When novelist Ben Mears returns to his hometown of Salem’s Lot, it is with the intention of writing a book about the old Marsten house - a source of mystery for himself and his friends while growing up. However, his arrival also coincides with the disappearance of Danny Glick, and the hospitalisation of his younger brother, Ralphie Glick, as well as the opening of a new antiques business, owned by Mr Straker and the elusive Mr Barlow. As the number of people falling victim to what is being diagnosed as pernicious anaemia increases, Ben’s suspicions fall on the secretive Barlow - the current occupant of the Marsten house…

Based on the second published novel by American horror author Stephen King, the first television version of Salem’s Lot was produced as a two-part TV mini-series for CBS in 1979.

Starring former Starsky and Hutch actor David Soul as Ben Mears, and veteran movie actor James Mason as the creepy Mr Straker, Salem’s Lot was the first of King’s novels to be made for television, although originally it had been intended for it to be made as a film - and in some countries it was edited down and released as such.

With a script by Paul Monash, Salem’s Lot has gone down in history as being one of the very best pieces of television horror ever to be made - something which was recently acknowledged in the Channel 4 programme The 100 Greatest Scary Moments, in which the British public voted it into 42nd place. While it would be unfair to give away all the set pieces, special mention has to be made of the chilling scenes where Ralphie Glick scratches on Mark Petrie’s bedroom window, and the first appearance on Mr Barlow which is enough to put the wind up anyone! Incidentally, the Jemima Shore story Quiet as a Nun aside, has anyone ever seen a scarier scene featuring a rocking chair than that in Salem’s Lot?

Special credit has to go to James Mason’s portrayal of the sinister Mr Straker and the design team’s work on Mr Barlow - an obvious nod towards Max Schreck’s appearance in Nosferatu (1922). During 2003 a new mini-series based on the book Salem’s Lot went into production in Australia. Starring Rob Lowe (Ben Mears) and Donald Sutherland (Mr Barlow) it is due to be broadcast on the TNT cable channel in the USA during 2004. A comedy sequel, A Return to Salem’s Lot, was produced in 1987 but had very little connection to the original - in fact, it’s fair to say it had no connection at all.

Text © Kieran Seymour, 2003.

Characters	Portrayed By
Ben Mears	David Soul
Mr Straker	James Mason
Mark Petrie	Lance Kerwin
Susan Norton	Bonnie Bedelia
Bill Norton	Ed Flanders
Jason Berk	Lew Ayres
Bonnie Sawyer	Julie Cobb
Weasel	Elisha Cook
Marjorie Glick	Clarissa Kaye
Mike Ryerson	Geoffrey Lewis
Ned Tebbets	Barney McFadden
Constable Gillespie	Kenneth McMillan
Larry Crockett	Fred Willard
Eva Miller	Marie Windsor
June Petrie	Barbara Babcock
Ann Norton	Bonnie Bartlett
Ted Petrie	Joshua Bryant
Father Callahan	James Gallery
Nolly Gardner	Robert Lussier
Danny Glick	Brad Savage
Ralphie Glick	Ronnie Scribner
Henry Glick	Ned Wilson
Mr Barlow	Reggie Nalder