Stephen King Praises Warner Bros.’ Delayed Salem’s Lot Remake

Warner Bros. has a Salem’s Lot remake on the shelf, and Stephen King says the movie is “quite good.” The re-adaptation of King’s classic vampire has been awaiting a release date despite being completed last year. The film was originally set for a September 9th, 2022 release date before being bumped to April 21th, 2023. It lost that release date to Evil Dead Rise and was taken off the schedule, with no release date yet set.

King posted to Twitter on Monday to praise the Gary Dauberman-directed film and express frustration with its lack of release, writing:

“Between you and me, Twitter, I’ve seen the new SALEM’S LOT and it’s quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it’s embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the f**king things.”

Warner Bros. has earned a heap of scorn over the last couple years for shelving projects and not releasing them in order to take tax write-offs, a sentiment that was exacerbated with the situation around Coyote vs. Acme, which the studio intended to shelve but has since agreed to shop to other studios. That film’s fate is still uncertain as they have been rejecting offers out of hand that don’t meet their $75 million to $80 million asking price.

The new take on Salem’s Lot stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbæk, Alfre Woodard, and William Sadler

Between you and me, Twitter, I've seen the new SALEM'S LOT and it's quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it's embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the fucking things.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 19, 2024