Salems Lot.

Green Hornet

Was browsing through youtube a while ago and came across the 1979 mini series Salems Lot. I remember watching it when I was a kid. Didn't sleep for weeks after it. Probably looks hammy now. The kid floating and scratching it the window..........the other kid in the coffin..........spooky!

Got the original one off Play.com a few months ago. I'm a massive fan of the book, but I thought the film was crap beyond belief. The newer one with Rutger Hauer was crap as well.

Green Hornet

Deleted User wrote: »

Got the original one off Play.com a few months ago. I'm a massive fan of the book, but I thought the film was crap beyond belief. The newer one with Rutger Hauer was crap as well.

I'd say its crap if I was to watch it now as well. Read the book a few years ago and it was great. Most of Kings earlier books (The Shining, Salems Lot etc) were great. Most of the stuff since he became popular in the mid 80's is rubbish though.

Green Hornet

Green Hornet wrote: »

I'd say its crap if I was to watch it now as well. Read the book a few years ago and it was great. Most of Kings earlier books (The Shining, Salems Lot etc) were great. Most of the stuff since he became popular in the mid 80's is rubbish though.

True. Though I will always love The Dark Tower series. Even the last one.
I saw the adaptation of Desperation recently and thought it wasn't bad at all.

The Artist

was it David soul played the main part of "salems lot" they were in 2 parts afaik.Loved watching that as i was young then and it gave me the 'shivers'!

Pigman II

It's awful but the nosferatu guy still look impressive it has to be said.

Green Hornet

davey180 wrote: »

was it David soul played the main part of "salems lot" they were in 2 parts afaik.Loved watching that as i was young then and it gave me the 'shivers'!

Yep. David Soul. It was in two parts on RTE. I'd say it looks extremely cheesy now:o. Youtube is great for looking up all the old stuff from when I was a kid. The memories...............

scotia

Scared the beyjasus out of me when i was young, that little D**k scratching at the window, didn't sleep for days!!!

Green Hornet

Deleted User wrote: »

True. Though I will always love The Dark Tower series. Even the last one.
I saw the adaptation of Desperation recently and thought it wasn't bad at all.

The fantasy book "The Talisman" was OK too. I think it was co-written with Peter Straub. At that time The Lord of The Rings and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (by Stephen Donaldson) were the only real "fantasy" books around. The Thomas Covenant books were excellent. Much darker than the Rings series.

wandatowell

Deleted User wrote: »

Though I will always love The Dark Tower series. EVEN THE LAST ONE.

hahahaha The last DT book caught me off guard. Still dont know how I feel about that one.

Did anybody get to take a look at Hearts In Atlantis staring Anthony Hopkins???? Didn't get a release in europe I think.

Sorry for going slightly off topic

Green Hornet

wandatowell wrote: »

hahahaha The last DT book caught me off guard. Still dont know how I feel about that one.

Did anybody get to take a look at Hearts In Atlantis staring Anthony Hopkins???? Didn't get a release in europe I think.

Sorry for going slightly off topic

Saw it a few years ago but dont remember much about it. King actually wrote some good short stories in the early days too. "Apt Pupil" and "Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption" spring to mind. I think they were both from "Different Seasons"?

Snake Plisken

Oh I still love Salems Lot, its a Tobe Hooper Classic and very risque for mainstream US tv in 1979! And to me it still holds up today! Have to say until Frank Darbount came along it was the best King adaptation! Well worth purchasing for vampire movie fans!

rednik

Totally agree it is still worth watching. I had the VHS version and last year bought the DVD. It has dated,but I watched the new version with Rob Lowe and Rutger Hauer and its rubbish.
In the original Barlow is played by an unknown and is really scary, but Hauer plays him in the new version and is very camp. There is no atmosphere either.
What I always wanted to see was a movie version with a stronger adult theme without losing the atmosphere of the original.
Certain scenes will stay in the memory forever, the scratching on the window and Geoffrey Lewis opening the boys coffin in the graveyard. Salems Lot has not been matched on TV. A very young Bonnie Bedelia who played Bruce Willis' wife in the Die Hard movies is also in the cast,well worth a look.

Green Hornet

rednik wrote: »

Totally agree it is still worth watching. I had the VHS version and last year bought the DVD. It has dated,but I watched the new version with Rob Lowe and Rutger Hauer and its rubbish.
In the original Barlow is played by an unknown and is really scary, but Hauer plays him in the new version and is very camp. There is no atmosphere either.
What I always wanted to see was a movie version with a stronger adult theme without losing the atmosphere of the original.
Certain scenes will stay in the memory forever, the scratching on the window and Geoffrey Lewis opening the boys coffin in the graveyard. Salems Lot has not been matched on TV. A very young Bonnie Bedelia who played Bruce Willis' wife in the Die Hard movies is also in the cast,well worth a look.

I think most of the modern remakes are crap. No atomosphere.

FiddlersElbowfi

Had to repeat the sentiments expressed already. Remember watching it that time on RTE as maybe 7 or 8 and no film has scared me as much. As already said, that scene of the boy at the window with the brother, the one with the coffin and I remember one as well where they heard knocking from upstairs and went up to see that guy from the graveyard had been turned to a vampire. Chilling stuff for a poor young lad! I remember trying to act all tough but being absolutely terrified to go to bed...
Read the book a few years ago, was good enough and a few scary parts but not anywhere near the film at the time. Would love to see the film again alright, to see if it was my age or if it was genuinely scary.

Green Hornet

FiddlersElbowfi wrote: »

Read the book a few years ago, was good enough and a few scary parts but not anywhere near the film at the time. Would love to see the film again alright, to see if it was my age or if it was genuinely scary.

I'd say to somebody watching it for the first time it might not be very scary but the fact that it scared the hell out of you when you were 7/8 might still reignite some of the feelings that you felt when you originally watched it:

Snake Plisken

actually when I was young back in the 70's I used to love the old Hammer Chris Lee Dracula movies, they'd show them the odd time on RTE late on I had read Dracula, and when I saw Salem's Lot I was never so frightened in my life yet still had to watch it, it was the big talking point in the school yard the next day, the anticipation for Part two that next night was great, after that I started reading Stephen King's books starting with Salem's Lot and I found I enjoyed it just as much. The makeup effects where very scary and Reggie Nelder was excellent as Kurt Barlow and the house creeped me out.
I still believe it has a scare factor today as it has a good few shock moments in it that will make anyone jump.

Green Hornet

Snake Plisken wrote: »

actually when I was young back in the 70's I used to love the old Hammer Chris Lee Dracula movies, they'd show them the odd time on RTE late on I had read Dracula, and when I saw Salem's Lot I was never so frightened in my life yet still had to watch it, it was the big talking point in the school yard the next day, the anticipation for Part two that next night was great, after that I started reading Stephen King's books starting with Salem's Lot and I found I enjoyed it just as much. The makeup effects where very scary and Reggie Nelder was excellent as Kurt Barlow and the house creeped me out.
I still believe it has a scare factor today as it has a good few shock moments in it that will make anyone jump.

Must have gone to the same school. Same happened in our school. Coincidentally it also got me into reading Stephen King. Spooky........

Snake Plisken

Green Hornet wrote: »

Must have gone to the same school. Same happened in our school. Coincidentally it also got me into reading Stephen King. Spooky........

LOL looks like we were both children of the 70's I'm sure there was one kid in every school who saw this and then went out and bought Salems Lot and then got hooked on King

Venom

scotia wrote: »

Scared the beyjasus out of me when i was young, that little D**k scratching at the window, didn't sleep for days!!!

That was the most scariest thing Iv ever seen to this day. I had nightmare's for years after seeing that film on TV all those years ago lol.

The Artist

BOO!

Beruthiel

Green Hornet wrote: »

Was browsing through youtube a while ago and came across the 1979 mini series Salems Lot. I remember watching it when I was a kid. Didn't sleep for weeks after it. Probably looks hammy now. The kid floating and scratching it the window..........

I also watched this as a kid and that scene still is in my head today.
I was so scared at the time that I made a wooden cross out of lollipop sticks and put it under my pillow

The Artist

Beruthiel wrote: »

I also watched this as a kid and that scene still is in my head today.
I was so scared at the time that I made a wooden cross out of lollipop sticks and put it under my pillow

maybe the left over of the lollipop stick(candy) still under ye pillow Beruthiel!!!

Green Hornet

Venom wrote: »

That was the most scariest thing Iv ever seen to this day. I had nightmare's for years after seeing that film on TV all those years ago lol.

Take a look at Youtube. All of the spookiest scenes are there.

Youtube is great! Relive all the memories from the series of the 70's and 80's - ah, the memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZllMOIJiRg&feature=related