A Return To Salem's Lot

A return to salems lot is a classic Stephen king vampire movie. It’s not really a sequel because the story is different from the first but that isn’t a bad thing in my opinion. The movie has an original feel to it in regards to the story of the towns vampires and their history. I’d say more on them but I’d hate to spoil the fun of giving the movie a watch. But I’d for sure recommend watching the movie if you love vampires and Stephen king books and films

Classic horror movie. IT'S GOOD! Watch it cause their either making a new one, or a seris to this.....Stay in the loop with the original first

Fast delivery, Exact item, Will do business again...

'A Return to Salem's Lot' was filmed and released many years after the original Tobe Hooper movie/mini-series, 'Salem's Lot', based upon Stephen King's original book. Unlike most King books, 'Salem's Lot' is one that you could imagine a full-length sequel to. To date, there never has been a sequel in print, aside from a short story in King's 'Night Shift.' However, it shared no common characters from the full-length book, so it was pointless. For this reason, it is easy to see the curiosity value and interest in a cinematic sequel. This Larry Cohen film stars Michael Moriarty, Samuel Fuller and Tara Reid. Moriarty is the main character, Joseph, a self-absorbed career man who has spent too many years ignoring his son. You'll find none of the stars from the original mini-series, though you shouldn't be surprised. Such is often the case with sequels, particularly in the horror genre. Writer Stephen King does not approve of this particular sequel in any shape or form. It only exists, in the first place, because somehow he signed a contract along the way allowing for sequel rights to 'Salem's Lot.'With that said, 'A Return to Salem's Lot' has nothing to do whatsoever with the first movie. The story just happens to take place in Salem's Lot, but it could have realistically been any other small town in America, or abroad. There is no reference to the original film or any of its characters. This is good, though, in that somebody has no need to watch the original 'Salem's Lot' to understand this sequel.In some ways, this movie is a slap in the face to the original. Here, the origin of the vampires is briefly explained during a schoolhouse scene. It is suggested these vampires came over on a ship that was thought to have sunk, around the same time as the Mayflower. A purist of King's book or the 'Salem's Lot' movie may find their stomach turning right about here, if it wasn't already before. It is also explained that these vampires (led by Judge Axel) have inhabited the town of Salem's Lot for hundreds of years. This is in contrast to the original movie where an outsider invades Salem's Lot, proceeding to slowly feed on the town and gradually build an army of the undead.In other ways, this has some stark similarities to the original. Like Ben Mears from 'Salem's Lot', Joseph is also a successful professional in his field who returns to Salem's Lot, a town he has not visited since his childhood. You will also notice there are humans (called "drones") who protect the head vampire, Judge Axel, in 'A Return to Salem's Lot'. They are active in town during the day and play a role similar to Richard Straker who protected the head vampire, Barlow, of the original story. The boy in this sequel, Jeremy, nearly mirrors the role of Mark Petrie from 'Salem's Lot.' At the risk of spoiling the ending, the fate of the vampires in this film also matches that of the first movie and the book it was based on.The storyline is standard b-film fare, with Joseph, and his son Jeremy, being protected by the vampires of Salem's Lot long enough for Joseph to write a chronicle (bible) documenting their existence. Over time, the two get drawn closer into the circle of vampires which prompts them to attempt an escape. One thing leads to another and Joseph angers Judge Axel. What follows is a race to destroy the vampires, as it is the only chance they have to leave Salem's Lot alive. There are very few twists or surprises in 'A Return to Salem's Lot', making it a predictable movie. While numerous humans are killed during this movie, you don't actually see anyone who is killed return as a vampire. This is never explained. Meanwhile, in 'Salem's Lot' several characters died and later came back as vampires.There are still some nice touches here that would have been appreciated in the original. The town of Salem's Lot appears to be far more isolated in 'A Return to Salem's Lot', almost like a long-lost town. The music is very well done, with a mesmerizing title theme which plays during the opening and closing credits. You will also find that the demise of the key vampires here, such as the son Jeremy's love interest (Tara Reid), is much sadder than the original 'Salem's Lot.'Viewers mistakenly refer to this as a stab at comedy, which isn't entirely accurate. It is more campy or quirky than laugh out loud funny. Moments like the vampires sucking blood from cows or Judge Axel's undead wife explaining to Joseph how life as a vampire leads to financial security are cringe-worthy, but won't be taken by everyone as funny. The directing is steady and the acting isn't top-notch, but the characters and script are strong enought to carry the movie. There isn't anything mind-blowing or spectacular, but nothing in this movie falls flat, either.I wouldn't ever recommend 'A Return to Salem's Lot' for a devoted fan of the movie, 'Salem's Lot.' Most of them who saw this will tell you they hate it. However, fans of vampire films like 'Graveyard Shift', or Larry Cohen's other work, might appreciate this a little more. I will openly say that 'A Return to Salem's Lot' would be more fondly remembered if it had a different title and didn't rely on the Salem's Lot moniker. It stands very well on its own. However, I also imagine far fewer people would have been aware of its existence.You'll notice this is only available for VHS, a stark surprise given the number of years since its release. It is more than a minor oversight that this film, which has its own charm, has never seen release on dvd. Someday, you'll likely see it get a limited release in a budget priced line, perhaps to capitalize on the involvement of a young Tara Reid. 'A Return to Salem's Lot' also has the potential to be lumped into a two or three dvd package of other Michael Moriarty and/or Larry Cohen movies.

For whatever reason, and let's hope it's not for money, Stephen King allows for remakes of his movies (IT!, Firestarter, Carrie, The Shining, etc). None of the remakes are as good as the originals.That is true with this video - Salem's Lot!It's a very good movie, and maybe this generation of viewers will appreciate it more, but the original beats this movie hands down.Recommended only if you want this version over the original or if you're a die-hard Stephen King fan and want both versions.

I generally try to give enough details about the plot-line of a movie for people to decide for themselves whether or not they would like a certain film, without giving away the entire story. However, I simply can't do that here. This movie was so horrible I'm not even going to try to dignify it with a "but it's got some good points...if you look at it in just the right light" kind of response. "A Return to Salem's Lot" is not a bonafide sequel to "Salem's Lot," nor is it even a very good rip-off of the story. In short, "A Return to Salem's Lot" is just a bad movie all around, even by 1980s "B" rated standards.There are several reasons why you will NOT like this movie. First, this movie claim's to have been made in the late 80s, but the filming looks like it was done in the early-to-mid 70s, during another rise of movie interest in the horror genre (in American film, there have been four discrete "waves" of movie-making and movie-watching interest in horror--the 1910s and 1920s, when moving pictures were just starting to be developed; the 1940s-1950s, with virtually everyone doing some sort of Dracula, Frankenstein, or mad scientist horror flick; the late 1960s-1970s, with the predominance of psychological thrillers and half-"supernatural" horror films; and the 1980s into the early 1990s, with the rise of a new form of horror movie with the setting being our actual neighborhoods, ruled over by Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason--and a continuous ebb-and-flow of American horror from the late 1990s through the first decade of the twenty-first century, with various approaches and mediums to horror tried in cinematography [all of this is to say that these were the prominent themes; there have always been lone films throughout the twentieth century that appeared before or after these various horror waves, and in some cases may have started a certain wave of horror interest in the first place]). This parenthetical comment will probably have proved to have been more interesting than the movie. In any case, the 1970s produced a film quality very different from that produced in the 1980s, so it was kind of disappointing to find that this movie appeared to have used blank film and cameras left around from the 1970s. Second, the acting is ATROCIOUS! I mean, it's not even the kind of acting that's so bad you can't help but laugh your way through the movie! Virtually everyone was so bad it was painful. Most of the actors sounded as if they had memorized their lines and were now reciting them; some actors didn't have enough emotion for their characters or situations, while others had far too much. The only two actors that seemed to have any competency were the main adult character (can't even remember his name now) and the Gypsy-Jewish Nazi hunter (don't ask, I didn't really get how he ended up appearing in the town). But even these two actors were mediocre, and they were the best the film had to offer. Third, the story is incredibly stupid. I don't know what more I can say about it. I can't even critique it by presenting specific scenes or plot lines to show its stupidity; it's just that moronic...ALL THE WAY THROUGH. Finally, there really is not true continuity with the original story of "Salem's Lot." Barlow, the master vampire, is gone. In his place is an old vampire whom everyone calls "The Judge," who apparently is responsible for people being vampires there (and thus has always been there, and did not spawn from Barlow) and (I think?) led his people in a great exodus out of Puritan New England three hundred years prior, in order to find refuge in the little town of Jerusalem's Lot. The only thing that remains is the name of the town; everything else about Stephen King's original story is scrapped.I wish I could give this film no stars, but that isn't possible with Amazon's rating. I gave this film one star, however, because I couldn't, for the life of me, find anything truly redeeming about it. I try to see the good in all films, even those not made on a large budget, those that might not have the tightest or best script, or those that are kind of lame and cheesy. But there really is nothing good about this film; if there are small pieces that are good about this film, the rest of the movie makes them not worth the effort to see and find them. Additionally, this movie adds nothing to the film universe which Stephen King has created around characters such as Randall Flagg, Barlow, and whatever wizard-demon creature he featured in "Storm of the Century." I'm not even sure who would like this film, so I can't suggest who this movie might be for--perhaps historians of bad American films, but no one else, and definitely not vampire or Salem's Lot fans.If you're thinking about watching this movie, please just look for something else. It's not even worth renting. Really. Please. For the love of not wasting your time. Thank you.

Opening scene......one of the best...then quickly takes a turn....and bam your in Salems Lot

Horror movie from the past. Great picture quality, no scratches, worked great.

Very happy with item

Muy buena película a verla

Commande reçue en un temps record mais téléfilm d’une nullité absolue.

Classic Movie very good a must for any Stephen King Fan well worth buying and a great watch too enjoy

great