Inside Lewis Pullman’s Unique Salem’s Lot Audition

Lewis Pullman’s audition for the reimagined Salem’s Lot took an unusual turn when he was faced with a peculiar question from the writer-director, Gary Dauberman. In a recent Zoom conversation, Pullman recounted, “I remember Gary driving home the idea that he wanted an ordinary man. The one thing he asked me was, ‘Do you know how to change a tire?’ I can do that, so he was like, ‘Okay, great.’ It took me a while to understand why he asked me that question, but I think it was because he wanted someone who feels like an everyday guy, which is a compliment.”

In this latest adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel, Pullman portrays Ben Mears, a writer who returns to his childhood home in Jerusalem’s Lot, only to find that his hometown is under siege by a bloodthirsty vampire. Co-starring alongside him is Makenzie Leigh, who plays Susan Norton, a local resident who teams up with Mears to confront the sinister threat facing their community. Salem’s Lot is set to stream on Max starting Wednesday, October 3, 2024.

Pullman elaborated on the significance of the ordinary man concept, saying, “It makes sense why he wanted that. I think he chose those scenes with Ben and Susan because they revolve around how someone grapples with a world-altering idea and expresses vulnerability. Ben has a lot of past issues to confront, so the question becomes, how does he open up to someone?”

Leigh shared her experience preparing for the audition, noting, “When I was self-taping my audition before I got to perform with Lewis, I initially approached it with a very indie film tone. I watched it back and thought, ‘This is no fun, and the writing is really fun.’ I’m not a fan of self-taping, but the advantage is you can review it and, particularly with a writer and filmmaker like Gary, try to capture the right tone while staying true to the material.”

Stephen King himself has endorsed this reimagining of his beloved novel, adding another layer of excitement for the cast. Leigh recalled, “We found out about it when he tweeted his approval, and I reposted it. It was shocking. Of course, we had read the script and were invested in the project, so we held it close to our hearts as we awaited its release. Having his endorsement is all you could hope for.”

Salem’s Lot premiered at Beyond Fest, a prestigious genre film festival in Los Angeles, where it received largely positive reviews. Critics have commended the film for its emphasis on atmosphere and creepiness rather than excessive gore. Pullman reflected on this aspect, stating, “A lot of people enjoy the feeling of discomfort over outright fear. I liked the creepiness versus the scariness because Gary has a lot of patience in a movie like this, which relieves me. My favorite type of horror films allows those moments to breathe and move at a pace that doesn’t feel rushed for the next jump scare. That was a breath of fresh air.”

Dauberman also made the conscious decision to set Salem’s Lot in the 1970s instead of modernizing it, a choice that resonated with Leigh. “The worst thing about modern horror films is cell phones. They ruin the romanticism of what horror should be. Today, it’s like, ‘Oh, the cell phone battery has to die.’ Thank God this is not set in the present because it enhances the atmosphere and creepiness. You can still feel that eerie vibe of being out in the country at night, contemplating if something might be lurking in the shadows. You can imagine it, but a cell phone really diminishes that suspense in a movie.”

One of the film’s standout moments takes place during a wild finale set in a drive-in movie theater, a nod to a time when such venues were thriving. Pullman described this scene as both challenging and enjoyable to shoot. “That was one of the most fun scenes to film, and it was also quite challenging. Had we set it in a different era, that scene might not have worked, and it’s such a well-designed sequence. So many components went into making that scene successful, and it was a prime example of collaboration. Every department had to coordinate things like making the fake sun move at the right speed. The level of coordination was incredibly demanding, but I loved that scene.”

Although Salem’s Lot is a vampire film, it refrains from indulging in the gore typically associated with the genre, though it does feature some bloody moments. Pullman humorously remarked about one particularly messy scene where his character gets severely splattered. “It turned into a continuity nightmare with the blood. Luckily, we had fantastic costume designers who tracked the blood splotches. There was even a scene cut from the final movie where I was completely drenched in blood. It’s one of those moments where you’re trying to act while a geyser of blood is forcing its way down your eyelids, which was a challenge.”

Pullman concluded by appreciating Dauberman’s approach to the film. “I’m glad Gary leaned into the right amount of shock without focusing too heavily on gore. It strikes a balance that makes it both engaging and unsettling.” With the anticipation surrounding Salem’s Lot, fans of King’s work and horror enthusiasts alike are eager to see how this new adaptation unfolds.