Salem's Lot (1979 miniseries)

Salem's Lot
Television release poster
Genre	Horror, Fantasy
Based on	'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Screenplay by	Paul Monash
Directed by	Tobe Hooper
Starring	David Soul James Mason Lance Kerwin Bonnie Bedelia Lew Ayres
Theme music composer	Harry Sukman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	2
Production
Executive producer	Stirling Silliphant
Producer	Richard Kobritz
Cinematography	Jules Brenner
Editor	Carroll Sax
Running time	183 minutes
Production company	Warner Bros. Television
Budget	US$ 4,000,000[1]
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	November 17 (1979-11-17) – November 24, 1979 (1979-11-24)
Related
A Return to Salem's Lot Salem's Lot (2004) Chapelwaite Salem's Lot (2024)
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Salem's Lot (also known as Salem's Lot: The Movie, Salem's Lot: The Miniseries and Blood Thirst) is a 1979 American two-part vampire miniseries based on the 1975 horror novel 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Directed by Tobe Hooper and starring David Soul and James Mason, the plot concerns a writer who returns to his hometown and discovers that its citizens are turning into vampires.

After Warner Bros. acquired the rights to Salem's Lot, several filmmakers developed screenplays but none proved satisfactory. Producer Richard Kobritz decided that, due to the novel's length, Salem's Lot would work better as a television miniseries than as a feature film. He and screenwriter Paul Monash followed the general outline of King's novel but changed some elements, including turning the head vampire Kurt Barlow from a cultured human-looking villain into a speechless demonic-looking monster. With a budget of $4 million, principal photography began on July 10, 1979, in Ferndale, California.

Salem's Lot first aired on CBS in November 1979 and received positive reviews. In the years following its broadcast, it has accumulated a cult following and has had a significant impact on the vampire genre. It was followed by a 1987 theatrical sequel, A Return to Salem's Lot, directed by Larry Cohen.