After Stephen King’s long-awaited vampire film “Salem’s Lot” was stuck in development hell for years, a premiere date is finally in sight. So to speak.

Horror film lovers can add another project to their watchlists, as the premiere date for the new film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “Salem’s Lot” has finally been set.

New Line Cinema, the studio that produces King’s work, first announced that Salem’s Lot was in production in April 2019. Filming began in September 2021 and was completed in late May/early June 2022 due to the need for additional footage.

No further news was announced around the film until August 23, 2024, when the streaming service Max confirmed that Salem’s Lot will be released in October 2024. It currently has no fixed premiere date.

Max

The film’s release date was in limbo for quite some time. It was supposed to be released on September 9, 2022, but was then pushed back to April 21, 2023 as Hollywood postponed releases after the global shutdown pushed everything back.

In October 2023, Warner Bros. announced that Salem’s Lot would not premiere in cinemas but would be streamed via their streaming service as part of a “growing need for Max content.”

With no release date in sight until 2024, King himself commented on the film’s shelved status in February, writing on X/Twitter: “Between you, Twitter, I saw the new SALEM’S LOT and it’s pretty good. Old school horror filmmaking: slow build, big impact. Not sure why WB is holding it back; it’s not like it’s embarrassing or anything. Who knows. I just write the damn stuff.”

Although Salem’s Lot now has a release window for its home on Max, it will will be in cinemas in the UK and Ireland from October 11, 2024.

There’s a chance Max could release the film the same weekend as its international premiere, but they may not want to compete with Terrifer 3 since that one comes out on the same day.

Because of their haunting storylines, King’s films usually come out during the month of Halloween, so it would be surprising if the studio went against that tradition.

For even more scares, check out our guides to the best horror movies on Amazon Prime Video and horror movies on Disney Plus. Plus, check out all the other new movies coming soon.