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Legendary author Stephen King’s vampire novel Salem’s Lot will soon see its third adaptation come to life, this time as a movie. But despite the many changes and tweaks the plotline had to go through, stars Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodward, and Makenzie Leigh say they still remained true to the story and honored King in the process.
"It's a certain style of, like, almost like the way that the Coen brothers have a pace to their work," says Leigh in reference to how the cast managed to keep that King whimsy in the movie, adding that it was mostly down to writer and director Gary Dauberman. "Gary really wrote this script with a certain, it's like, MadCap."
Starring Pullman as author Ben Mears, Salem’s Lot follows the writer’s return to his hometown in search of inspiration for his new book. But, alongside his new friends Susan Norton (Leigh) and Dr. Cody (Woodward), finds that the residents are being turned into bloodthirsty vampires. However, as familiar as that may sound, the story doesn't play out exactly the same as King’s 1975 novel.
As well as removing some side characters, the movie swaps the town’s male Doctor Jimmy Cody for a woman played by Annabelle star Woodward. The star feels that this adds another layer to the character and gives more of a reason why she decides to help Mears and Co in their hour of need. "I think it's just absolutely fitting that she's chosen to be a general practitioner in a small town," says Woodward. "She could have been raking in the money down in Boston or in Providence, but she has that commitment."
Another change that fans of the book will spot is the addition of a drive-in movie theatre which in turn results in a change of ending. When asked about the tweak, Leigh explains "I think it's just visually, cinematically allowed for a kind of more insane climax." Similarly, Pullman adds that the final scene takes everything we know about vampires and rolls it into one last showdown. "You kind of get to utilize some of the classic, thematic things about vampires," adds Pullman.
But the cast stayed true to King in other ways by "making sure that there was a nice rhythm in the words felt like the way to bring that whimsy into into the piece," says Leigh. King fans will be able to spot a few easter eggs too. "There's a shop that is named after one of Stephen King's other books," says Pullman. "I was very excited about that."
Leigh’s favorite one though was Pullman’s picture on the back of Mears’ book which is reminiscent of King himself, which you can see above. "We really replicated that photo to a T." We have a few more favorite King cameos of our own, but you’ll just have to watch the movie to find out what they are.
Salem's Lot premieres on Max in the US on October 3, and in theaters in UK and Ireland on October 11. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or keep up to date with upcoming horror movies heading your way this year.
