Stephen King’s storytelling has amassed a number of fans over the years. If not for his actual writing, then for the adaptations they’ve spawned. For filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, however, it turns out that one classic adaptation from King left him “disappointed.”
The year 1979 gave way to a television miniseries that’s often considered one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King story. This particular miniseries, helmed by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, is also often considered one of Hooper’s best works as well. As such, it may be shocking to hear that Quentin Tarantino is not a fan of Salem’s Lot.
Tarantino revealed as much in his new book, Cinema Speculation, which includes a section on Tobe Hooper. Here is what he had to say on the matter:
“When I finally saw it, I was prepared for something great. And man was I disappointed. To me, it just seemed like a stretched-out TV movie done in a very TV-style (and I like TV movies)…I tried to watch it again a couple of years ago and it was just too dull. I turned it off after about twenty-five minutes.”
Of course, Quentin Tarantino is not alone with his opinion on the Stephen King adaptation. There are many fans of King’s novel that felt the miniseries adaptation did not capture it as well as it could have. Others simply did not find themselves immersed in a film that’s a rather heavy-handed throwback to the likes of classic Hammer vampire flicks. For those that enjoy it, however, they often cite it as one of the best vampire stories ever put on the screen.
Perhaps, if Gary Dauberman‘s adaptation of Salem’s Lot ever finds its way out of the WB vaults, then we can see a new take that might please the likes of Tarantino. Until then, we’ll have to settle for the 1979 miniseries, and the negatively-received 2004 iteration that followed.