Salem's Lot

Celebrate Halloween like it's 1979 with the original 2-part screen adaptation of 'Salem's Lot by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper.

Welcome to Salem's Lot. Population: 2,013 and shrinking by the day.

For writer Ben Mears (David Soul from Starsky and Hutch), his visit is a return to his hometown. He is lured back by Marsten House, a gothic house on a hill that he wants to dedicate his next novel to, but he's too late. After being vacant for over twenty years, the house has just been let to the mysterious Mr Barlow – a man no one has seen who is yet to arrive.

As his arrival approaches, a series of disappearances shock the small town.

Curator's Note

Following the success of Carrie (1976), numerous attempts were made to adapt Stephen King's second novel, a classic vampire narrative relocated to small-town America, to the big screen. They failed. Eventually, due to the novel's length, the adaptation evolved into a landmark television miniseries. Tobe Hooper was cherry-picked to direct the miniseries after the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1975).

Today, after a shorter theatrical edit, a sequel, a prequel series and multiple remakes, Tobe Hooper's original extended cut is still considered the best screen version of Stephen King's alluring novel.

Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)