Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot: Every Movie & Series Adaptation Ranked – Screen Rant

Stephen King's Salem's Lot is his quintessential vampire story, and has so far been adapted into two TV miniseries and a movie of varying quality.

Stephen King's Salem's Lot is his quintessential vampire story, and has so far been adapted into two TV miniseries and a movie of varying quality. King has written several vampire tales at this point, but Salem's Lot will probably always be the fan favorite. It was only King's second published novel, released in 1975. It's also just a really good book, showing off right away just how formidable a presence in horror King was destined to become, and was in some ways already becoming.

As good as Salem's Lot is, it sadly has never been adapted in a definitive manner. While the 1979 TV miniseries is well-remembered, it's not nearly as satisfying as the book. The same can be said for the 2004 miniseries attempt. Salem's Lot may yet get its definitive adaptation though, as horror superstar James Wan is set to produce a theatrical film version, with IT writer Gary Dauberman both penning the script and directing. Dauberman clearly has a knack for translating King material.

Related: Salems Lot: Biggest Differences Between Series & Stephen King's Book

In the meantime, while neither direct Salem's Lot adaptation is as great as King's prose, and sequel A Return to Salem's Lot is another story entirely, they're all worth watching at least once for constant readers. With that in mind, here's how they stack up, worst to best.

Directed by famously quirky filmmaker Larry Cohen, and starring his frequent muse Michael Moriarty, A Return to Salem's Lot is ostensibly a sequel to the 1979 miniseries, and by extension, to King's book. Besides the most basic concepts like a small town called Jerusalem's Lot being overrun by vampires, Return has very little connection to its predecessor. However, while it's definitely not a great film, it's so relentlessly weird that lovers of B-movies and odd cinema should find themselves getting a lot of fun out of it.

The battle between the 1979 and 2004 miniseries adaptations of Salem's Lot is actually much closer than most might think. While the 1979 version is the one everyone remembers, that Salem's Lot is also a bit overrated, and the pace slows to a crawl quite often. By contrast, the 2004 remake is better paced and in many cases better acted, but does introduce a few of its own problems, and isn't remotely as scary as the 1979 miniseries is at its best.

It's those scary moments that really help Salem's Lot 1979 outshine its remake, even with its other issues. There's a reason the monstrous, Nosferatu-esque Kurt Barlow, and the vampire version of Ralphie Glick making a visit to his brother's bedroom window became so iconic, as they're two of multiple great scare scenes. If only the stuff between the scares held-up as well, there wouldn't be nearly as much room for improvement in the new adaptation.

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Stephen King's Salem's Lot: Every Movie & Series Adaptation Ranked - Screen Rant