Wonderfully atmospheric and paced quite well, this still feels far too long at 10 episodes. Based on the 1978 short story Jerusalem's Lot - which is a vague prequel to the 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot - this expands upon the story greatly.
A much larger cast of characters, new plot points, and in some respects a whole new drive to the narrative make this improve upon King's original writing quite a lot. The short story never felt connected to 'Salem's Lot whereas this does. Adrian Brody is particularly great in the lead role of Charles Boone, a widower who brings his three children to the New England family home of Chapelwaite after his cousin and uncle have died.
If you think of 'Salem's Lot then you probably think of vampires. King's short story didn't have any. This has lots, and they are quite welcome. I always enjoy seeing Christopher Heyerdahl in my sci-fi/fantasy TV and here he is fantastic as the head vampire. The town of Preacher's Corners is also considerably fleshed out and filled with a variety of people who contribute quite meaningfully to the tale.
Is it scary? Hmm, not really. Creepy at times and with some disturbing imagery (if you don't like worms then this isn't for you), this relies more on the growing sense of dread and inevitable confrontations that are coming. It's gorgeously shot in the way that so much modern prestige television now is, but I think the real key here is the good relationships that are built between characters. Most of all I enjoyed seeing Charles as a father, with the three child characters each leaving quite a mark.
But it's flabby and halfway through began to feel like a little bit of a slog. Five or six episodes would have been ample time to wrap this all up without losing anything vital. I wouldn't call it slow at any point, like The Outsider, and each episode does progress the story quite well. It also has a very strong ending and felt like a worthwhile watch. But I don't think anyone would call this a classic King miniseries, especially since it doesn't feel very King-esque.
An adaptation of "Jerusalem's Lot" that does not actually adapt it, but rather builds an invented environment that aims to complete a short story. And while the ten episodes are excessive and the slow pace is prejudicial, as it focuses more on Jerusalem's Lot it finds a path closer to the Hammer Films that enhances the story, with an ending that is anticlimactic but works well as Gothic tale of sacrifice.
If you're wondering about the air dates, then I have the answer. The moderator over at tvdb is a dinosaur and using his paper TVGuide dates. The proper air dates are posted at IMDb and the epix website.
:heart:x7
I thought I was settling in to watch a nice mystery show - it was not that.
What started out as a nice old family secret mystery show turned into something very different a show about Vampires.
Even tho I was a little disappointed - this show turned out to be quite interesting. The ending felt rather powerful and right.
Overall, it's definitely worth a watch.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
Too long and boooring. Could be fit easily in 6 chapters.
Beautiful! Classic gothic horror at its finest. Though I enjoyed the original text very much, this made for television version is preferable, and the ending is far more solid.
This was definitely I really good dark and creepy show, and Adrian Brody did a great job. The biggest down fall to this show is that it had a slow start, and they probably could of condensed it down to about 7 episodes versus ten. Either way I would definitely recommend this show, but be patient through the first two or three episodes, because it does eventually pick up.
after watching the entire season I have to say I'm a little disappointed. I love Gothic horror so this is right up my alley but I also read the short story so I can see the missed opportunity. Also, this was quite a slow show and the payoff wasn't very rewarding. They didn't even have the white worm show up at the end which is mostly why I kept watching. The ending was also kind of idiotic and made no sense along with some other decisions along the way. If they went by the short story it would have been a much creepier tale and quite a bit more interesting with the events that happen. Adrien Brody does a good job at the character although he doesn't seem to be able to stop whispering. If they thought the story was interesting enough to make a show out of it, why didn't they stick by it instead of making something that was far less interesting? I don't know, I'm assuming my excitement for what the show could have been made this an average watch for me at most.
Slow. Plodding. Tedious. Punched out after episode 5.
Shout by StrykarBlockedParent2021-10-19T03:41:17Z
The show was great. This is a horror drama and NOT action/fantasy. If you're looking for sparkly vampires, then look elsewhere. I really enjoyed the slow burn and big reveal that came midway through the series.