Vampires were once considered to be the most terrifying supernatural monsters imaginable. That reputation has mostly faded over the years though, thanks to content like Twilight and True Blood. But Gary Dauberman is hoping to change all that with his upcoming film Salem’s Lot.
“I haven’t seen a scary vampire movie in a long, long time and I’d really love to tackle that,” the screenwriter says. “It’s one of my favorite Stephen King books.”
While there’s a rich canon of vampire cinema that exists, it’s safe to say that there hasn’t been a really scary entry into the subgenre in a while. A movie adaptation based off of one of Stephen King’s most well-known books is, if done right, the perfect place to start the bloodsucking renaissance.
There’s also perhaps no person better suited for the task than Dauberman, who’s already had success transforming a novel by the King of Horror into a hit film with It. The 2017 feature made the public remember why everyone hates clowns so much, as has the unnerving trailer for the impending sequel. Maybe Dauberman’s newest project can do the same for vampires?
Much like It, Salem’s Lot was also made into a miniseries many years ago. Both the 1979 version and its 2004 remake received Emmy nominations and were met with generally positive reviews.
Of course, this movie is just the latest in what’s been a slew of Stephen King work hitting the big screen and according to the bestselling author, this trend isn’t expected to slow down any time soon. Both It and, to a much lesser extent, Pet Sematary fared well at the box office, which means that studios will continue to get behind these projects as long as they keep making money.
It remains to be seen whether or not Salem’s Lot will perform as well financially and once again give the world a reason to fear vampires, but if anyone can pull this off, it’s acclaimed master of the macabre Gary Dauberman.