The director of Salem's Lot reveals that the movie was originally much longer.
The original version of Salem's Lot, written by Gary Dauberman, differed significantly from the one that fans of Stephen King ultimately received.
The adaptation of Salem's Lot, directed by Gary Dauberman, generated significant anticipation ahead of its streaming release in early October. This version of the classic novel by Stephen King, published in 1975, completed its filming in the summer of 2022 but was shelved by Warner Bros. Pictures without a clear timeline for its release. Stephen King played a crucial role in reviving interest in the project through a tweet in February, where he expressed his support and confusion over the production delays. A few days later, Warner Bros. announced that the film would premiere exclusively on Max.
Despite the author's backing, Salem's Lot was met with mostly mixed reviews upon its release on October 3. The film faced criticism largely due to the rushed way the vampire story was told, which hindered a deep development of the characters. Many speculated that these issues might have been caused by studio interference and cuts required by corporate guidelines, although the accuracy of these assumptions remains unconfirmed.
In an interview, Dauberman revealed that his original version of Salem's Lot had a considerably longer runtime than the 113 minutes that were presented. "My first cut was about three hours long," the director commented. "A lot was left out. My first draft of the script is over 180 pages." During the conversation, he also mentioned scenes that were cut, highlighting one in particular where the protagonist, Ben Mears, has a haunting encounter at the Marsten House. "In the book, Ben sneaks into the house and sees the ghost of Hubert Marsten," Dauberman explained. This sequence was filmed and at one point was considered to open the movie, but it was deemed potentially confusing for the audience, leading to its removal.
The existence of a longer and possibly more developed cut of Salem's Lot only increases the frustration for fans of the 1975 work. However, Dauberman seems to have made peace with the adjustments made to bring the film to the audience. Currently, Salem's Lot is available for exclusive streaming on Max.
