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'Salem's Lot (2004 film)
Encyclopedia
Salem's Lot is a 2004 American television mini-series which first aired on TNT
from June 20 to June 21, 2004. It is the second television adaptation of Stephen King's
1975 vampire
novel of the same name (the first version
was made in 1979), though this version updates the story to take place in modern times rather than the 1970s.
Though the story is set in a small Maine
town, the mini-series was shot on location at Creswick and Woodend
, in Central Victoria
, Australia
.
Rob Lowe played Nick Andros in the TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand
.
Andre Braugher appeared as Brent Norton in the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Mist
.
James Cromwell played Warden Hal Moores in The Green Mile
.
In the flashback, Ben is a successful writer. He returns to his hometown, Jerusalem's Lot (also known as 'Salem's Lot), intending to write a novel while he deals with the demons of his past. He tells Susan Norton (a waitress and former art student whom he has befriended), that as a child he accepted a dare to enter the house of Hubie Marsden. Local legend said that there was something wrong with the house and/or its owner, suggesting that he tortured and murdered children. That night in the house, Ben overheard something horrible — including Hubie begging for his life before committing suicide. Ben believes that he also heard Hubie Marsden's last victim crying for help, but Ben was too afraid to find or help him and fled. Ben plans to rent and investigate the house to bring catharsis to himself and to gather material for his novel, but he discovers that the owner, Larry Crockett (Grubb), has sold it to a pair of antique dealers, Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland) and Kurt Barlow (Rutger Hauer).
Shortly thereafter, the dark secrets of the town's residents begin to emerge. Crockett is sexually abusing his daughter Ruthie (McNamee). When she spends time with a cripple named Dud (Cowell) whom Crockett employs, Crockett fires him. Evie (Blake), who runs the boarding house where Ben stays, played evil games with Hughie Marsden when they were teenagers. The school bus driver is a bully who loves to torment the children he transports, forcing those he doesn't like to walk home. These painful revelations increase in frequency and magnitude up until the arrival of the mysterious Barlow. Barlow, a master vampire, is influencing some of these occurrences as a prelude to "recruiting" more vampires to serve him. A child vanishes, and his brother then sickens and dies. Laborer Mike Ryerson (Morris) buries the boy, then also gets sick and dies. He returns from the grave (complete with autopsy scars) to tempt high school teacher Matt Burke (Andre Braugher), who is rescued but suffers a heart attack. Ben is persuaded by the mounting evidence that the town is plagued by vampirism. He and his allies, Dr. Cody (Robert Mammone), Father Callahan and Mark Petrie (Byrd) begin acting as vampire hunters, although they balk upon finding that Susan Norton has become a victim. Ben insists upon targeting Barlow in the hopes that Barlow's victims might be restored upon his destruction.
The characters face their own psychological demons as the physical demons surround them. Father Callahan, trying to confront Barlow by himself, finds his faith is not strong enough. Callahan is forced to drink Barlow's blood, turning Callahan into Barlow's servant. Larry Crockett, who invited the vampire into town, sees his daughter willingly join the vampiric Dud in the night. Most of all, Ben still wrestles with his own guilt and personal failures.
Cody and Burke are killed. Mark Petrie and Ben manage to destroy Barlow, but not before he taunts Ben. Barlow likens Ben to himself, describing him as another parasite who preys on the tragedies of others.
Ben's hypothesis is disproven: though Barlow is destroyed, Susan is still a vampire. She tells him that the boy he failed to rescue all those years ago was already dead when Marsden died, and Ben was never to blame. When Susan turns to attack Mark, Ben is forced to destroy her.
Ben concludes his flashback. The nurse is deeply moved and frightened by the story. He realizes Ben wasn't acting alone. When he leaves to assist with Father Callahan (who has died), Mark slips into Ben's room to tell him it is over. The Nurse sees Mark, realizes what has happened, but lets him go.
In his hospital room, Ben passes away, feeling at peace.
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
from June 20 to June 21, 2004. It is the second television adaptation of Stephen King's
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
1975 vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
novel of the same name (the first version
Salem's Lot (1979 TV mini-series)
Salem's Lot is a 1979 American television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Stephen King...
was made in 1979), though this version updates the story to take place in modern times rather than the 1970s.
Though the story is set in a small Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
town, the mini-series was shot on location at Creswick and Woodend
Woodend, Victoria
Woodend is a small town in Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area. It is bypassed to the east and north by the Calder Freeway and is located about halfway between Melbourne and Bendigo...
, in Central Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Main
- Rob LoweRob LoweRobert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
as Ben Mears - Andre BraugherAndre BraugherAndre Braugher is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Thomas Searles in the film Glory, as the fiery detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993 to 1998 and again in the 2000 made-for-TV film Homicide: Life on the Street, and as Owen Thoreau Jr...
as Matt Burke - Donald SutherlandDonald SutherlandDonald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
as Richard Straker - Samantha MathisSamantha MathisSamantha Mathis is an American actress. The daughter of actress Bibi Besch, Mathis made her film debut in Pump Up the Volume , opposite Christian Slater...
as Susan Norton - Rutger Hauer as Kurt BarlowKurt BarlowKurt Barlow is a fictional character in Stephen King's 1975 horror novel, Salem's Lot. The character is a master vampire, who terrorizes the small Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot...
- James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
as Father CallahanFather CallahanFather Donald Frank Callahan is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He originally appeared in Salem's Lot and later the Dark Tower, appearing in The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah and finally The Dark Tower...
Supporting
- Robert MammoneRobert MammoneRobert Mammone is an Australian actor who has many television and film credits.-Filmography:* Sons and Daughters * All the Way * Embassy * The Crossing...
as Dr. Jimmy Cody - Dan ByrdDan ByrdDaniel "Dan" Byrd is an American actor. His most prominent roles include the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes, the CW original comedy series Aliens in America, A Cinderella Story alongside Hillary Duff, ABC's Cougar Town, and the 2010 movie Easy A.-Life and career:Byrd was born in Marietta,...
as Mark Petrie - Andy AndersonAndy Anderson (actor)Andy Anderson is an actor best known for his roles on both Australian and New Zealand television.-Career:...
as Charlie Rhodes - Robert GrubbRobert GrubbRobert Grubb is an Australian actor. He studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art , where he graduated in 1978.Grubb played the role of Dr. Geoffrey Standish in the popular series The Flying Doctors...
as Larry Crockett - Steven VidlerSteven Vidler (actor)Steven Vidler is an Australian actor known for his part in the Scottish–Australian series Jeopardy.-Career:His film credits include The Good Wife where he played "Sugar", the younger brother who 'knew' his brother's wife...
as Sheriff Parkins - Brendan CowellBrendan CowellBrendan Cowell is an Australian actor, screenwriter and director. Cowell was born in Sydney. He stumbled upon acting by accident while waiting for his sister to come out of a rehearsal; he was then cast in a commercial at age 8...
as Dud Rogers - Christopher Morris as Mike Ryerson
- Todd MacDonaldTodd MacDonaldTodd MacDonald is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles on the soap opera Neighbours and the drama series The Secret Life of Us and Rush....
as Floyd Tibbits - Paul Ashcroft as Royce McDougall
- André De VannyAndré de VannyAndré Guy Foreman De Vanny is an Australian actor, best known for his role in the television series Wicked Science.-Filmography:...
as Danny Glick - Bree DesboroughBree DesboroughBree Desborough is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Justine Welles in the soap opera Home and Away.-Career:...
as Sandy McDougall - Elizabeth Alexander as Ann Norton
- Julia BlakeJulia BlakeJulia Blake is a British-born actress based in Australia.Blake was born in London, England. She is married to Terry Norris. She is the mother of actresses Sarah and Jane Norris....
as Eva Prunier - Martin Vaughan as Ed "Weasel" Craig
King casting connections
Samantha Mathis, Christopher Morris and Martin Vaughan also appeared in Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, written by Peter Filardi.Rob Lowe played Nick Andros in the TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand
The Stand (TV miniseries)
# Project Blue [1:33]# The Dream Begins [2:08]# On the Road to Kansas [3:57]# The Trashmen in Vegas [1:58]# Headin' West [1:56]# Larry & Nadine [2:38]# Mother Abigail [3:10]# 'Sorry Mister, I Don't Understand' [2:54]# Mid Country [3:22]...
.
Andre Braugher appeared as Brent Norton in the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Mist
The Mist
The Mist is a horror novella by the American author Stephen King, in which the small town of Bridgton, Maine is suddenly enveloped in an unnatural mist that conceals otherworldly monsters. It was first published as the first and longest story of the 1980 horror anthology Dark Forces. A slightly...
.
James Cromwell played Warden Hal Moores in The Green Mile
The Green Mile (film)
The Green Mile is a 1999 American drama film directed by Frank Darabont and adapted by him from the 1996 Stephen King novel of the same name...
.
Plot
The story opens with Ben Mears (Rob Lowe) attacking the priest, Donald Callahan (James Cromwell) in a homeless shelter. They fall together from a high window into the street. In the hospital, Ben Mears tells his story and the reasons behind his fight with the priest. This takes the form of a flashback in which the miniseries' central plot unfolds.In the flashback, Ben is a successful writer. He returns to his hometown, Jerusalem's Lot (also known as 'Salem's Lot), intending to write a novel while he deals with the demons of his past. He tells Susan Norton (a waitress and former art student whom he has befriended), that as a child he accepted a dare to enter the house of Hubie Marsden. Local legend said that there was something wrong with the house and/or its owner, suggesting that he tortured and murdered children. That night in the house, Ben overheard something horrible — including Hubie begging for his life before committing suicide. Ben believes that he also heard Hubie Marsden's last victim crying for help, but Ben was too afraid to find or help him and fled. Ben plans to rent and investigate the house to bring catharsis to himself and to gather material for his novel, but he discovers that the owner, Larry Crockett (Grubb), has sold it to a pair of antique dealers, Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland) and Kurt Barlow (Rutger Hauer).
Shortly thereafter, the dark secrets of the town's residents begin to emerge. Crockett is sexually abusing his daughter Ruthie (McNamee). When she spends time with a cripple named Dud (Cowell) whom Crockett employs, Crockett fires him. Evie (Blake), who runs the boarding house where Ben stays, played evil games with Hughie Marsden when they were teenagers. The school bus driver is a bully who loves to torment the children he transports, forcing those he doesn't like to walk home. These painful revelations increase in frequency and magnitude up until the arrival of the mysterious Barlow. Barlow, a master vampire, is influencing some of these occurrences as a prelude to "recruiting" more vampires to serve him. A child vanishes, and his brother then sickens and dies. Laborer Mike Ryerson (Morris) buries the boy, then also gets sick and dies. He returns from the grave (complete with autopsy scars) to tempt high school teacher Matt Burke (Andre Braugher), who is rescued but suffers a heart attack. Ben is persuaded by the mounting evidence that the town is plagued by vampirism. He and his allies, Dr. Cody (Robert Mammone), Father Callahan and Mark Petrie (Byrd) begin acting as vampire hunters, although they balk upon finding that Susan Norton has become a victim. Ben insists upon targeting Barlow in the hopes that Barlow's victims might be restored upon his destruction.
The characters face their own psychological demons as the physical demons surround them. Father Callahan, trying to confront Barlow by himself, finds his faith is not strong enough. Callahan is forced to drink Barlow's blood, turning Callahan into Barlow's servant. Larry Crockett, who invited the vampire into town, sees his daughter willingly join the vampiric Dud in the night. Most of all, Ben still wrestles with his own guilt and personal failures.
Cody and Burke are killed. Mark Petrie and Ben manage to destroy Barlow, but not before he taunts Ben. Barlow likens Ben to himself, describing him as another parasite who preys on the tragedies of others.
Ben's hypothesis is disproven: though Barlow is destroyed, Susan is still a vampire. She tells him that the boy he failed to rescue all those years ago was already dead when Marsden died, and Ben was never to blame. When Susan turns to attack Mark, Ben is forced to destroy her.
Ben concludes his flashback. The nurse is deeply moved and frightened by the story. He realizes Ben wasn't acting alone. When he leaves to assist with Father Callahan (who has died), Mark slips into Ben's room to tell him it is over. The Nurse sees Mark, realizes what has happened, but lets him go.
In his hospital room, Ben passes away, feeling at peace.