Wonderfully atmospheric and paced quite well, this still feels far too long at 10 episodes. Based on the 1978 short story Jerusalem's Lot - which is a vague prequel to the 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot - this expands upon the story greatly.
A much larger cast of characters, new plot points, and in some respects a whole new drive to the narrative make this improve upon King's original writing quite a lot. The short story never felt connected to 'Salem's Lot whereas this does. Adrian Brody is particularly great in the lead role of Charles Boone, a widower who brings his three children to the New England family home of Chapelwaite after his cousin and uncle have died.
If you think of 'Salem's Lot then you probably think of vampires. King's short story didn't have any. This has lots, and they are quite welcome. I always enjoy seeing Christopher Heyerdahl in my sci-fi/fantasy TV and here he is fantastic as the head vampire. The town of Preacher's Corners is also considerably fleshed out and filled with a variety of people who contribute quite meaningfully to the tale.
Is it scary? Hmm, not really. Creepy at times and with some disturbing imagery (if you don't like worms then this isn't for you), this relies more on the growing sense of dread and inevitable confrontations that are coming. It's gorgeously shot in the way that so much modern prestige television now is, but I think the real key here is the good relationships that are built between characters. Most of all I enjoyed seeing Charles as a father, with the three child characters each leaving quite a mark.
But it's flabby and halfway through began to feel like a little bit of a slog. Five or six episodes would have been ample time to wrap this all up without losing anything vital. I wouldn't call it slow at any point, like The Outsider, and each episode does progress the story quite well. It also has a very strong ending and felt like a worthwhile watch. But I don't think anyone would call this a classic King miniseries, especially since it doesn't feel very King-esque.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2021-12-13T21:11:53Z
Wonderfully atmospheric and paced quite well, this still feels far too long at 10 episodes. Based on the 1978 short story Jerusalem's Lot - which is a vague prequel to the 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot - this expands upon the story greatly.
A much larger cast of characters, new plot points, and in some respects a whole new drive to the narrative make this improve upon King's original writing quite a lot. The short story never felt connected to 'Salem's Lot whereas this does. Adrian Brody is particularly great in the lead role of Charles Boone, a widower who brings his three children to the New England family home of Chapelwaite after his cousin and uncle have died.
If you think of 'Salem's Lot then you probably think of vampires. King's short story didn't have any. This has lots, and they are quite welcome. I always enjoy seeing Christopher Heyerdahl in my sci-fi/fantasy TV and here he is fantastic as the head vampire. The town of Preacher's Corners is also considerably fleshed out and filled with a variety of people who contribute quite meaningfully to the tale.
Is it scary? Hmm, not really. Creepy at times and with some disturbing imagery (if you don't like worms then this isn't for you), this relies more on the growing sense of dread and inevitable confrontations that are coming. It's gorgeously shot in the way that so much modern prestige television now is, but I think the real key here is the good relationships that are built between characters. Most of all I enjoyed seeing Charles as a father, with the three child characters each leaving quite a mark.
But it's flabby and halfway through began to feel like a little bit of a slog. Five or six episodes would have been ample time to wrap this all up without losing anything vital. I wouldn't call it slow at any point, like The Outsider, and each episode does progress the story quite well. It also has a very strong ending and felt like a worthwhile watch. But I don't think anyone would call this a classic King miniseries, especially since it doesn't feel very King-esque.