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You’ve still got time to squeeze in some scary shows before Halloween: We recommend these limited series, including AMC’s “The Terror,” and the original “Salem’s Lot” from 1979, that can easily be binged in a weekend or just a day.

The series on our list are all under 10 episodes and available to stream right now, so grab your big bucket of popcorn, get cozy on the couch and spend some time with these vampires, ghosts, witches and some really haunted real estate.

“The Terror” (AMC) The Terror

Based on the real-life doomed arctic expedition of Captain Sir John Franklin (played here by Ciarán Hinds): We see the men aboard two ships, one of which is unwisely named the Hms Terror, struggle as they slowly try to carve a path through the ice. But there’s something (or things) much more sinister plaguing the journey. Jared Harris and Tobias Menzies costar.

Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for various adaptations of Salem’s Lot.

In addition to character-driven novels and disturbing horror, Stephen King is known for writing folksy stories set in the rural Northeast. His bestselling It takes place in Derry, a close approximation to Bangor, Maine, and he’s been returning to Castle Rock, a town first introduced in his 1979 novel The Dead Zone, through forty years of bestselling horror.

But before both of these locations became literary institutions, there was Jerusalem’s Lot, a quaint Maine village with many dark secrets. For every kind and generous resident, there’s another sleeping with the phone repairman, peddling gossip over the register, or making lucrative real estate deals under the table. In his second novel, Salem’s Lot, King delights in uncovering the scandalous sins of this tiny burg before a powerful vampire enters the scene. Kurt Barlow and his familiar Richard Straker...

Stephen King has earned his moniker as the master of horror over five decades, penning some of the most frightening horror stories anyone anywhere has ever read. When you're capable of churning out some of the most terrifying story premises on the planet, it's only a matter of time until Hollywood comes calling, and at this point in his illustrious career, so many of his ideas have hit the big and small screen that Stephen King is more or less a genre onto himself.

Related Stephen King Called Out a Huge Stranger Things Problem 2 Years Ago, & It's Only Gotten Worse

Stephen King addressed this major Stranger Things issue two years ago, and it's still yet to be addressed.

Of course, there's a catch-22 when it comes to this level of success like that. Although dozens of adaptations of Stephen King's stories have been produced over the years, not all of them in fact,...

As one of the worst horror movie sequels ever made, youre forgiven if youve managed to wipe the memory of A Return to Salems Lot from your brain. Directed by Larry Cohen, the film is an unremarkable follow-up to Tobe Hoopers 1979 TV miniseries, and features an anthropologist and his son making their way to Salems Lot only to discover that its been taken over by vampires. This jumbled continuation received a limited theatrical release in 1987 before hitting VHS a year later, and now its yours to rediscover this Halloween when it makes its way to its new streaming home.

Per Max, A Return to Salems Lot will begin streaming on October 1, just two days before the premiere of Gary Daubermans long-awaited remake of the original. Starring Michael Moriarty, Ricky Addison, Samuel Fuller, and Tara Reid in her feature film debut, the sequel was a critical failure on every level, not even reaching camp status.

A Return to Salem's Lot is officially headed to a new streaming home ahead of the upcoming remake's release.

Per Max, the 1987 feature film sequel to 1979's original Salem's Lot miniseries is set to arrive on the streaming platform on Oct. 1. This will make A Return to Salem's Lot available for audiences to watch just two days before the new Salem's Lot feature film premieres on the very same platform.

Related What Happened to Father Callahan in Salem's Lot?

The Catholic priest in Stephen King's seminal novel suffers a dark fate, dutifully repeated in various adaptations. But it's not the end of his story.

Based on Stephen King's 1975 novel of the same name, 1979's Salem's Lot followed Ben Mears, a successful author who returns to his childhood hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, where he intends to research for his latest book about the area's old and storied Marsten House.

Presented by Paramount Scares, Friday the 13th Week sees Bloody Disgusting heading to Camp Crystal Lake for a series of features that celebrate the Voorhees family and their influence. Yesterday, Rachel Reeves highlighted other camp-adjacent scares. Today, Luiz H.C. takes inventory of all the horror movie fans in horror similar to franchise hero Tommy Jarvis.

Writers may come up with nightmares and directors bring them to life, but everyone knows that it’s the horror fans that really keep the genre going. That’s why it’s always refreshing to see scary movies show some appreciation towards the community, like that time Jason Voorhees was (rather brutally) defeated by a young monster movie enthusiast played by Corey Feldman, aka Tommy Jarvis.

In light of the 40th anniversary for both Jarvis and Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, we’ve come up with a list celebrating six other badass horror fans in horror movies.

Before "Salem's Lot" returned to the zeitgeist with a highly-anticipated reboot movie, the Stephen King classic was a miniseries that shook the world. Directed by "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" mastermind Tobe Hooper, the two-part 1979 series was event TV at its spookiest.

The original "Salem's Lot" limited series has never been among the best King adaptations out there, but it holds a unique place in pop culture history thanks to its status as one of the earliest on-screen takes on a King book — plus some truly frightening moments. Several members of the show's sprawling ensemble cast, including David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, and vamp actor Reggie Nalder, have passed away in the decades since "Salem's Lot" first beamed its way into our collective consciousness. Of the actors who are still with us, several have gone on to award-winning careers in film and television, while others retired or found fulfillment in other careers.

Dan Wakefield, a prolific author and journalist who made television history when he created and wrote the controversial late-1970s drama James at 15 only to resign when NBC executives bristled over an episode’s depiction of teenage sexuality, died yesterday at a hospice facility in Miami. He was 91, and had been in declining health in recent months.

His death was announced by his attorney, Ken Bennett, to the Indianapolis Star. Wakefield was born and raised in Indianapolis.

In addition to James at 15 and various novels, Wakefield’s credits include the screenplay for the 1997 film Going All The Way, starring Ben Affleck and Jeremy Davies, based on his 1970 novel of the same name. The 1979 divorce drama Starting Over starring Burt Reynolds, Jill Clayburgh and Candice Bergen, written by James L. Brooks and directed by Alan J. Pakula, was based on Wakefield’s 1973 novel.

Born May 21, 1932, in Indianapolis, Wakefield began...

Salem's Lot remake will head straight to streaming, skipping theaters entirely. The movie, based on Stephen King's popular work, was originally set to debut in theaters but faced delays and reshoots. The new film follows the novel's premise of a writer returning to a town overrun by vampires, with a cast including Lewis Pullman and Alfre Woodard.

The mystery of when we will see Gary Dauberman's take on Stephen King's Salem's Lot has finally been solved after the film was pulled from the 2022 release calendar. Per Deadline, Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that the film will skip theaters entirely and premiere exclusively on the Max streaming service this year. An official date for when it will hit the platform was not revealed, but it felt like this was the direction this release was taking, despite CEO David Zaslav asserting that the company was going all in on theatrical...

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (Photo Credit: Penguin Random House)

The new adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot is no longer getting a theatrical release. Originally scheduled to debut in theaters way back in September 2022, New Line has now confirmed it will stream on Max instead.

The announcement didn’t include a premiere date but did state that it’s expected to arrive on streaming in 2024.

“Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire,” reads New Line’s synopsis. The cast is led by Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears and includes Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody, Makenzie Leigh as Susan Norton, and Bill Camp as Matthew Burke.

Spencer Treat Clark plays Mike Ryerson, Pilou Asbæk is Straker, and John Benjamin Hickey is Father Callahan.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Fred White

White, the original drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire who played on their 1980 hit “Shining Star,” died Jan. 1 of undisclosed causes. He was 67.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Gangsta Boo

The Tennessee-based former member of the Oscar-winning rap group Three 6 Mafia, whose real name was Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, died Jan. 1 of undisclosed causes, though an autopsy is pending. She was 43.

James D. Brubaker

Brubaker, who started out as a driver on Hollywood sets before rising through the ranks to become a producer on films including “Rocky IV” and “Right Stuff,” died Jan. 3 after a series of strokes. He was 85.

Peter Rawley

Rawley, a longtime talent agent for ICM Partners and former MGM executive, died on Jan. 3. He was 85.

Photo credit: Gregory Yee/Twitter

Gregory Yee

Yee, a breaking news reporter for the LA Times, died Jan. 4 from complications from a respiratory illness. He was 33.

Earl Boen

Boen,...

A powerful moment of perspective between and father and his son plays out in this exclusive clip from the upcoming Western drama, The Wind & the Reckoning. Inspired by real-life events, The Wind & the Reckoning stars Mulan and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story actor Jason Scott Lee as a cowboy who, along with his young son, finds himself at the center of the Koolau Rebellion in Hawaii, which took place in the late 1800s. You can check out the exclusive clip from The Wind & the Reckoning below.

Directed and produced by David L. Cunningham (To End All Wars), The Wind & the Reckoning takes place in 1893 on Kauai, after the Hawaiian Kingdom had been overthrown by agents and Hawaii-based citizens of the United States and just as an outbreak of leprosy engulfs the tropical paradise. The new government orders all Native Hawaiians suspected of having the disease banished...

Sunday’s SAG Awards ceremony will be a streaming event for the first time on the Netflix YouTube channel. One of the highlights each year is the special In Memoriam segment. It’s been a particularly rough year with over 100 deaths of prominent actors and actresses who were likely members of SAG/AFTRA. Show producers typically are able to include approximately 40-50 people in a tribute.

Among that group will certainly be Oscar winners Louise Fletcher, William Hurt and Irene Cara, plus nominees Angela Lansbury (a SAG life achievement recipient) and Melinda Dillon. Emmy champs Mary Alice, Kirstie Alley, Leslie Jordan, Ray Liotta, Stuart Margolin, Robert Morse and Barbara Walters.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2023: In Memoriam Gallery

Here is our expansive list of over 100 people who died since last year’s ceremony, several of whom will be honored on Sunday’s event:

Ralph Ahn

J. Grant Albrecht

Mary Alice

Rae Allen...

Cindy Williams, the beloved star of ’70s sitcom “Laverne & Shirley,” has died at age 75 after a brief illness, her children said in a statement on Monday.

Williams died Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles her children, Zak and Emily Hudson, said in a statement released through family spokeswoman Liza Crani, according to the Associated Press.

“The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,” the statement said. “Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.”

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Lisa Loring, Original Wednesday on ‘The Addams Family,’ Dies at 64

The news of her death was also posted to her official site, with the message, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Cindy Williams.

Comedian Rickey Smiley is in mourning the death of his oldest son, comic Brandon Smiley.

Rickey took to Instagram on Sunday morning to share the tragic news with his followers, explaining in a heartbreaking video, “I just had bad news this morning.”

“I’m on the way to the airport to get to Birmingham. I just want everybody to pray for me, pray for our family,” Rickey said in a video. “My son, Brandon Smiley, has passed away this morning.”

Rickey asked those watching to pray specifically for Brandon’s mother, and his siblings.

“Now I see what my granddaddy went through and why he felt the way he felt,” Rickey said. “My granddaddy went through this s**t with my dad and somehow, here I am going through the same thing my grandparents went through. So just pray for our family.”

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Everett Quinton, a staple of New York’s post-1960s downtown theater scene and diligent standard-bearer for the outrageously campy and hilariously melodramatic style of performance known as the Ridiculous, died of glioblastoma January 23 in Brooklyn. He was 71.

The actor-director’s death was confirmed to The New York Times by friend Julia Campanelli speaking on behalf of his sister Mary Ann Quinton.

Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Billy Packer Dies: College Basketball Announcer Part Of 34 Final Fours Was 82 Related Story Lance Kerwin Dies: 'James At 15', 'Salem's Lot' Actor Was 62

Making his name in the Off (and Off Off) Broadway theater world initially with his partner in life and art, the actor, playwright and director Charles Ludlam, Quinton would star in numerous productions at the Greenwich Village playhouse of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, founded by Ludlam in 1967.

Charles Ludlam and Everett Quinton,...

Longtime college basketball broadcaster Billy Packer, who was a part of 34 Final Fours as a broadcaster for NBC and CBS, died Thursday, according to a tweet from his son. He was 82

“The Packer Family would like to share some sad news,” tweeted his son Mark, who hosts a show on the Acc Network. “Our amazing father, Billy, has passed. We take peace knowing that he’s in heaven with Barb. Rip, Billy.”

Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Lance Kerwin Dies: 'James At 15', 'Salem's Lot' Actor Was 62 Related Story Sal Piro Dies: Original 'Rocky Horror' Role-Playing Superfan And Subject Of Upcoming Movie Was 71

Packer was an expert analyst on college basketball, working with such play-by-play stars as Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, Brent Musburger and Jim Nantz.

Fellow analyst Dick Vitale sent his condolences in an online post.

“So sad...

Lance Kerwin, who played horror-loving vampire hunter Mark Petrie in the television movie Salem’s Lot, has died. He was 62.

Lance Kerwin’s death was announced by his daughter on social media this week, with a post that read, “I am so sorry to those we have not been able to reach out to personally to notify but Lance Kerwin passed away yesterday morning. We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared. As the coming weeks progress, I will share more information about after life ceremonies. He loved each and every one of you.”

Mark Petrie had several television credits on his resume, but none garnered more attention than that of Salem’s Lot, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. In the film’s most iconic moment–and, really, one of the great scenes in any horror movie–Mark Petrie lies in bed as one of...

Salem’s Lot child star Lance Kerwin has died aged 62.

The news was anounced by the actor’s daughter, Savanah, who shared the news on Facebook on Wednesday (25 January). A cause of death has not been disclosed.

“I am so sorry to those we have not been able to reach out to personally to notify but Lance Kerwin passed away yesterday morning [24 January],” Savanah wrote.

“We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared. As the coming weeks progress, I will share more information about after-life ceremonies.”

Savanah said that her father “loved each and every one” of his fans.

Kerwin rose to fame in the 1970s thanks to roles in the Glenn Ford-starring series The Family Holvak and drama The Loneliest Runner.

He also played the title role in James at 15, which told the story of a high school student in Boston. The follow-up, titled James at 16,...

Actor Lance Kerwin was died at age 62; a cause of death was not given.

Kerwin is best known for his starring role in the 1970s TV drama “James at 16”, and his subsequent role in the Stephen King television adaptation of “Salem’s Lot”.

Kerwin’s daughter, Savannah, shared the sad news via Facebook.

Read More: ‘Eight Is Enough’ Star Adam Rich Dead At 54

“I am so sorry to those we have not been able to reach out to personally to notify but Lance Kerwin passed away yesterday morning,” she wrote, accompanied with a family picture.

“We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared. As the coming weeks progress, I will share more information about after life ceremonies,” she continued, adding, “He loved each and every one of you.”

According to People, Kerwin landed his first major role in 1975’s “The Family Holvak”, and the following...

'70s film star Lance Kerwin, who starred in the TV series James at 15 and the first adaptation of Salem’s Lot, has passed away at the age of 62, in San Clemente, California. His daughter Savanah Kerwin announced the sad news on Tuesday via a social media post, writing, “Lance Kerwin passed away yesterday morning. We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared. She went on to assure his fans and friends, "He loved each and every one of you."...

Actor Lance Kerwin has died. The performer, who is known for his work in shows like James at 15 and Salem’s Lot, was just 62 years old. News of Kerwin’s death was reportedly revealed by his daughter Savanah, according to Variety. Kerwin died Tuesday, January 24, in San Clemente, California, and an autopsy is being conducted to determine a cause of death. As previously stated, Kerwin was best known for his TV roles in James at 15 and the mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s supernatural Salem’s Lot, in which he played teen vampire hunter Mark Petrie. Initially beginning his career in the early 1970s, Kerwin made a name for himself as a child actor appearing in after-school specials like The Boy Who Drank Too Much. Salem’s Lot (Credit: © Warner Bros. / Courtesy: Everett Collection) Leading the series James at 15, Kerwin appeared in the show as James Hunter, who, after two...

Lance Kerwin, a former child star known for television projects James at 15, Salem’s Lot and The Loneliest Runner, has died. He was 62.

Kerwin died Tuesday morning, according to his daughter Savanah. A cause of death was not given.

In 1976, he starred as the younger version of Michael Landon’s character in NBC’s Landon-directed made-for-tv movie The Loneliest Runner, playing a boy who loves to run. He followed that with the title role in the network’s drama series James at 15 (later known as James at 16) that launched in 1977 and ran for 20 episodes.

Kerwin co-starred alongside David Soul and James Mason in the 1979 television horror miniseries Salem’s Lot, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The project earned three Emmy nominations.

The youngest of five brothers, Kerwin was born in Newport Beach, California, on Nov. 6, 1960.

He also appeared in 1970s episodes of such TV series as Emergency!,...

Lance Kerwin, the former child actor who shot to fame in the late 1970s as the star of the sometimes controversial NBC teen drama series James at 15, died Tuesday of undetermined causes in San Clemente, CA. He was 62.

His death was announced by his daughter Savanah in a Facebook post today.

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Kerwin, who was a busy child actor throughout the ’70s, also starred in the 1979 TV miniseries Salem’s Lot, based on the novel by Stephen King. He played the central character of Mark Petrie, the young horror film buff-turned-vampire hunter. In the film’s most chilling and memorable scene, he is visited by a schoolmate who has become a vampire and...

Actor Lance Kerwin, best known to horror fans for playing Mark Petrie in Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot (1979), has passed away at just 62 years old, Variety reports this afternoon.

“An autopsy to determine the cause of death is being conducted, according to his daughter Savanah,” Variety reports.

Lance Kerwin was born on November 6, 1960 in Newport Beach, California, and he began his career as a prolific child actor in the early-mid 1970s. It was just a few years after his on-screen debut in the TV series “Emergency!” that Kerwin landed the role of young Mark Petrie in Salem’s Lot, the original mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s classic vampire story.

Lance Kerwin’s other credits throughout the 1970s include “Little House on the Prairie,” Reflections of Murder, “Gunsmoke,” Escape to Witch Mountain, and “Wonder Woman.”

Post-Salem’s Lot, Kerwin appeared in The Boy Who Drank Too Much, A Killer in the Family,...

Lance Kerwin, who starred in the 1979 miniseries “Salem’s Lot” and the TV series “James at 15,” has died. He was 62.

His daughter Savanah Kerwin shared the news Wednesday on Facebook: “I am so sorry to those we have not been able to reach out to personally to notify but Lance Kerwin passed away yesterday morning. We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared. As the coming weeks progress, I will share more information about after life ceremonies. He loved each and every one of you.”

No cause of death was given.

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Kerwin played Mark Petrie in Tobe Hooper’s eerie adaptation of the Stephen King tale. The character’s love of horror movies helps him defend himself when his best friend becomes a vampire and shows up outside his bedroom window one...

Actor Lance Kerwin, who starred in TV series “James at 15” and as Mark Petrie, the teen who becomes a vampire hunter in Steven King mini-series “Salem’s Lot,” died Tuesday in San Clemente, Calif. He was 62. An autopsy to determine the cause of death is being conducted, according to his daughter Savanah.

Kerwin began his career as a child actor, known primarily for his roles in television and film, including after-school special “The Boy Who Drank Too Much.” “James at 15” became “James at 16” in season 2.

Throughout the 1970s, the “James at 15” actor appeared in a variety of television series and TV movies, including “Wonder Woman,” “Insight,” “Salem’s Lot,” “The Family Holvak” and “Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy.” One of his last roles was in the 1995 movie “Outbreak” and he returned to the screen last year in “The Wind and the Reckoning.”

Lance Kerwin made appearances at horror...

Stephen King’s second published novel, ‘Salem’s Lot, arrived in hardcover in October 1975 and was King’s next step toward transforming himself from an obscure Maine writer to a pop culture phenomenon. His first novel, Carrie, had sold modestly in hardcover, but the paperback edition of the book took off, selling more than one million copies in its first year of release. Sales were also helped by Brian De Palma’s 1976 movie adaptation, which was not just a box office hit but yielded Academy Award nominations for stars Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.

And the paperback edition of ‘Salem’s Lot came out right around this time; it became King’s second bestseller in a row and cemented his status as a superstar horror writer. The book, at its core, also posed a simple yet alluring question: What if vampires invaded a small town in rural Maine in the 20th century?...

New Line's Salem's Lot movie has secured Lewis Pullman for the lead role. Salem's Lot follows Ben Mears (Pullman), a man who "returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a vampire, leading him to band together a ragtag group that will fight the evil presence." This is similar to the original 1975 novel by Stephen King and the subsequent miniseries adaptation.

Based on the Stephen King novel, the new script for New Line's movie comes from Gary Dauberman. He previously found success with tackling King's work as the writer of It and It: Chapter Two, both of which were very well received. Dauberman is also on board to direct this time around after making his directorial debut with 2019's Annabelle Comes Home. Along with writing and directing, Dauberman executive produces Salem's Lot with Michael Bederman,...

Have you ever seen Tobe Hooper's 1979 film version of Salem's Lot? You know that scene in which Danny Glick (Brad Savage) comes to Mark Petrie's (Lance Kerwin) window and asks to be let in? Right now, I can't help but recall that nightmare scenario as I watch this new video of Jared Leto on the set of Sony's Morbius. For real, all that's missing…...

[Hello, readers! To celebrate Valentine's Day, the Daily Dead team thought it would be fun to do things a little differently this year. We're putting the spotlight on our favorite horror-loving characters from genre cinema—people who have represented our own fandom on screen and, in many cases, helped bring our passion for horror into the mainstream. Be sure to check here for more of our tributes to some of the greatest horror fans to ever grace the big screen.]

As a kid, while I loved every possible monster out there, I was a total vampire nerd through and through. I’m not sure what it was that completely drew me in—perhaps it was their power, their bloodlust, their uninhibited nature, or even their immortality—but vampires were where it was at, as far as I was concerned during my childhood. Which brings me to my picks for my favorite horror fans in cinema: Mark Petrie from Tobe Hooper’s miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s ’Salem’s Lot, and Charley Brewster from the original Fright Night. To be honest, it was hard for me to choose between the characters, simply because they both meant so much to me growing up, so I felt like I needed to give each of them their due here.

Mark Petrie (Lance Kerwin) was my first encounter with a Monster Kid. While I...

By Todd Garbarini

Stephen King’s 1975 novel Salem’s Lot began life as an unpublished short story (“Jerusalem’s Lot”) while Mr. King was still in college. When he decided to expand it into a novel he posed the question as to what would happen if Count Dracula were to come back in 20th Century America, and his wife Tabitha joked that he would probably get run over by a cab in New York City. It was originally titled Second Coming, however it was changed at the urging of Mrs. King because it sounded like a “bad sex story” (she’s was right, and had a dirty mind to boot!). The 439-page book was then made into an effective TV-movie four years later, premiering in two parts on both November 17 and November 24 on CBS. TV-movies are a completely different animal than theatrical films as they are often shot in a much quicker fashion.

Stephen King adaptations are very hard to pull off successfully. For every Misery, there’s a Graveyard Shift; Carrie soars while Cujo stalls. The small screen has had it just as bad—the elephantine The Stand benefits from its four-night rollout, while no amount of time could save The Tommyknockers. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg—at last count, there were 91 King adaptations (I’ll need to double-check those figures) across all media. For this blurry-eyed cathode ray kid, however, nothing has yet to match the two-part graveyard dance known as Salem’s Lot (1979).

Originally airing on CBS on Saturday November 17th and 24th, Salem’s Lot was a huge success for the network; there was even talk of turning it into a weekly series. Alas, that never came to be. However, we were gifted with 183 minutes of measured, chilling suspense and terror helmed by none other...

You’ll enjoy Mr. Barlow. And he’ll enjoy you.

Based on the Stephen King novel, Salem’s Lot is a three-hour-long miniseries that originally aired back in 1979, with director Tobe Hooper’s slow burn storytelling approach immersing viewers intricately into the world of a sleepy little town in Maine by paying attention to the atmosphere and tension King so cleverly established in his original story. From the guy who gave us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Salem’s Lot proved Hooper was an assured filmmaker who could still deliver shocking and jarring horror while using a more subtle directorial methodology.

At the start of Salem’s Lot, we meet writer Ben Mears (David Soul), who is returning home to the small town to write his second novel (in reality, it was also King's sophomore novel) based on the infamous Marsten House that he grew up fearing as a kid.

Top 100 horror movies of all time: Chicago Film Critics' choices (photo: Sigourney Weaver and Alien creature show us that life is less horrific if you don't hold grudges) See previous post: A look at the Chicago Film Critics Association's Scariest Movies Ever Made. Below is the list of the Chicago Film Critics's Top 100 Horror Movies of All Time, including their directors and key cast members. Note: this list was first published in October 2006. (See also: Fay Wray, Lee Patrick, and Mary Philbin among the "Top Ten Scream Queens.") 1. Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock; with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam. 2. The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin; with Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow (and the voice of Mercedes McCambridge). 3. Halloween (1978) John Carpenter; with Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran. 4. Alien (1979) Ridley Scott; with Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt. 5. Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero; with Marilyn Eastman,...

Well, At Least I Won't Get Called Poncy Again. I Hope....

As you read this week's column, I'll already be attending the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour down in Pasadena, California. And before I've attended a single panel, I can already pretty much guarantee this is going to be one of the weaker (gay) tours in memory. For starters, CBS hasn't given us a single screener for their two new shows (which sound utterly conventional and appear to be gay free. Shock!) and even ABC which is reliably gay-friendly, doesn't have anything that looks terribly promising.

Honestly, Starz looks to be the best bet between Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and Torchwood, but since for some reason, Russell T Davies won't be available for me to interview during the TCA, even that won't take up quite as much as my time. Fortunately, Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight is available...

Former child star Lance Kerwin has been found guilty of second-degree theft and placed on five years probation in Kauai, Hawaii.

The actor, who played the lead role on 1970s U.S. TV show James at 15, was ordered to carry out 300 hours of community service and was given credit for time already served during sentencing last week.

Kerwin, who quit acting to become a pastor, was found guilty of faking documents to get state medical assistance and free food stamps - despite owning three homes.

He has repaid $21,822 (£14,000).

When sentenced to community service and placed on probation, he said, "I'm sorry. The last thing I want to do is to make a statement to minimise what I have done."...

The guy who was James at 15 is now 49 and lucky to not be serving 90 days in jail for theft. Lance Kerwin, who played the title teen in the 1970s-era series, received credit for time served and was sentenced to five years' probation for falsifying information on an application to get state-provided medical benefits and food stamps on the island of Kauai. According to his attorney, Kerwin, whose last appearance onscreen was in the 1995 thriller Outbreak, failed to include in his paperwork that he owned several properties in Hawaii. The actor has already paid $21,822 in restitution, he says. Kerwin was also ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.