THE MAINE EVENT

THE DARK IS RISING IN SALEM'S LOT AS STEPHEN KING'S DEATHLESS TALE RETURNS TO THE SCREEN

- NICK SETCHFIELD

YOU CAN STAKE IT, DECAPITATE IT OR SEAR A crucifix into its flesh, but like any self-respecting case of vampirism, Salem’s Lot always comes back for more. The book was the first manifestation. Stephen King’s 1975 novel told of a town in rural Maine infested by the undead. “I wondered aloud what would happen if Dracula came back in the 20th century, to America,” King recalled of a tale that cast tomb-cold European shadows over New England. A memorable TV version arrived in 1979, pitting Starsky And Hutch icon David Soul against the monstrous forces of Jerusalem’s Lot, while 2004 brought a further small-screen adaptation, this time with Rob Lowe.

Now comes yet another resurrection, rising out of that cursed Maine soil. “I’ve been a Stephen King fan since I was in high school,” says producer Michael Clear of Atomic Monster, the prolific, horror-leaning production company founded by James Wan. “Salem’s Lot was the second book I read, after The Stand, and I’ve always referred back to it while making horror movies. It’s always been a part of my DNA as a horror movie producer.

“We had initially developed a pilot script [for television]. Then when the first It movie came out we realised that there was a very clear path to a feature film adaptation of the book and that’s when we hired Gary to adapt it.”

Gary is Gary Dauberman, co-writer of It and It Chapter Two along with the Annabelle trilogy and The Nun. He made his debut behind the camera with 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home and directs his own adaptation of King’s story.

So. Third time around. In the name of all that’s unholy, why tell this tale again? “We always approach movies from the perspective of fans,” Clear tells SFX.