Though anticipation was high for the newest film adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, recent bad news means that this could be yet another flopped King adaptation. Since 1974, Stephen King has penned some of the most popular horror stories in recent literary history, many of which have been brought to the big screen, including Carrie, It, and The Shining. Though King’s writings are iconic, and his movies sometimes even more so, not every Stephen King movie franchise has succeeded. In fact, in recent years, Hollywood’s attempts to bring King’s stories to life have failed miserably.
It was first announced in 2019 that there would be a new movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot. The book is King’s second published novel and was written in 1975. It also earned a 1979 movie adaptation and a 1987 sequel movie entitled A Return to Salem’s Lot. All in all, King fans and audiences at large were excited about this remake. Gary Dauberman of The Conjuring movies was set to write the screenplay and direct, meanwhile horror star James Wan was slated to produce. However, recent news about Salem’s Lot is a definite indicator that this scary Stephen King adaptation will not be as good as audiences hoped.
Salem’s Lot Sounds Like It Will Be Another Failed Stephen King Movie Adaptation
Salem’s Lot’s several delays and lack of theatrical release hints that the movie will be yet another failed Stephen King adaptation. Although Salem’s Lot was supposed to be released during the post-Labor Day weekend in 2022, and then again in April 2023, neither of those dates actually came to fruition, supposedly for COVID-19 related issues. Most recently, Warner Bros. indicated that it would forgo a theatrical release and stream Salem’s Lot on Max instead. Though they noted that it was because of the SAG-AFRTA strike and a need for more Max content, the switch doesn’t look very good for the film itself.
In general, the delays and new streaming release of Salem’s Lot make it seem like the film will not be very successful. If it was going to be a very profitable movie, then there would be no reason to not do a theatrical release, therefore, Salem’s Lot’s move to streaming hints that perhaps the film won’t do so well with audiences and critics. While the movie’s delays could be written off, Warner Bros.’ recent announcement is something of a confirmation that Salem’s Lot is a flop. Overall, a strong movie would have no reason to be delayed or streamed, so it can be inferred that Salem’s Lot is not strong.
What Was The Last Really Good Stephen King Movie Adaptation?
Salem’s Lot’s failure isn’t really too much of a surprise. Though Hollywood continues making and rebooting Stephen King stories, the most recent iterations haven’t been nearly as good as previous adaptations. The last successful Stephen King adaptations include 2017’s Gerald’s Game, 2017’s It, 2019’s It: Chapter Two, and 2019’s Doctor Sleep. Meanwhile, King’s latest flops include Children of the Corn, Firestarter, and The Boogeyman, all of which were released in the 2020s. Hopefully, Salem’s Lot will be one of the last half-hearted Stephen King adaptations in this long line of failures.
