Salem's Lot 1975

Cast:

• David Soul as Ben Mears
• James Mason as Richard Straker
• Lance Kerwin as Mark Petrie
• Bonnie Bedelia as Susan Norton
• Lew Ayres as Jason Burke

Plot:  A writer named Ben Mears  returns to the town where he lived as a boy (Jerusalem's Lot, or 'Salem's Lot for short) in Maine, to discover that the residents are all becoming vampires!

Right then, a real classic revisited! David Soul and James Mason, amoungst others, what could go wrong? I can remember being forced to watch this at the age of 8, 9 or 10 and being so scared lying in bed waiting for the scratching to start at the windows! Originally shot as a 4 hour, 2 part TV mini series, the version I watched was the 3 hour edit. There is also a 2 hour version witch was released in European cinemas.

Classic Soul man.

Let's get this out the way first. This is dated. Long hair, flares, corny dialogue, its 1975 for Christ's sake. That being said, David Soul never looked so cool. The hammy acting from James Mason is just that, hammy, but this just adds to the creepy atmosphere of the whole thing, and creepy it is. Young boys are killed. Mothers of young, murdered boys are killed. Husbands of mothers of young murdered boys are killed. People drop like flies and it's all down to pesky vampires which breed like rabbits!

Lock those windows!

The vampires and the vampire effects are great, even by today's standards. Directed by the legendary Tobe Hooper, of Poltigiest fame, the sight and sounds of the monsters hovering outside the window as the fog swirls around them is nerve shredding. These are classic vampires too! Shove a crucifix on to their forehead and woosh, they disappear, wailing and screeching. Show them some Hawthorne or holy water and they'll brick it, big time. They are exactly what a true vampire should be.

Look at those gnashers!.

The long, TV format, run time means we get a lot of characters and so a lot of sub plots, but they're all done well and are never boring. The makeup on Reggie Nalder is fantastic and a nod to Max Schreck's Nosfertu and is a joy to behold. The film builds up to a wonderful climax as our heroes go in to the beasts lair, in this case the large creepy house and I can garuntee that by the time Detective Kenneth Hutchinson gets to the cellar, you'll be right on the very edge of your seat. An absolute must for any real horror fan, ignore the large collars and it don't get much better than this!

Summary:

 Great because:

• David Soul and James Mason
• Effects are faithful to folklore
• It just goes on and on
• The window scene, no thank you

 Crap because:

• Hard to find the full, uncut version
• The dog dies, needlessly

Hamster Rating:

Gore: 2

Scares: 4.5