The long-awaited streaming premiere of “Salem’s Lot” in early October generated significant hype. Directed by Gary Dauberman, the adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved 1975 novel had been shrouded in mystery after filming wrapped in summer 2022. Warner Bros. Pictures seemed to shelve the project for an indefinite period, leaving fans in suspense. However, King himself reignited anticipation in February with a positive tweet about the film and expressed his confusion about the delays. Shortly after, Warner Bros. announced it would be releasing “Salem’s Lot” exclusively on Max.
King’s endorsement certainly helped build buzz for the film, but upon its release, “Salem’s Lot” received mixed reviews. Critics, primarily, took issue with the rushed retelling of King’s iconic vampire story and the underdeveloped characters. Speculation arose that studio interference and mandated cuts may have contributed to the film’s shortcomings.
Dauberman, in an interview with Den of Geek, confirmed that his original cut of “Salem’s Lot” was significantly longer than the 113-minute version released. He revealed, “My first cut was about three hours. There’s a lot left out. My first draft of the script is 180-odd pages or something.”
Dauberman elaborated on the specific scenes that were omitted from his original vision. One particularly impactful scene involved Ben Mears (played by Lewis Pullman), having a ghostly encounter in a haunted house, as depicted in King’s novel. “In the book, Ben sneaks into the Marsten House and he sees the ghost of Hubert Marsten,” Dauberman shared. “I shot that and it used to open the movie, but it seemed to muddy the waters for audiences… That was the hardest thing to cut because I love the sequence.”
The knowledge that a longer, potentially more nuanced version of “Salem’s Lot” exists may be frustrating for fans of the source material who found the released version lacking. Despite the cuts, Dauberman seems to have come to terms with the compromises he made to bring “Salem’s Lot” to audiences.
“Salem’s Lot” is currently streaming exclusively on Max.
