# Salem's Lot (1979)

> A writer returning to his New England hometown uncovers a vampire slowly turning its residents into undead servants.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/14988

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 92 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: horror, mystery
- Network: CBS
- Cast: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, Julie Cobb, Elisha Cook Jr., George Dzundza
- TMDB rating: 6.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079844/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: eerie, brooding, paranoid, atmospheric, dread-filled

## What critics say

Critics broadly acclaimed this faithful and atmospheric adaptation of Stephen King's novel, praising its chilling vampire menace and performances.

## Synopsis

Salem's Lot (1979) is an American two-part horror miniseries created for CBS and adapted from the Stephen King novel. Writer Ben Mears (David Soul) returns to his hometown in rural Maine to research a book about the supposedly haunted Marsten House, the hulking mansion that looms over the valley. As people begin dying mysteriously, Ben teams up with the bookish boy Mark Petrie (Lance Kerwin) and the local doctor Bill Norton (Ed Flanders) to piece together what is happening. The engine of the story is a slow, paranoid investigation as neighbors disappear, townsfolk grow strangely distant, and the newcomer's suspicions are dismissed by a community that would rather not look too closely. Mysterious antiques dealer Richard Straker (James Mason) hangs over the proceedings with unsettling courtesy, and the mansion's secrets gradually take shape. Told across two evening-length episodes, the miniseries is a moody, atmospheric piece of small town dread with gothic interiors and a creeping sense of contagion. Fans of Dark Shadows, The Stand and Fright Night will find resonance in its blend of gothic menace and American hometown unease. The tone is eerie and brooding, set in a late 1970s New England town with a period feel.

## Shows like Salem's Lot

- [Rose Red (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/18153)
- [The Langoliers (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/16856)
- [Dark Shadows (1966)](https://ember.film/tv/2741)
- [Night Gallery (1970)](https://ember.film/tv/4103)
- [The Shining (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/1763)
- [Midnight Mass (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/82095)
- [Ultraviolet (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/215)
- [It (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/18114)
- [Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/4125)
- [The Strain (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/42917)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt