Rumor: ‘Salem’s Lot’ Remake Delayed By Heavy Interference From Warner Bros.

JB Augustine |

May 10, 2024

Barlo in bed — The Vampire Barlow's (Reggie Nalder) sleep is disturbed in Salem's Lot (1979), Warner Bros. Television

New intel aims to shed light on “What Actually Happened” to the Salem’s Lot remake that was supposed to come out in theaters years ago. Spoiler: it has nothing to do with the pandemic or finances but everything to do with studio interference.

Never cross a vampire in salem's lot — You never cross a vampire for their sake in Salem’s Lot (1979), Warner Bros. Television

YouTube channel The Kingdom Movie Channel posted an update in which the host goes over an email from an alleged insider close to the situation that blows the lid off what’s been going on behind the scenes since at least 2022.

The delays dating back to that time boil down to the film being “very, very unbalanced,” according to a “trusted person” at Warner Bros. – the owner and proprietor of the streaming service (Max) where Salem’s Lot will probably pitch its tent.

It’s said director Gary Dauberman – who is known for The Conjuring films and the recent Swamp Thing series – had a specific vision for the film “that was faithful to the book.” However, producer James Wan looked at the project as a remake of the 1979 miniseries directed by Tobe Hooper.

But Warner Bros. – potentially concerned they’d have a three-hour movie on their hands and repeat the mistakes of Doctor Sleep – wanted a slimmer, trimmer movie with a faster pace.

Kingdom Channel’s purveyor and host says, via his source, that all these factors collided together with a drastic impact on the finished product as all the differing points of view were noticeable in test screenings.

Salem's Lot-somebody out there — Somebody is always outside your window in Salem’s Lot (1979), Warner Bros. Television

The first ten minutes are like a Conjuring movie, for instance, whereas the final act is more “action-packed” with the climax including a swarm of vampires attacking a drive-in theater. This is a departure from how Hooper’s more contained miniseries ended.

However, there are scenes straight out of that ‘79 version, such as when the vampires creep outside windows. The problem is, Kingdom Channel adds, they feel inserted last-minute because they clash with the way Dauberman handled the rest of the film.

Per the email, the new Salem’s Lot was initially like three different movies of different genres thrown together, but feedback from “several test screenings” helped WB edit it into the best version of itself, apparently.

Conjuring 3 water bed — David Glatzel in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), New Line Cinema

Recall that author Stephen King put over the adaptation as a good horror movie with a solid payoff, and chided Warner for sitting on it this long. His remarks and studio inaction lend credibility to all this new info.

WB allegedly has been so clueless as to what to do with the film that they passed on a rumored May streaming release. They have deemed it releasable, though, and graphics to promote it on the service’s homepage are supposedly complete.