One of the most iconic authors in the world of Dark Fiction over the last half-century, Stephen King has rightfully been dubbed by many as the “King of Horror.” A title that might seem limiting, the truth is King has written far more than just tales of terror. Nonetheless, his contributions to Horror literature are significant, with many iconic tales including 1974’s Carrie, 1977’s The Shining, 1983’s Pet Sematary, and 1986’s It, to name a few. Having authored 67 novels in all, with roughly half leaning toward the macabre, avid readers have different thoughts on which rank as their favorites. In the same breath, King himself has his own list of what he deems to be the top of a personal list, one of which is the 1975 novel Salem’s Lot.
The second Stephen King novel ever published, Salem’s Lot, found a niche audience before exploding into mass success roughly 10 months later, in August 1976, when it hit paperback and sold millions of copies. A consecutive best seller next to Carrie, it soon became evident that King was headed toward big things in the literary world, as well as in cinema. First, there was Carrie, adapted into Brian De Palma’s film of the same name in 1976, paving the way for Salem’s Lot to reach the screen in a mini-series that aired on CBS in 1979.
A two-part series that premiered with Part One on Saturday, November 17, 1979, and concluded a week later with Part Two on Saturday, November 24, 1979, it would be a massive hit for CBS and a landmark for Horror on television. With ratings that were through the roof, Salem’s Lot shifted the perception of what was possible for Horror cinema made for television. Benefiting from having Tobe Hooper (famous for 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) in the director’s chair, the project also had well-known actors such as David Soul (famously recognized as Hutch from the popular TV series Starsky & Hutch), the three Academy Award nominee James Mason, and accomplished Bonnie Bedelia leading the cast, solidifying quality.
With everything put into play, the mini-series ran a little over three hours of film, significantly longer than any television movie at the time or even a feature-length theatrical film. Something to consider: because of the length, Salem’s Lot has substantial time to build the characters. Although this could be a blessing and a curse, as some might even argue it is a bit drawn out and weighed down by the very slow-burning build. Nonetheless, Hopper certainly created a plausibly unsettling atmosphere for a Horror movie featured on broadcast television with numerous memorable scenes, such as an undead Ralphie Glick (played by Ronnie Scribner) floating outside his brother Danny’s (played by Brad Savage) bedroom window, scratching at the glass to be let in.
Just one of the effective scares in Salem’s Lot, King himself was also quite impressed with how Hopper handled the source material, even though he was a bit uncertain about the decision to turn the lead vampire Kurt Barlow, causing chaos in a small town, into a monstrous Nosferatu-type character. An image most associated with Salem’s Lot, moving forward, there is little question of the lasting memory it left among Horror fans of all ages and on prime-time television. Receiving three Prime Emmy Award nominations, it was even given a theatrical release outside the USA, but with over an hour trimmed off.
So, while more modern adaptations arrived in the decades to follow (2004’s TNT edition and 2024’s feature film from HBO MAX), Tobe Hopper’s 1979 take is the one everyone turns to. It even inspired a 1987 sequel (not related to King’s original story), released as the film A Return to Salem’s Lot. Showing the sustained impact of it all, many fans will be excited to learn that 1979’s Salem Lot finds its way to 4K Ultra HD in 2026.
The first time it ever made it to 4K Ultra HD, the new release comes from Arrow Video on March 31, 2026, in a limited-edition two-disc set. A thorough release: you get both the original two-part miniseries on disc one and the theatrical version on disc two. Furthermore, the uncut miniseries on disc one lets you watch it as parts 1 and 2 or as one continuous film.
Having exceptionally cleaner imagery than prior home media editions of Salem’s Lot, the restoration successfully adds color, depth, and light to darker scenes. Enough to make this set worth getting, there are also new audio commentaries, a new interview with Stephen King himself, new featurettes, a reversible sleeve (with two original artworks), an in-depth booklet, Salem’s Lot town sticker, and so much more.
Altogether, Arrow Video truly put in ample work to make this the best edition of Salem’s Lot anyone could ever dream of. That is why Cryptic Rock gives this 4K Ultra HD limited edition release of Salem’s Lot 5 out of 5 stars.
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