Horror Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot

[THANOSRULES]

Rose Red and It were terrifying to me as a TV series

never saw the new Salem's lot but a HUGE fan of the 70s movie...great scene with the kid trying to get in via the window and Barlow was one of the best vamps ever

 

[Schlosser85]

Unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like the movie Barlow. Sure, he was creepy-looking, but they turned him into a mute monster who just stands there looking freaky with no dialogue, while in the book he was this ancient, cultured figure who boasted of being older than Christianity.

I just felt like they reduced him into a one-dimensional mute monster with no dialogue or character and made Straker the villain.

I never saw the miniseries but I heard it wasn't very good.

 

[Sawyer]

I watched the first few minutes of the recent one online, and didn't bother to go on. I saw what they were doing with Callahan, and I didn't like it.

 

[THANOSRULES]

Yeah but he was so imposing he didnt need dialogue..

 

[Zatanna]

I have the '79 adaptation on dvd and it's still one of my favorites today. Still gives me chills. I have great memories of watching it on tv as a kid and hiding behind the couch when Danny Glick rises and bites Mike Ryerson LOL. And who can forget Danny visiting Mark's window?

 

[Hamill-Joker]

Unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like the movie Barlow. Sure, he was creepy-looking, but they turned him into a mute monster who just stands there looking freaky with no dialogue, while in the book he was this ancient, cultured figure who boasted of being older than Christianity.

I just felt like they reduced him into a one-dimensional mute monster with no dialogue or character and made Straker the villain.

This is my problem with the Barlow from the book and why I like the Barlow from the 79' adaptation. I hate writers and film makers romanticizing vampires, it all feels so cliche and Twilight seems to be a recent culprit of it.

When I see Barlow in the 79' film, I see him as an animal, a plague, a force of nature. To me there is no reduction, but amplification of the character as practically the essence of evil.

And when I watch the film, I don't see Straker as the main villain. I see him as a henchman, the front-man.

For me the 79' adaptation is better than the book.

 

[Solidus]

I would like to see HBO or something tackle this. I wish HBO would do a lot of his books, and give them just adaptions. I would also like to see a better film done of Christine.

 

[THANOSRULES]

I watched the 79 movie as like a 9 year old kid i was at my grandmothers and snuck watching it on TV in the middle of the afternoon....scared the beejeezus out of me.

 

[Sawyer]

HBO would be cool. But I do wish networks and basic cable would do more miniseries or event tv.

 

[danoyse]

Unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like the movie Barlow. Sure, he was creepy-looking, but they turned him into a mute monster who just stands there looking freaky with no dialogue, while in the book he was this ancient, cultured figure who boasted of being older than Christianity.

I just felt like they reduced him into a one-dimensional mute monster with no dialogue or character and made Straker the villain.

I never saw the miniseries but I heard it wasn't very good.

I completely agree. I hated how they changed Barlow into some growling Nosferatu. One of the creepiest scenes in the book was when Ben, Jimmy, Father Callahan, and Mark turned up at the house in the day to try and kill him, but he was already gone, and he left that letter (and they were all able to hear his voice), and he already knew they were coming, referred to each of them by name, told Mark he was coming after his parents, and left Susan for them to kill instead.

Much scarier than the snarling Barlow.

 

[danoyse]

I watched the 79 movie as like a 9 year old kid i was at my grandmothers and snuck watching it on TV in the middle of the afternoon....scared the beejeezus out of me.

I read the book when I was 12, and it was hard to find a copy of the movie - this was the late 80s, and the movie wasn't really making the rounds on TV anymore. It finally turned up at our video store, and I was psyched because I was dying to see it...but I wound up being totally disappointed with it. The book was so much better.

 

[Sawyer]

I completely agree. I hated how they changed Barlow into some growling Nosferatu. One of the creepiest scenes in the book was when Ben, Jimmy, Father Callahan, and Mark turned up at the house in the day to try and kill him, but he was already gone, and he left that letter (and they were all able to hear his voice), and he already knew they were coming, referred to each of them by name, told Mark he was coming after his parents, and left Susan for them to kill instead.

Much scarier than the snarling Barlow.

Agreed.

 

[The Joker]

I watched the first few minutes of the recent one online, and didn't bother to go on. I saw what they were doing with Callahan, and I didn't like it.

The remake is awful. It's a shame because there are some great actors cast in it. Such a waste of talent.

 

[danoyse]

I would prefer a feature film. Not a fan of miniseries or TV in general. They lack that cinematic feel that King is great at conveying in his writing. And Stephen King TV adaptations aren't ever if at all successful. I like the resurgence in his material recently and I can't wait to the see the two-part film version of It and the three-part trilogy of The Stand that are in the early planning stages (hoping they are much better than the miniseries' from the 90s). This project would just need a strong director with a clear vision (ala Frank Darabont) to pull off a big screen version.

Yeah, I think this would work really well as a feature film. It's not one of these thousand-page epics like IT or The Stand, and it's just enough story for a single film, there's no real need to stretch it out over a multi-episode arc. And it's already been done as a miniseries twice, I don't see a reason to do it that way again.

I still think it's King's scariest book. I would love to see a theatrical treatment of it.

 

[Victarion]

I really missed the final battle between Barlowe and Callahan's faith.

 

[:eek:]

Who knows, if the new Carrie turns out to be a hit, maybe there will be a resurgent interest in Hollywood for new adaptations of other classic King-novels. And maybe even that damn Dark Tower-project might finally happen. Well, you can dream.

 

[GoldGoblin]

They should have an HBO series called "Tales of the King" where each season has 10-13 episodes.
Season 1 (Salem's Lot)
Season 2 (The Stand)
Season 3 (It)
Season 4 (The Dark Tower)
Season 5 (Carrie)
Season 6 (The Talisman)
Season 7 (Black House)
Season 8 (Needful Things)

And so on.

 

[Solidus]

Carrie would be needless, it is a very short book. I would say you would need multiple seasons of The Dark Tower to do it any justice.

 

[GoldGoblin]

Carrie would be needless, it is a very short book. I would say you would need multiple seasons of The Dark Tower to do it any justice.

^
13 episodes (13 hours) wouldn't be enough time?

 

[Solidus]

Ya it would be way way way way way too much time. You only need 2 hours max for it. And if you did not know they are remaking the film. And it looks pretty good so again it would be pointless.

 

[GoldGoblin]

I meant for The Dark Tower lol.

 

[Solidus]

The Dark Tower would need way more then 13 episodes. There are 7 books in the series...not just one. And most of them are very long, and get around 800-1000 pages.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

I reread the book back in the winter and had completely forgotten how good it was. I like the original film but wouldn't sneer at another attempt.

I have high hopes for the new Carrie and maybe if it's successful we'll get more good King films and fewer dreadful tv miniseries

 

[Sawyer]

Yeah, but alot of King is better suited for TV than film. They just need someone with actual talent at the helm, instead of continuing to throw them at Mick Garris.

 

[GoldGoblin]

The Dark Tower would need way more then 13 episodes. There are 7 books in the series...not just one. And most of them are very long, and get around 800-1000 pages.

^
True,maybe one season could be called The Dark Tower Part 1,then another season The Dark Tower Part 2.Or even a part 3 at the most.