[wp-review id=”69736″]

Based on a story by Stephen King, ‘Salem’s Lot’ always creeped me out as a kid. I loved how subtle the story was, and how it didn’t rush to show you the vampires. Everything was done in an understated manner.

David Soul plays Ben Mears, a man that moves into a quaint New England town, only to find out that it’s slowly being overtaken by vampires. James Mason plays the mysterious shop owner Mr. Straker, who may know more about the vampires than he’s letting on.

Most Stephen King stories are not usually adapted well, in my humble opinion anyway. There are exceptions of course such as The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Misery, Stand by Me and The Shining to name but a few. However there are others, usually where King is actively involved, where they don’t fare so well such as Maximum Overdrive and The Shining mini series. Thankfully this version of Salem’s Lot avoids that pitfall. It’s chills are expertly handled and nothing is rushed.

Originally done as a two part mini series, ‘Salem’s Lot’ has now been given the HD treatment. The story still holds very well, and the scares still manage to do their job. Some of the effects do look dated in places, but overall ‘Salem’s Lot’ is a movie that still has the power to frighten you.

VIDEO QUALITY

Salem’s Lot is presented in 1080p HD, but sadly only in a 4:3 aspect ratio (1.33:1). So basically on any wide-screen TV it will have black lines down the side. No option for 16:9. Other than that it’s very clear, with no signs of grain or ageing.

AUDIO QUALITY

Only audio options available are Dolby Digital 2.0 in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German. Still a clear sound, but won’t sound much different on a surround sound system.

SUPPLEMENTS

Very poor. Just a theatrical trailer and audio commentary. That’s it.

BOTTOM LINE

It’s nice to finally have SALEM’S LOT on Blu-ray, however, the poor amount of extras, audio options, and video options really let it down. It seems to be a bit of a rushed job, and I hope someone like Arrow Video or Scream Factory give it the treatment it deserves.

• Jonathan McEvoy