cinema history class: salem's lot

Session: TV Terrors, Week 3
Movie: Salem's Lot (1979)
Directed by Tobe Hooper

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Plot:
A successful novelist returns to his hometown to write about his childhood home. And boy does that home have a secret! Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

Let me start by noting that the original version of Salem's Lot was a three-hour TV miniseries. A shortened two-hour version was then released to foreign cinema. Keith showed us the abbreviated version. I mention this here because it is relevant to the grade Joe gave the film.

The best part (parts?) of the movie is/are the scenes with newly-vampirized children. They're floating outside windows, waiting in coffins... And they're just majorly scary-creepy. In particular, the scenes with them floating outside windows have an odd dreamy feel. In fact, the first time that happened, I was wondering for a second if it was supposed to be a dream sequence.

But aside from those scenes, this is still a movie that delivers lots of suspense. And the suspense builds and builds. That's partly due to the fact that, until the film is building to its climax, the chief vampire (played by Reggie Nalder) is hardly seen. But when he is seen, he's such a powerful presence that he just takes over.

Ratings

Me: 9

Bob: 9.8

Christina: 9.8
Joe: 9.5*

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*Having watched the full three hour version the night before, Joe rated that version a 9.8 But he rated the shortened version that Keith showed us a 9.5