Stephen King’s Terrifying Horror Story Returns on Max—Salem’s Lot

Photo byMax Streaming Service

Stephen King has written plenty of books that had us sleeping with the lights on, but Salem's Lot might just take the crown for his most terrifying. If you ask any fan of horror fiction to rank the scariest novels of all time, there’s a high chance that Salem's Lot lands in the top five. And for good reason—it stays true to the vampire lore, a haunted small town, and that slow, unsettling dread King is so good at creating. Before the YA vampire craze, this was what vampires were originally.

Now, Salem’s Lot is about to come alive again, this time as a new Max Original film. From what we’ve seen in the trailer, it looks like this adaptation is staying true to the 1970s setting of the novel, which really adds to the overall atmosphere. There’s something about a quiet, small, sleepy town in Massachusetts that just screams, “Creepy things are about to go down.”

Of course, fans of the original 1979 miniseries might wonder how this new version will stack up. That 3-hour, two-part series had plenty of time to develop the story and characters, something this new film, with a runtime of just under two hours, will have to manage a bit faster. But considering this new film comes from the creator of The Conjuring Universe and a producer of It, there’s a lot of confidence that they’ll nail the tone and pacing.

The new Salem's Lot hits Max on October 3, and if you love Stephen King or just enjoy a good, old-fashioned horror story, this one’s probably already on your watchlist, hoping that they’ll do it justice.

So, what can we expect? Based on the trailer, it looks like the filmmakers might just do the novel justice. The creepy, old Marsten House looms over the town just as it did in the book, and there’s a heavy focus on that feeling of isolation and fear that builds as the townspeople start to realize something is terribly wrong.

Still, it’ll be interesting to see how this film handles the balance between staying true to the source material while making some necessary updates for a modern audience. The 1979 miniseries is loved by fans for a reason, but with this new team behind the project, we’re expecting something a little different. If you’re a horror fan looking for something to get you in the spooky spirit this October, Salem's Lot should be at the top of your list.

Stephen King's terrifying novel "Salem's Lot" made into a new Max Original film, hopefully staying true to the 1970s setting of the original. Expected on October 3