release year: 1979
genre: made-for-TV horror miniseries
viewing setting: home DVD, 11/9/99
what I expected: vampire movie
what I got: vampire and human movie
synopsis: The small isolated New England town of Salem's Lot has a new inhabitant...one with fangs.
impressions: This thing is long - more than three hours. It uses much of that time to develop the characters and the interactions between them, which I liked. It took a while for creepy things to start happening, but once they did, the mood was really set. This is both a horror movie and a drama, which isn't a bad thing. Just be prepared to focus on it for three hours.
body count: 1 dog, 9 people, 2 vampires confirmed
acting: Pretty good on all fronts. Many of the different characters stood out, at least enough that the things they did made sense.
the good: Plot, acting, vampire makeup.
the bad: Maybe a little long for a casual viewing.
final word: Worth seeing for vampire fans.
rating: C+