Tobe Hooper, stars David (Don't Give Up On Us, Baby) Soul, James (Mandingo) Mason, and Bonnie (Diehard) Bedelia. Some other recognizable faces are Elisha Cook Jr., George Dzundza, Fred Willard, and Ed Flanders. The story starts out with novelist Ben Mears (Soul) returning to his hometown, Salem's Lot, with the premise of his writing a book about a creepy old house which was the source for bits of nastiness in the past. The question he ponders is whether or not some places are magnets for evil, that evil can be a sort of tangible force that can infect a structure. He attempts to rent the house, which has been vacant for 25 years, but finds it has already been bought by a man named Straker (Mason). The exterior of the house did appear formidable, menacing and I think Soul did a good job conveying his own sense of fear whenever he observed the house, and later on when he actually entered the house. Seems Straker and his unseen partner, Kurt Barlow, purchased the house and intend on opening an antique store in the town. Mason does well putting forth a face of normalcy, but one that is hiding a sinister secret. As people start becoming sick with a rare sort of anemia, the secret is slowly revealed, and the terror begins. Bonnie Bedilia plays Susan Norton, the love interest to Ben. Their developing relationship seemed to fit in nicely with the story, but the presentation of her background felt a little clunky. I know it was presented to make us feel sort of sympathetic when she falls for Mears over a local man she had been seeing, and not make her seem like a tramp, but it felt a little forced. See, she was a college-educated professional who worked in the big city until she got laid off. Having to give up the excitement of big city livin' to return home with her tail between her legs, it made sense that she would become enamored with this fairly popular author over the local population of yokels. I did enjoy this movie, despite it's three hour run time. Having read Stephen King's original novel, I noticed a lot of care was taken by the director and screenwriters to try and remain true to the book. The pacing is slow at times, but it served well to build the suspense. And the comparison of the vampire in this movie to the classic German silent movie Nosferatu is unmistakable. Some of the actors didn't fit very well (Lance Kerwin who played Mark Petrie seemed a little too old for the part), while others seemed perfect (Kenneth McMillan as Constable Gillespie and Fred Willard as real estate agent/philanderer Larry Crockett). The house itself was truly intimidating, especially the interiors. As with The Amityville Horror, the house becomes a character in the movie, playing its' role very well. Being released as a TV miniseries, there is little to no gore, but I didn't mind as I think it forced more to go into other aspects of the movie. I can't help wonder if Hooper felt hamstringed by having to appease TV censors given the nature of his previous feature work, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). The overall quality of the DVD is lacking, as the picture isn't as crisp and clear as I hoped it would be, and the audio is less than perfect. No real extras except commercial spots, which, like trailers, I don't count as being extras anymore, at least on DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: Solid adaption a bit dated
Review: Based on Stephen King's second published novel, Salem's Lot is a variation on Dracula. King subverts the story by making the gradual takeover of the town by vampires the focus of his story. Ben Mears (David Soul) is a writer who left Salem's Lot shortly after high school. He's haunted by a single image--the image of a man who committed suicide in a haunted house. He returns to Salem's Lot to write a novel based on his experience. In the process he falls in love with a local high school teacher (nicely played by a young and beautiful Bonnie Bedila)After the arrival of an antique's dealer (James Mason), children disappear and creepy things begin to happen in the town. It's one of King's most accomplished early works. Originally meant to be directed as a feature film by George Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead), once Universal announced its remake of Dracula, the production company put the project on track as a television miniseries. Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergist, Lifeforce) stepped in as director. While Hooper's direction is sharp particularly during the second half of the miniseries, his unusual restraint due to the constraints of television work against him. The best sequences (particularly during the last hour)capture all of the creepiness missing from the early part of the miniseries. Paul Monash's teleplay captures the best elements of King's novel. While it's a bit lacking in terms of creepiness during the early part of the production, Monash's script does manage to capture the small town atmosphere very well. David Soul gives a thoughtful performance as Mears. Bonnie Bedelia is marvelous as Susan the high school teacher that captures his heart. The film is filled out with a great cast of strong character actors including Fred Willard, Elisha Cook, Jnr., Lew Ayres and Ed Flaunders. The production design and art direction doesn't betray the television roots of the miniseries like most projects from the same time frame (most notably the awful version of The Martian Chronicles). Part of this is due to the smalltown Maine Setting. While it's nice to have this on DVD, the print is in awful shape. There's a huge amount of analog artifacts. There's dust, dirt and lots of other problems with the print. This looks like the print that was used for the videotape version. The picture is frequently soft and is missing a lot of detail. The colors haven't been balanced correctly as well and they frequently bleed. Although the outside of the disc states it's a duallayer disc, it doesn't look it. The only plus here is that the entire miniseries is included on one disc. The mono sound is flat and doesn't have any dynamic range. While I realize it's too much to expect a 5.1 or stereo remix, the least Warner could have done was to try and find a better source for the print and soundtrack. The only extra included is a "theatrical trailer" which I don't recall being broadcast when the miniseries originally aired. Perhaps it was created for the theatrical version of the film. The theatrical trailer actually looks better than much of the print used for this transfer. Sadly, Salem's Lot, like a lot of early DVD's issued by Warner, looks like it was haphazardly slapped together. It's a pity as there was a missed opportunity here. While it isn't the best miniseries, it's an early classic of the horror miniseries that were created for television during the late 70's. The film would have benefited from a commentary from director Hooper, star Soul and Bedila. I'm sure there must be documentary or behind the scenes footage that could have been included as well. Like a lot of Warner "product" (Horror of Dracula comes to mind), too little effort and not enough thought or care was put into this reissue. I'm sorry to say that this is a very disappointing DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: SALEMS LOT
Review: A top-notch horror yarn. Tobe Hooper(Poltergeist) directs this eerie tale about modern day vampires roaming a sleepy New England town. David Soul is solid as a writer who returns to his hometown with aims of writing a book about an old spooky hilltop mansion with a history evil happenings. James Mason is superb as the caretaker of the roaming vampires.Bonnie Bedelia and Lance Kerwin are good in supporting roles. The films length is over three hours long,its the kind of film thats great especially around Halloween.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen King wrote best in his early years, in my humble opi
Review: This is one of the earlier works of Stephen King, based on his novel by the same name. It is pretty true to the original work, which makes it worth watching, I believe. It's a pretty long movie but on a rainy Saturday afternoon, there's nothing better!
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