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[Interviews] ‘Salem’s Lot’ (2014) Makes Vampires Terrifying Once More!

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2 years ago

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Salem’s Lot (2024) made vampires terrifying once more, stripping away the allure of modern vampire tropes and reviving the raw, primal fear that these creatures of the night should evoke.” – Ryan T. Cusick, iHorror.com

Salem’s Lot (2024) – Will premiere on MAX on October 3.

The 2024 adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot was nothing short of phenomenal, a masterful reimagining that restored the sheer terror of vampires to modern audiences. Gone are the romanticized, brooding creatures of recent years—this adaptation brought back the raw, primal fear that vampires should evoke.

The film’s atmosphere was thick with dread; every shadow concealed a lurking menace. With its chilling suspense and faithful yet fresh take on King’s iconic novel, Salem’s Lot proved that vampires, when done right, are still some of the scariest creatures in horror.

Directed with a keen eye for suspense, the film captures the eerie, small-town setting and the creeping dread that made the novel iconic. The vampires, led by the sinister Kurt Barlow, are a return to their primal, monstrous roots—evoking genuine fear rather than charm. The performances are strong, with the cast grounding the supernatural horror in relatable human struggles. Fans of King will appreciate the film’s faithfulness to the original, while newcomers will find themselves drawn into its chilling embrace. Salem’s Lot (2024) succeeds in making vampires scary again.

Salem’s Lot (2024) – Will premiere on MAX on October 3.

Why have King’s adaptations been working so well?

I often wonder what has made King adaptations work so well lately. I have always loved them, but in the past, we have had some downers, such as The Tommy Knockers (1993) and The Lawnmower Man (1992). We’ve had some beautiful adaptations over the last ten years: It (2017 and 2019), Doctor Sleep (2019), Gerald’s Game (2017), The Outsider (2020), and now Salem’s Lot (2024). I feel that many recent adaptations have remained more faithful to King’s original stories, respecting the complexity of his characters and the depth of his themes. Directors such as Mike Flanagan and Andy Muschietti worked closely with King’s material to ensure that the narrative arcs, character development, and tone mirrored the original novels. Advancements in technology, such as special effects, cinematography, and sound design, have allowed filmmakers to better capture the eerie atmospheres and supernatural elements in King’s work. 

Salem’s Lot (2024) – Will premiere on MAX on October 3.

Interviews

We recently had the opportunity to participate with members of the Salem’s Lot cast during a press junket, including Alfre Woodard (Dr. Cody), Lewis Pullman (Ben Mears), and Spencer Treat Clark (Mike Ryerson), for some insightful takes on their characters.

Dr. Cody portrayed by – Alfre Woodard. Salem’s Lot (2024)

Alfre Woodard – Dr. Cody

iHorror: Your character [Dr. Cody], I just loved. She was compassionate and just so resilient in the face of all the supernatural that was going on. Did you ever discover anything unexpected about Dr. Cody as you delved deeper into the character during the filming?

Alfre Woodard: It became apparent to me that her belief; if you’re able to believe it, it takes you a long way, even if it’s Science. People say that there are facts, numbers, and whatever, but you have to believe whatever; yes, if you jump off a second story, gravity will take you down. You believe that it has been proven to you. What I have discovered is when people say, “I have had these experiences, these paranormal experiences, or someone has come to visit me,” I haven’t had those experiences, but it has been life before and certainly just a hand distance away. There is the belief there, so it occurred to me that belief is very strong, which has allowed me, as Dr. Cody, to show you that nothing happens at sundown, and then the shoe drops, literally. She still is not saying, “Oh, I am changing my mind.” And before I know it, [Explaining a scene in the film] somebody that I know has gone and has drained the blood and then sits up and starts talking, and I go, “Give me that cross! Make that cross and get that cross together!” and probably hasn’t said [Psalm] 91 verses since Sunday school, if she [Dr. Cody] ever went. Again, it’s belief, and it allows her to fight, first of all, and not lie down and get bit. And then when she is a bit, she’s pissed off more than anything else, and she says, “Get me the rabies shot,” and all that. The same belief is translated into the fact that I am going to be with you and with those five people who are set out and who didn’t leave town. So that is the belief in the next moment that I think that she’s smart; you think she would have fled and gone to the next town and called out to the authorities to come and stop the plague if you have that ability to believe and to active about it, it tells you everything that you need to do portraying that.

Ben Mears portrayed by – Lewis Pullman. Salem’s Lot (2024)

Lewis Pullman – Ben Mears

iHorror: Hey everybody, hey Lewis, I really enjoyed your performance. Did you find any personal connections with Ben that influenced your performance?

Lewis Pullman: Yeah, I definitely did; when you find Ben, he is sort of in a vulnerable spot. And he is pretty lost, ya know, and yes, he is having this writer’s block, and he is also spiritually blocked, and I definitely connected to that feeling and knowing that the only way to unclog the cognitive highways kind of is to go into your past and to start to uncover things that are uncomfortable and scary, we all know it’s the thing that we should do, but we are all trying to come up with other shortcuts, and there are no shortcuts, and so I really relayed to that tip-toeing that he’s [Ben] doing there in the beginning. I love that when Gary [Dauberman – Director] was casting us, he was really adamant about finding someone who was an everyday guy, and I can remember one of the questions that he asked me was if I knew how to change a tire. I didn’t know why he was asking me that at first; I thought he had gotten into some sort of roadside incident and that he needed my help or something [giggles]. It was because of that reason he wanted someone that has no experience, like being a badass. Well, you guys [journalists] might be doing badass shit, I don’t know – but killing vampires, I am assuming that none of us have experience doing that. So to see someone coming from ground zero and playing catch up and accepting this as truth was something that he [Gary] was adamant about putting in there; I think it was smart. It makes the audience a little more able to see themselves.

Makenzie Leigh [chimes in]: It’s very sweet that Gary didn’t think that you would lie to him about changing a tire to get a part.

Lewis Pullman: I know, [Jokingly] I have lied about many things, but with that, it was one truth, and I would have been happy to have shown up on the set to help Gary with his tire.

Salem’s Lot (2024) – Will premiere on MAX on October 3.

Spencer Treat Clark – Mike Ryerson

iHorror: Hey, did you do any preparation for this role? Since it was a horror film, was there any extra preparation for you?

Spencer Treat Clark: I think that the acting preparation that played with me the most was the period of transition from human to vampire. I think that for me, as an actor, that was a challenge. It was the most interesting to play with, where you have elements of the character’s real-life, of Mike Ryerson, and who he was and who he was becoming part of this fear of the unknown. In terms of the practical stuff, all of the makeup, there was so many makeup tests, I got to do a lot of stunt tests, too, practicing the stunts. Once we got there and were there during pre-production, there was a lot of rehearsing. Really, just the Xs and Os of how certain things were going to work and how things were going to look, and that all helped once we actually got to shoot. When you get to try on the makeup for the first time, it might be like, “Some of these decisions that I had made earlier now need to be more subtle because now this is all doing more work than I had imagined.”

iHorror: Thank you.

Be sure to check out Salem’s Lot on MAX – October 3!

MAX Original. Salem’s Lot (2024) – Trailer
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This Week in Horror: DC Goes Full Body Horror, A24 Has Its Chainsaw Man, and The Bone Temple Is Finally Yours

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9 hours ago

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April 24, 2026

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Good week. The Clayface trailer dropped and made DC relevant to this website for the first time in a while, A24 put a director on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reimagining, and we got some interviews worth reading. Here is all of it.

Clayface Has a Trailer, and It Is Exactly What You Want

The Clayface trailer landed Wednesday, and it is DC’s first real horror film. Not horror adjacent. Not dark. Horror. Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, an actor whose face gets disfigured by a gangster. He turns to a scientist, played by Naomi Ackie, who transforms his body into clay. Then the body horror starts.

James Watkins directed, which is the right choice. He made Speak No Evil and before that The Woman in Black, and he understands how to make dread feel physical. The screenplay is by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. That combination should tell you everything about the tone they are going for.

A24 Has a Director for Texas Chainsaw Massacre and His Last Film Cost Under a Million Dollars

Texas

Deadline confirmed that Curry Barker is writing and directing A24’s reimagining of the 1974 original. Barker made Obsession for under a million dollars. Focus Features paid north of fifteen million to distribute it. It sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. A24 hired him before it even opens, which opens May 15.

Kim Henkel, who co-created the original with Tobe Hooper, is executive producing his own creation’s reimagining. That is either a blessing or a haunting. Probably both.

Astrolatry Is Going to Cannes and We Talked to the Actor Who Faced the Creature

Astrolatry is heading to the Frontières Buyers Showcase on May 16-17. The film has a sentient severed penis that grows into a ten-foot practical creature with spiky teeth. We interviewed star Ethan Daniel Corbett about what it was actually like to act against it. Short answer: genuinely terrifying. Long answer is on the site.

The Bone Temple Is Home

28 years later: Bone temple

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple hit 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on Tuesday. If you held out from the digital release in February, now is the time. The 4K presentation is supposed to be great. Extras include audio commentary and a deleted scene. If your gonna watch The Bone Temple, why not watch it where the snacks are better.

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Astrolatry Built a Ten-Foot Practical Penis Scorpion

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14 hours ago

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April 24, 2026

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A sentient severed penis grows into a ten-foot creature with spiky teeth. Genre cinema is doing fine.

Astrolatry follows Elliot, played by Ethan Daniel Corbett, who is every ingredient for quiet catastrophe assembled in one man. Socially isolated. Physically isolated. Craving dopamine and finding it in the wrong places. The romance guru pipeline, followed to its logical conclusion. Elliot does not just spiral. He loses a piece of himself, literally, and that piece does not cooperate.

Corbett described it as “a horror satire, a trippy mind-fuck roller coaster” and “a modern retelling of Maniac,” both of which are accurate and neither of which adequately prepares you. Director David Gordon is making his feature debut after shooting 14 films as a cinematographer and he is swinging for the fences.

The Creature

The effects company behind the creature has festival circuit work Corbett had already seen before signing on. He knew what they could do but he was not ready. “When I saw it in person it was kind of mind-blowing,” he said. “Everything that you see in this movie is practical. Very, very little else. It was genuinely terrifying to have a ten-foot creature coming at you with a big mouth and spiky teeth.”

A CG creature asks an actor to imagine something. A ten-foot physical creature on a set asks nothing. It just arrives. The fear on Corbett’s face in those scenes is not a performance. It is the normal reaction to a scorpion dick with sharp teeth.

Elliot

Corbett went into the character through the body. “I mainly focus on the physicality of it. Who this character is and who he is wholly. I strive in those kinds of moments as an actor.”

Gordon was explicit about the concept, the “nice guy” archetype and the overtly toxic one are the same problem, both aimed at the same object. That reading lands because Corbett does not play it as a reading. Elliot is not a symbol. He is a person.

Where It Is Going

Astrolatry is heading to the Frontières Buyers Showcase at Cannes on May 16-17. “To be able to get into that kind of room on David’s first feature is incredible,” Corbett said. “To be in front of buyers and to showcase the film and potentially get distribution through that.” Frontières is the correct room. It is full of people who understand that the most extreme premise, executed with precision, is not a punchline. It is an argument.

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ShoStak Opens the Door for Filmmakers to Build and Own Their Stories

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1 day ago

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April 23, 2026

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A new player is stepping into the space, but ShoStak is making one thing clear right away.

It is not trying to be the next Netflix. It is not chasing TikTok.

“Cinema does not need another platform. It needs a new model.”

That idea sits at the core of what ShoStak is building. Not just a place to watch content, but a system where creators and audiences connect in a way that feels very different from what we are used to.

The First 150 Competition Is Already Underway

ShoStak is kicking things off with its First 150 Competition, giving filmmakers a chance to present their story worlds and compete for the opportunity to move into production.

Projects are introduced as series concepts or pilots, then advance through multiple stages. Audience voting plays a role, but it is only part of the process.

Selections are ultimately shaped by a mix of audience engagement, creative execution, and overall project readiness. It is not just about popularity. It is about building something that can actually move forward.

For creators, it is a rare chance to get in front of both an audience and a structured development path at the same time.

One Platform, Built Around a New Model

Everything now lives under ShoStak.tv, where both creators and audiences come together.

Creators can sign up, develop their projects, and begin building their audience. Viewers can discover new series, follow story worlds, and engage with projects as they evolve.

ShoStak describes this as a cinematic ecosystem. Stories are not treated as disposable content designed to spike and disappear. They are built to grow over time.

And that growth happens in public.

Ownership Without Losing Structure

One of ShoStak’s core ideas is giving creators more control over what they build.

Filmmakers are positioned to:

  • Retain ownership of their intellectual property
  • Build direct relationships with their audience
  • Grow projects based on real engagement

At the same time, this is not a free-for-all.

There is still structure. Projects are evaluated, developed, and refined through a process that blends audience input with creative and strategic decision-making.

Instead of removing the system entirely, ShoStak is reshaping how creators move through it.

Development Happens in Public

This is where things start to separate from the traditional model.

Instead of developing behind closed doors, ShoStak allows projects to evolve in front of an audience.

Creators introduce their ideas, build a following, and expand their worlds over time. As engagement grows, so does the project.

It is less about waiting for approval and more about proving momentum.

Over time, that turns the platform into something larger than a development program. It becomes an open ecosystem where creators and audiences push stories forward together.

More Than Just Testing Ideas

Micro-series are a big part of ShoStak’s approach, but they are not just a testing ground.

They can be the final product.

The format allows creators to:

  • Tell complete stories in shorter form
  • Build long-term story worlds
  • Expand into larger projects when it makes sense

It is not about proving an idea and moving on. It is about giving that idea room to grow in whatever direction fits.

Why This Matters for Horror

Horror has always thrived outside the system.

Some of the most memorable films in the genre came from creators taking risks, working with limited resources, and finding their audience without waiting for permission.

ShoStak’s model fits naturally into that mindset.

It gives horror creators a space to:

  • Build original story worlds
  • Connect directly with fans
  • Grow projects without losing control

And with early content like Civilian and Liminal already rolling out, it is clear the platform is aiming for more than just quick-hit content.

A Different Path Forward

ShoStak is not trying to compete by doing the same thing better.

It is trying to change how stories are created, developed, and sustained.

By combining creator ownership, audience engagement, and a structured development path, it offers something that feels closer to a creative ecosystem than a traditional platform.

Whether it works long-term is still unknown.

But for filmmakers looking for a new way in, it is opening a door that has been closed for a long time.

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