Stephen King says the new Salem’s Lot movie is full of "old-school horror filmmaking" and has no idea why Warner Bros. is holding it back

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The horror adaptation is sitting on the shelf

Salem's Lot/Stephen King
(Image credit: Warner Bros/Getty Images)

Stephen King has revealed he’s seen the new adaptation of Salem’s Lot and has no idea why it’s not been released yet. The Warner Bros. movie was shot in 2022 with an initial release date set for September of that year, but there have been few updates since.

"Between you and me, Twitter, I've seen the new SALEM'S LOT and it's quite good," author King wrote on Twitter about its delay. "Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it's embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the fucking things."

The movie is based on King’s 1975 novel and stars Top Gun: Maverick’s Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears, a writer who returns to his hometown for inspiration. However, when he arrives, he finds out it’s being preyed upon by a vampire. Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, and William Sadler all also star in the film directed by Annabelle writer Gary Dauberman.

Warner Bros. first planned to release it in September 2022, before shifting it to April 21, 2023, before losing both dates. In October 2023, there were some reports it was heading straight to streaming service Max, but nothing has come of that yet.

This wouldn’t be the first time that the studio quietly shelved a movie. Batgirl was pulled from release as a tax write-off for the company last year, despite it already being shot. Scoob! Holiday Haunt was also scrapped at the same time. The latest victim is Coyote vs. Acme, which has been reportedly shelved and not sold to any other buyers.

Check out our guides to the best upcoming horror movies that do have a release date.

Fay Watson
Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.