'Salem's Lot' Cast Talks Bringing New Life to Undead Stephen King Adaptation (Exclusive)

'Salem's Lot', based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, premieres Oct. 3 on Max.

By Anna Rumer

Gary Dauberman's adaptation of Salem's Lot is bringing the beloved horror story to life in a new way for the first time in two decades. Stephen King's classic vampire tale, which was last adapted for the screen in 1979, debuts on Max on Oct. 3, bringing together the scares of the cinematic and literary world in a "seamless" manner, the cast told PopCulture.com. 

Alfre Woodard, who takes on the gender-swapped role of Dr. Cody from the novel, promised the new Salem's Lot will have horror fans "shrieking," "laughing" and reflecting on the theme of a small town being taken over by darkness. "Right now it parallels to me so much of what we're facing this fall," the Emmy Award winner explained. "It's great that it's coming out during the season of All Hallows' Eve [and] it's great that it's coming out during the scary season of elections in our country."

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(Photo: New Line Cinema/Max)

"One of the things that's very apparent to me is the aspect of an infection, of a seduction – vampire seduction," Woodard continued. "Putting an idea or ideas in the minds of individuals and then it spreads like an infection. ... And so the same way that that vampire is creeping, there are really destructive ideas that are creeping. And good people can become vampires."

She noted, "If you don't take the stand with a handful of people to stop the spread and to redefine what it means to be community, then you're in trouble."

Salem's Lot had a bumpy ride to release – as the movie was first announced in 2019 and was initially slated for a theatrical release in 2022. King fans have been eager to see the film released, and the excitement is also felt by Lewis Pullman, who plays author Ben Mears, and Mackenzie Leigh, who portrays Susan Norton. 

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Leigh joked that because of her love for the script and the cast, the "scariest part" of making the film for her was wondering when and if audiences would see it. "It's always interesting when you shoot something a while back and then you kind of get to revisit it and kind of spend some time really trying to ruminate on what that experience was like," Pullman agreed. He admitted, "As an actor, you watch it and you're like, 'God damn, I've learned so much since then.' So you want another go at it, you know?" Working on Salem's Lot with "legends" like Bill Camp (Matt Burke), Pullman added that "everyone was there because they wanted to make a damn good vampire movie." 

Salem's Lot, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, will stream on Max on Oct. 3.

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