Summary
With the spooky season nearly here, one of the most beloved pastimes is horror films, television, games, and books. The scary, macabre world of horror movies have a way of bringing people together during these fall months, and there is no better example of the horror genre than the master of horror himself,Stephen King. Many of the author’s projects have been adapted in recent years, fromGerald’s GameandThe Standto the modern day classic,It: Chapters 1 & 2. Yet this fall, Max is ready to unleash one ofthe author’s first books,Salem’s Lot.
The iconic story brought to life a unique and twisted take on the classic vampire story, showing what happens when an ancient vampire comes to a small rural Maine town and slowly begins turning the townspeople into his vampires. A small, unlikely band of heroes must rise to take on the creature before the entire town is lost, but that is no small feat considering the power this vampire wields. The vampire in King’s novel and the upcoming adaption on the Max streaming service is Kurt Barlow, but who exactly is the vampirein the grand scheme ofStephen King’suniverse?
Kurt Barlow in the Books
An interesting thing about many of King’s books, includingSalem’s Lot, is just how much it connects to other books he has written. So much, in fact, that many of them are interconnected toStephen King’s magnum opus,The Dark Tower. There are many elements of each book found in that series, including the use of vampires as some of the creatures the Gunslinger has to take on during his quest. Through those adventures, Kurt Barlow is identified as a Type One vampire, a creature who is able to hibernate for centuries and is known for their high level of intelligence and ruthless and cunning skills as a vampire. However, unlike other Type One vampires, Barlow is able to slowly de-age as time goes on in hisSalem’s Lotrun, becoming more and more like his younger self the more power he retains in the Lot.
Originally posing as an Austrian noble person, Barlow fled to Britain after the Gestapo took up a vampire hunting party in 1938, forcing him to adopt the name Barlow. After a brief correspondence with a former Depression-era Boston hitman, Barlow found himself drawn to the Lot in 1975, where his familiar Richard Straker, bought anotoriously haunted homefor them to live in, which was once the mansion of the former hitman. Straker told the town he and Barlow were business associates, running an antique shop in the town and telling residents Barlow was “away on business often”.
Straker helped take the town’s first two victims, Danny and Ralphie Glick, to Barlow at the house. Ralphie was used in a ritual sacrifice, while Danny was the first of the townspeople to be turned into a vampire, helping to spread his influence and turn others later on. After a young boy named Mark Petrie recognized Danny was a vampire, he helped gather the few townspeople who would listen to his claims and help himfight off the vampires, including protagonist and author Ben Mears, Susan Norton, Ben Burke and Father Callahan. Mark would wound Straker in their first fight, but one of their party would be lost, becoming a vampire sired by Barlow.
Later, Barlow tracked Father Callahan and Mark to Mark’s house, where he took the boy’s parents and ended them. Father Callahannearly drove off the vampire, but his faltering faith allowed the vampire to overwhelm him, forcing the priest to drink his blood but not turning him and sparing the life of the boy per the father’s pleas. Callahan would eventually become a drifter, marked “unclean” to all other vampires from that day forward. Eventually, only Mark and Ben would be left, taking down the ancient vampire but losing the rest of the town to vampirism as a result.
Barlow Returns to Salem’s Lot
With much of the productionled by producers ofItChapters 1 & 2, fans should expect to see the film keep pretty close to the original novel. Set in the 70s, the new film will be the first adaption of the novel since the 2004 miniseries starring Rob Lowe and Rutger Hauer first aired two decades ago. The trailer has revealed many core elements of the original novel still live, from the abduction of the two Glick boys to Mark’s discovery of the vampires and the haunted mansion where Barlow resides, which should mean fans will be treated to a faithful, if not scarier variation of the powerful vampire Barlow.
What remains to be seen is just how much of the original novel and other Stephen King works will be included or hinted at in this novel, and how that will impact Barlow’s role as well. InItChapters 1 & 2, there are many references to Marturin the Turtle, who wasnot only Pennywise’s enemyin the book but a major force inStephen King’sDark Towerseries. Could Barlow’s role as a Type 1 vampire be delved into further in this adaption as well? Considering the terrifying presence he leaves behind in the film’s trailer, it is clear the producers understood just how haunting King’s vampire needs to be.
Stephen King
Stephen King is one of the most prolific living authors. A master of horror, King’s classic works include The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, It, and the Dark Tower series. Many of his books and short stories have been adapted to film and television, including The Shawshank Redemption, Lisey’s Story, 1408, Secret Window, and The Stand.
