Shubhabrata Dutta
Helmed by Gary Dauberman, ‘Salem’s Lot’ is based on Stephen King’s eponymous 1975 horror novel. It is the first time the source material has been adapted for a film, having already been released as a miniseries in 1979 and 2004, respectively, both of which have garnered a cult following. The film follows author Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot AKA Salem’s Lot, in Maine, after 25 years to find inspiration for his next book. His search takes a sinister turn after he realizes that an ancient evil is turning the town’s residents into vampires.
Ben, thus, takes up the responsibility of ending the plague of the undead and saving his town. While there are many films about vampires, what separates ‘Salem’s Lot’ from the rest is its treatment of the genre. It has a dark tone devoid of comedic elements. If you are seeking narratives that deal with vampires or evil forces ravaging a small town or a particular place, here we bring you movies similar to ‘Salem’s Lot.’
10. Fright Night (1985)
Like in ‘Salem’s Lot,’ ‘Fright Night’ also centers on a guy who decides to end the bloodsucking evil terrorizing his hometown. In the Tom Holland directorial, it is up to 17-year-old Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) to find a way to stop Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon), a vampire next door, from claiming more victims. Jerry thus teams up with Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), a former movie vampire hunter/late-night horror show host, for the same. The elements of comedy in ‘Fright Night’ are akin to the humor the ‘Salem’s Lot’ has been sprinkled with. In fact, the Dauberman directorial shares a spiritual theme with the vampire movies of the 1980s, especially ‘Fright Night’; most of all, the establishment of the fact that vampires are indeed terrifying and vicious monsters, not gorgeous beings who have found an alternative to human blood.
9. Vampires (1998)
An all-out action horror flick, ‘Vampires’ is as close to ‘Salem’s Lot’ as it can be when discussing the killing-the-vampires trope. One can say that the ‘Salem’s Lot’ plot is a personal and amateur version of the ‘Vampires’ plot. Based on the novel ‘Vampire$’ by John Steakley, the film follows Vatican-backed vampire hunter Jack Crow (James Woods), whose objective is to kill an elder vampire named Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith). Valek is searching for an ancient artifact called the Black Cross of Béziers that can make him and his acolytes immune to sunlight. While ‘Salem’s Lot’ offers a humane take on the genre, ‘Vampires’ is more ‘Blade’-like in its approach. However, like ‘Fright Night,’ the film depicts vampires in their monstrous avatar, which is the usual norm and sets the stage for another battle in the age-old war between them and humans.
8. The Watchers (2024)
Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, ‘The Watchers’ uses the same ingredients of ‘Salem’s Lot’ to cook a new recipe. Shyamalan magnifies Dauberman’s subtle take on isolation to create an atmosphere that has humanity taken away from civilization. The supernatural horror film based on A. M. Shine’s eponymous novel is set in a forest and centers on a group of people who are stuck inside a bunker and are “watched” by mysterious creatures that are seemingly trying to learn how to be human. However, it doesn’t stop them from killing them if they don’t follow certain rules. In the center of it all is Mina (Dakota Fanning), a young woman who decides to find out the truth about the creatures, which come out only at night and escape the forest. It is clear that the watchers, like the vampires, require humans, in some way, for survival, thereby stressing the acute sense-of-survival theme prevalent in ‘Salem’s Lot.’
7. Disappearance (2002)
‘Disappearance’ too centers on an abandoned town. It follows the Henley family, who decide to explore a Nevada town while driving through, only to be subjected to the horrors that lie within it. As the plot proceeds, the family realizes that the town isn’t abandoned, although the residents of the town don’t seem to be humans. What the unseen creatures are and how the family can escape the town is what we see in this mystery thriller that picks at our horror bone. Director Walter Klenhard shows the psychological effects of fear and how it affects human behavior, something that Dauberman also touches on. The emotional resonance that results from the confrontation with an inhuman threat and the subsequent personal transformations also connect the two films. Ultimately, the theme of loss prevails, including the loss of a loved one, the loss of a sense of security, or, mostly, the loss of innocence. Despite not being as dark as ‘Salem’s Lot,’ ‘Disappearance’ carries ‘the ‘Salem’s Lot’ flavor of dealing with non-human entities attacking humans.
6. Dark Harvest (2023)
The dread that envelopes a small town plagued by a supernatural entity is at the center of ‘Dark Harvest.’ David Slade’s treatment of the trope has its foundation in dark folklore, just as ‘Salem’s Lot’ is based on vampire folklore and centers on a town. ‘Dark Harvest’ deals with a supernatural creature that the residents of Bastion, Illinois, have named “Sawtooth Jack.” This creature arrives every year on Halloween night to wreak havoc. The town is cut off from the outside world, and the only way to leave/escape is to kill Sawtooth Jack. The catch? Only teenage boys can compete in the annual “Run,” and the one who slays the creature can leave Bastion with his family. Based on Norman Partridge’s eponymous novel, the film also shares a time-running-out arc with the Dauberman directorial, which acts as a necessary thrill element in both films, thereby binding the two.
5. The Bridge Curse (2020)
Lester Shih’s Taiwanese horror movie ‘The Bridge Curse’ offers a more concentrated take on Dauberman’s approach, literally. While in the latter, a town is plagued/haunted, ‘The Bridge Curse’ focuses on a haunted bridge. As per a legend, the ghost of a girl who killed herself by jumping off the bridge haunts the spot, killing anyone who visits it at night. However, there is a custom that leads to death. Set across four timelines, the film follows different people, showcasing their terrifying experiences at the bridge. A detective approach is also at play in both films, which eventually leads to the action. In this film, a group of students try to find the truth behind the bridge, similar to Ben Mears, who delves into the darkness in his hometown.
4. The Cursed (2021)
Vampires are replaced with a werewolf in Sean Ellis’ gothic horror drama ‘The Cursed.’ The film is set in a remote village in 19th-century France and centers on pathologist John McBride (Boyd Holbrook), who is faced with a weird situation. The village is plagued by a silver-toothed wolf-like beast that is claiming victims. These attacks started happening after the children of the village started having nightmares that were connected to two executions. It is up to John to find the creature and trap it, if not kill it, just like Ben Mears decides to end the reign of vampires. Ellis does a good job incorporating the dread in the setting, one that befits the narrative and is similar to ‘Salem’s Lot.’ The underlying subtle humor is also at par with that of the latter and picks at our suspension of disbelief, much to our entertainment.
3. Kuyang (2024)
‘Kuyang’ is a folk horror drama directed by Yongki Ongestu. Like vampires ravaged Salem’s Lot, in this film, Kuyang, a scary creature (a flying head with entrails) from Indonesian folklore, has sent the residents of a remote Borneo town into a state of fear. It feeds on the blood of infants and women who have recently become mothers. Bimo (Dimas Aditya) and his pregnant wife Sriatun (Alyssa Abidin), who have just shifted to the place, become the latest targets of the creature. Both films establish an atmosphere of suspense and dread, which add to the overall narrative, not to mention the thirst for blood of the evil entity to survive, which establishes a connection underscored by survival between Ongestu’s Kuyang and Dauberman’s vampires.
2. 30 Days of Night (2007)
David Slade’s ‘30 Days of Night’ shares a lot of its setting with the titular film and is set in an Alaskan town that is terrorized by vampires every year during its 30-day polar night (complete darkness for 30 days). It is based on the eponymous comic book miniseries by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. The film follows Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett), who has to protect his estranged wife, Stella (Melissa George), from the ruthless vampires who have already begun their hunt. How the two, along with a group of people, try to survive the “darkness” until the sun rises again is what we find out in this horror drama. Delving into the dark vampire tropes, both ‘30 Days of Night’ and ‘Salem’s Lot’ showcase true-to-form “absence of light” scenarios while subtly balancing revealing the vampires and making us feel their presence, almost like a game of peekaboo.
1. The Wailing (2016)
‘The Wailing’ is a South Korean horror flick that revolves around a string of deaths that have sent shivers down the spines of the residents of the Goksung village. While some believe that the deaths are due to an illness, others think that it’s a curse. It is up to police officer Jong-Goo (Kwak Do-won) to discover the truth, which may be connected to a Japanese stranger who lives alone in his secluded house. What connects ‘The Wailing’ to ‘Salem’s Lot,’ besides its setting, is how both films have the protagonist trying to figure out the truth to end the misery of the place. The Na Hong-jin directorial, co-starring Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, Jun Kunimura, and Kim Hwan-hee, has won five Blue Dragon Film Awards.
