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It’s been a long time coming for the folks of Jerusalem’s Lot to see the light of day again. ‘Salem’s Lot first graced the sunlight as 1975’s bestselling novel by Stephen King, about a struggling author who returns to his hometown only to find a powerful vampire has moved to Jerusalem’s Lot with the intention of forming a vampire colony.

The timeline of “the Lot” is a winding one of almost-maybes, serviceable re-creations, near misses, and what most recently seemed plagued by production purgatory. So where did the trip to the Lot begin?

1979 – ‘Salem’s Lot was adapted as a three-hour, two-part television miniseries that aired on CBS, starring David Soul as Ben Mears. It was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards which is outstanding for anything horror of the time. The film was shortened to a two-hour version for a cinematic release for some countries, only reaching the UK in 1981.

1987 – Larry Cohen directed A Return to Salem’s Lot, which was heavily marketed as a sequel but with no utterance or inclusion of the original characters.

1995 – The novel was adapted in the U.K. as a radio drama on BBC Radio 4. A few major changes here were made to fit into 30 minute episodes. Ralphie Glick’s role is scaled down, and Dud Rogers and the junkyard are only briefly mentioned. Barlow directly controls Danny Glick’s rise, mesmerizing Mike Ryerson in the process. Father Callahan and Dr. Cody quickly dive into vampire hunting without much hesitation. Mark Petrie escapes Straker’s knots using broken glass instead of fancy tricks. The whole story is framed as Ben Mears confessing to a Mexican priest, who interrupts with questions here and there.

2004 – TNT aired a new three-hour, two-part miniseries adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot, starring Rob Lowe as Ben Mears. Updated to take place in the 2000’s, this series begins with Ben living in a Detroit homeless shelter, and having a violent altercation with a Father Donald Callahan, that ends with both men crashing through a window and landing on a police car. As they recover in the hospital, an orderly questions Ben about his motives for attacking a priest. Ben whispers the name: “Jerusalem’s Lot.” Ba-buuummmmm – the series ensues.

August 2018 – The eighth episode of the Castle Rock TV series, “Past Perfect,” aired, briefly showing a present-day bus stop in Jerusalem’s Lot.

April 2019 – A theatrical film adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot was announced by New Line Cinema, with Gary Dauberman set to write and direct, and James Wan attached as producer.

September 2021 – Filming for the theatrical adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot begins in Boston, with Lewis Pullman starring as Ben Mears, alongside Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbæk, Alfre Woodard, and William Sadler.

2021 – Chapelwaite, a television series starring Adrien Brody and Emily Hampshire, based on King’s short story “Jerusalem’s Lot”, was released on Epix. Chapelwaite follows Captain Charles Boone (Adrien Brody) as he moves his family to their ancestral home in the small, eerie town of Preacher’s Corners, Maine. As Charles uncovers his family’s dark and cursed history, he faces supernatural horrors tied to a mysterious book and an ancient evil lurking beneath the town. The show blends the themes of madness, isolation, and the burden of inherited sin.

September 9, 2022 – The film was originally scheduled to be released but was delayed to April 21, 2023.

October 3, 2024 – The theatrical adaptation is now scheduled to premiere directly on Max. Gary Dauberman’s film adaptation seeks to make vampires frightening again, shifting away from the romanticized versions of recent years. Dauberman accounts King’s support for getting this incarnation over the finish line.

‘SALEM’S LOT premieres on Max October 3rd and we wait….no honestly…it’s been ages.

Mo Moshaty is a horror writer, lecturer and producer. As a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and life long horror fan, Mo has lectured with Prairie View A&M Film & TV Program as a Keynote, BAFSS Horror Studies Sig  and The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Mo has partnered with horror giant, Shudder Channel, to co-produce the 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival 2021 and 2022 with Nyx Horror Collective and her literary work “Love the Sinner” was published with Brigid’s Gate Press in July of 2023 and her two volume collection, “Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment will be published with Tenebrous Press in 2025. 
Mo is the creator and Editor-in-Chief of NightTide Magazine and the Founder of Mourning Manor Media.