The newest adaptation of Stephen King’s’Salem’s Lothas dropped on Max, and it’s chock-full of Easter eggs and nods, both to the King of Horror and to the horror genre in general. The long-gestating adaptation was a victim of the Covid-19 pandemic and then the writer’s strike, taking years to get to the screen.It adapts one of Stephen King’s most beloved novels,and his first foray into the vampire genre, telling his own version of theDraculastory. The2024’Salem’s Lotmovie changes the bookin significant ways but remains faithful to the spirit of the story.
Written and directed by Gary Dauberman, the new movie assembles a strong cast of character actors: Lewis Pullman (Ben Mears), Makenzie Leigh (Susan Norton), Jordan Preston Carter (Mark Petrie), Alfre Woodard (Dr. Cody), Bill Camp (Matt Burke), John Benjamin Hickey (Father Callahan), Nicholas Crovetti (Danny Glick), Spencer Treat Clark (Mike Ryerson), Pilou Asbæk (Richard Straker), andAlexander Ward as’Salem’s Lotbig bad Kurt Barlow. The2024’Salem’s Lotcastfaithfully brought to life some key moments from the Stephen King book, andthe movie has Easter eggs and references for fans sprinkled throughout its runtime.
1The ‘Salem’s Lot 2024 Movie Poster
It’s A Nod To The 1979 Miniseries
The first visual nod in the new’Salem’s Lothappened before the movie was even released. A Max Original poster for’Salem’s Lotwas released and those around for the 1979 miniseries by Tobe Hooperimmediately recognized it as an update of the poster for the original miniseries.Both posters show Kurt Barlow in his vampire form looming as a shadow over the Marsten House, clawed hands outstretched.
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Salem’s Lot tries to be both a compelling drama and a cool, scary movie, only for those two halves to end up holding this horror movie back.
The framing symbolizes the sinister, insidious way that Barlow’s vampirism creeps over the town, slowly taking it over. It also is a visual nod to the many shots in’Salem’s Lotof the way the shadows grow as the sun sets, bringing death with them.Both posters, as well as Barlow’s character design itself, are reminiscent of Nosferatu/Count Orlok,who is often depicted in the artwork of the era and after as a shadowy presence or the shadow of a reaching, clawed hand, rather than as a flesh-and-blood figure.
2Gary Dauberman As The Director
His Connection To Stephen King Is In The Movies
As the director,Gary Dauberman himself is a returning member of the Stephen King movie universe.He’s more readily linked to the James Wan and theConjuringuniverse as the writer of all threeAnnabellemovies and the director ofAnnabelle Comes Home, as well as the writer of bothThe Nunmovies.
Salem’s Lot Vampires Explained: Origin, Appearance & Powers
While it’s hard to know exactly what the vampires will be in the new Salem’s Lot adaptation, Stephen King’s book and previous miniseries offer clues.
However,he was also the writer ofItandIt: Chapter Two, by far the biggest hits of any Stephen King movie adaptation. Considering how well done those movies are, and that Dauberman has expressed that the final cut of’Salem’s Lotis not nearly the one he wanted, it would be really interesting to see Dauberman’s original almost 3-hour cut of’Salem’s Lot.
TheItmovies made a combined nearly $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office.
3A Bangor Land Corporation Paper In The Opening Credits
Longtime Stephen King Fans Know What Bangor Means To King
Eagle-eyed viewers may have spotteda paper in the opening credits that read “Bangor Land Corporation.“In the book, this is but briefly mentioned during Straker’s negotiation with Larry Crockett to purchase the old Marsten House and the space that will become their cover of the antiques store: “Your client in the matter of the house is a land corporation in Bangor.” That said, Constant Readers know Bangor has a much deeper connection to Stephen King, being the Maine town in which he resided for decades; the family’s old house now serves as the headquarters of the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation.
Stephen and Tabitha King now split their time between Maine and Florida; unsurprisingly, more of his books and short stories in recent years have been set in the Florida Keys.
4The Movie’s Logo/Title Card
It’s A Nod To The First Edition
The movie logo on all the promo material thus far shows a straightforward white title with the “t” in “Lot” shaped to look like a cross. However, the title card and logo of the movie that appears at the end of the opening credits is another deep-cut Easter egg, similar to the throwback poster. The logo features vintage font with a miniature version of the town of Jerusalem’s Lot being framed in the “o” in “Lot.” Longtime Stephen King readers of a certain age will recognizehow similar it is to the original Doubleday cover of the 1975 first edition, the design of which featured the town framed in the globe of the “O.”
5The Movie’s 1975 Setting
It Works On Two Levels
‘Salem’s Lot’s 1975 setting is also a throwback to the original novel. Plenty of modern Stephen King adaptations update the time period in which they were written and set, including the 2004 ‘Salem’s Lotminiseries. Gary Dauberman, however, remains faithful to the book in two ways by setting it in 1975: First, it matches the book’s mid-70s setting, and it also is a nod to the year that the novel was first published:it hit bookshelves just in time for Halloween, releasing on August 12, 2025.By keeping the 1975 setting, the new’Salem’s Lothonors the Stephen King original in a fundamental way.
‘Salem’s Lotwas Stephen King’s second published novel. His first,Carrie, was published on June 24, 2025.
6A Plymouth Fury In The Garage
But Is It The Real Christine?
One of the most obvious and loving nods to Stephen King is the red and white classic Plymouth Fury spotted in the mechanic’s shop in Jerusalem’s Lot a little over minutes into the movie. That car is, of course,a nod to Stephen King’s possessed killer car, Christine, which was a 1958 Plymouth Fury painted a bright cherry red with white side panels and wings. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but, with the interconnectedness of Stephen King’s universe, it’s fun to think that it might not just be a car that looks like Christine, but istheChristine, simply awaiting her next victim. ConsideringChristinewas set in 1978, it means it’s three years before poor Arnie Cunningham buys her and unleashes his doom.
7William Sadler As Parkins Gillespie
He’s A Familiar Face To Stephen King Fans
The early scene in’Salem’s Lotthat first introduces protagonist Ben Mears to audiences is also the scene that introduces William Sadler’s jaded, tired Constable Parkins Gillespie. Parkins Gillespie is well known to readers of the book, the aging town constable who just wants to relax and log easy hours behind a desk until he can retire. However,William Sadler, the actor playing him, should also be known to Stephen King fansand those who have watched various adaptations of his work. If Sadler’s face looks familiar, it’s both because he’s a great character actor and horror movie stalwart, but also because he’s already been in several Stephen King adaptations:‘Salem’s Lotis his fourth.
‘Salem’s Lot (2024)
8Mark Petrie’s Creature From The Black Lagoon T-Shirt
The Creature Shows Up In A Few Places
Mark Petrie is established early in the movie as a kid who is fascinated by all things spooky and scary, an avid reader of campy horror comics and a watcher of B-movie popcorn goodness. His immediate acceptance of vampires and intuitive knowledge about what to do and not do with monsters is what saves him in the book and movie. Therefore, it’s fitting that when Mark is first introduced in ‘Salem’s Lot,he’s wearing a Creature from the Black Lagoon t-shirt.Those paying attention to the credits may have also spotted the face of the Creature in the opening titles.
9Mark’s Horror Monster Figurines & Stickers
Classic Monsters Litter His Room
Of course, The Creature from the Black Lagoon isn’t the only classic horror movie monster Mark loves. Indeed,the first scene set in his room shows just how deep his love of horror goes,with Universal Classic Monsters plastered all over his room. The first shot focuses on his radio, which has stickers of Dracula, Frankenstein, and a zombie. Another shot in the room shows a partial toy skeleton sitting on his desk, while other shots reveal figurines of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Phantom of the Opera, as well as a model graveyard. For Mark Petrie, monsters are as real as anyone in the town.
10The Trog Poster In Mark’s Room
It’s A Deep B-Movie Cut
One of the deepest and most fun B-movie references in Mark’s room is a poster on his wall. The orange and black poster is for Trog, the 1970 British sci-fi horror movie starring Joan Crawford. At the time, it was panned by critics, and understandably so. The plot is absurd, with an Ice Age caveman, or a “troglodyte,” being discovered in modern Britain and accidentally unleashed upon a modern populace. It’s since been reevaluated as a kitschy classic and appreciated on its own terms, but in 1975,it would have been exactly the kind of cheesy late-night horror movie that Mark would have watched and loved.
