A Conversation with Rob Lowe
(Ben Mears)

Q:What role does Ben Mears play in this film?

A:Ben Mears is a character who is in a very early mid-life crisis. He finds himself successful and starts to feel that this is all there is. He’s trying to disprove the old adage that you can’t go home again. So he comes home to his town of Salem’s Lot and gets a lot more than he bargained for.

Q:Talk about Ben’s relationship with Samantha’s character, Susan.

A:As much as he would hate to admit it, I think Ben is probably in love with her. I think he’s in love with her innocence, her wide-eyed, unsophisticated look at the world and her looking at writing in particular. He’s a jaded writer who’s been to the big party and has looked behind the curtain to see the guy operating the Wizard of Oz. She’s new still and young. It’s hard for him to let go of that.

Q:Why remake this movie?

A:The movie needed to be remade. It’s one of Stephen’s most successful books. They made it years ago when the technology was horrendous. Thematically, we’re going about it in a much different way. The way you shoot it now, you couldn’t have done in 1979.

Q:Are you friends with Stephen King?

A:I do know Stephen King. I got the chance to meet him during the making of The Stand 10 years ago. He’s a humble, wonderful, family-oriented man who loves basketball as I do. Stephen King is the master of modern horror. That’s his title and he deserves it. I think what people forget about his work is that it’s all based on really strong character storytelling. The good adaptations of Stephen’s work embrace the storytelling and the people because they’re really finely drawn. They’re amazing snapshots of American life.

Q:What was it like working with this talented group of actors?

A:This group is really extraordinary, James Cromwell, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland and Samantha Mathis. I’m fulfilling a lifelong dream of working with Donald. It is such a group of heavy hitters. They each bring a seriousness of purpose. We’re not making a silly vampire movie.

A Conversation with Andre Braugher
(Matt Burke)

Q:Why do you think it was decided to remake SALEM’S LOT?

A:I think we can do a better job than what was done 20 years ago. I think with a little bit of discipline we can tell a more frightening tale. Peter Filardi has really put together a very interesting script. It was a page-turner. It is a provocative, well-designed, well-crafted world. This is a well-done adaptation of Stephen King’s novel.

Q:How would you describe this film?

A:I would describe this film as a modern day vampire tale. I think it’s a disturbing and visceral tale because no one believes in vampires these days. Consequently, they can infect a population rather easily because no one can actually bring themselves to believe there’s a vampire scourge in our town. The characters in this film battle for their own sanity, as well as try to convince other people that this phenomenon is real.

Q:How are the vampires in this film different than films past?

A:Vampires in this film are extremely powerful in terms of their ability to influence human behavior. They demonstrate a kind of guile in getting human beings to allow them into their homes. They attack, devour and prey on human beings. They also have a very powerful sexual nature, which is a relatively unexplored aspect of the vampire lore. People willingly submit to the power of the vampire. They have a very strong connection to the most elemental part of the human being, which is sexuality.

Q:What dramatic elements come out in SALEM’S LOT?

A:The drama in SALEM’S LOT comes from the fear--mindless, blind fear. There’s something you feel down in your bones.

A Conversation with Donald Sutherland
(Richard Straker)

Q:What was it like working with Rob Lowe?

A:Rob was charming, elegant and lovely. I have worked with his brother Chad Lowe and had a wonderful time with him, as well.

Q:What scares you most?

A:I suppose not being able to find the truth. That’s what my job is—to find the truth. Passion alone is a remedy against boredom. So, even the pursuit of truth is a passionate exercise. I guess if I were denied the opportunity of working, that’s always an actor’s fear.

A Conversation with Samantha Mathis
(Susan Norton)

Q:What images come to mind when thinking of vampires in this film?

A:In terms of creating the look for the vampires in this, we’ve tried to do something unique. We’re trying to do something specific and different than the previous Salem’s Lot, and even different than how Stephen King originally conceived the characters. It’s been really fun to have the creative process with the makeup and hair. Mikael created a specific look that is haunting and eerie, yet also sensual and sexy. There’s also been something very erotic about them. What we’ve tried to achieve is the fine line between being scary but also alluring.

Q:How would you describe this film?

A:I would say it’s about a writer who comes home to this town to investigate a house that haunted him when he was a young man. It’s really interesting because it’s not just about what seems to be on the surface. I think what Stephen King was trying to look at was the nature of evil in people and this small town where you think nothing happens. It’s not just a vampire story. It’s really looking at this little town as a microcosm of life.

Q:Do you believe the house plays an important character?

A:I think the Marsten house is a pivotal character. It’s constantly talked about, referred to, looked at and avoided, a dark mysterious presence with a spirit.

Q:What element is necessary for a truly scary film?

A:You have to have suspense. I think scary music adds a lot of suspense.

A Conversation with Rutger Hauer
(Kurt Barlow)

Q:What was it like playing a vampire?

A:I love the character of vampires because they are people just like actors who can change face, shape, form, tone, and dance. They can have a wide range of appearance and that’s kinda fun. Fear is an amazing engine. Once you push the button you’re hooked. This is part of the vampire’s craft.

Q:Where does the drama come from within this story?

A:I would say it’s a scary movie. I might say it’s about vampires. I might say it’s a piece of entertainment. On the other hand, if you take a look a little closer you might see the concept which is actually expressed in one of my lines, “Evil comes from inside all of us.” The original idea of vampires, or any externalized evil, is the projection of our fear of what we feel lies within all of us, because we are hiding behind a mask.

Q:What affect do the vampires have on your character, Father Callahan?

A:Father Callahan has a crisis of faith when push comes to shove and is seduced by Barlow. That’s really what it is; it’s not a debate about good verses evil. It’s not rationale. It’s a seduction. It preys on something Father Callahan manages to repress through the use of alcohol, which is his lack of spiritual connection to God.

Q:What elements are necessary when creating a scary film?

A:To make a great scary movie, you have to surprise people. This has become increasingly difficult in this day and age when we seem to have exhausted all the possible ways of scaring people. I think there is terror in everyday reality. The question is how do you photograph it and conceptualize it in such a way that people sense there is something really wrong. You have to create a strong enough pull that people are taken out of ordinary reality into an extraordinary reality.

Q:What was it like working with Rob Lowe?

A:It was very nice working with Rob. I think he’s very intelligent and competent and Lord knows attractive. He has many of the same political interests that I do.