Salem's Lot

Based on Stephen King's bestselling 1975 novel, this chilling 1979 miniseries holds up well. When author Ben Mears (David Soul) returns to his eponymous hometown, he finds himself drawn to the forbidding bulk of the Marsten House, a ramshackle manse that served as the backdrop to a traumatic childhood experience—a place that Mears remains convinced is Evil incarnate. The house's new owner, Mr. Straker (James Mason), doesn't put him at ease, nor do the allusions made to the imminent arrival of Straker's business partner, Mr. Barlow. It isn't long before strange things start happening within the town's borders, from the disappearance of a young boy to the mysterious death of a philandering realtor. And it's only when Barlow appears that the truth becomes fully known: this foreign stranger is a creature of the undead, and with Straker at his side, Barlow is intent on bleeding Salem's Lot dry and birthing more of his dark progeny. Directed by Tobe Hooper, this miniseries adopts an Our Town-type approach that allows the viewer to settle into the workings of small town life before the balance becomes upset by the introduction of the supernatural. The film's vampire effects still have unsettling power, and famed sequences such as a ghostly boy's entreaty to be let into his brother's bedroom are just as powerful as they were nearly 40 years ago. Debuting on Blu-ray with an impressive image quality (although several of the foley effects have been redubbed and are distracting), extras include an audio commentary by Hooper. Recommended. (J. Cruz)