Macabre...ish Horror Review: A Return to Salem’s Lot

A Return to Salem’s Lot, 1987/ 1 hr 41 min

This movie opens with a cheesy but graphic fertility ritual with an Anthropologist, Joseph Weber (Michael Moriarty), capturing it on video for the first time ever. He rushes home when he’s told his son, Jeremy, is hurt. It turns out to be a lie, he’s just a spoiled troublemaker. The mother drops him off at the airport where Weber lands.

They decide to settle in Salem’s Lot where Joe was left a house by his aunt. They arrive and the locals are weird. Creepy weird. The town is perfect. Perfectly manicure lawns. Immaculate. And there seem to be almost no children in town.

When we finally see some teenagers, they are pulled over and are quickly attacked by vampires and some random monster. Then some hobos are attacked in the woods by a classful of ten year olds.

The one ‘normal’ family they meet is cultish and creepy. Their purpose is to protect the town secret and see that it thrives under the shield of disbelief. These people have an ulterior motive, one of which is, they want Joe to chronicle their history, a bible, of sorts. To change human perception of vampires. With his credibility they believe his work will be taken seriously. Though it will not be read for 200 hundred years.
They take Joseph’s son to ‘encourage’ him to take the job and stay.

This movie actually turned out pretty good. Even though the effects are not great, the story is good. It’s not scary but creepy. There are a few gratuitous sex scenes and nudity. This turned out to be a fun flick! I liked this better than the first one. Also Tara Reid is Amanda in this.