Arrow Video, out now

An author returns to his childhood town of Salem’s Lot after 25 years to write about an old mansion with a bad reputation that has haunted him since childhood.

For me, when the BBC first showed Tobe Hooper’s two-part adaptation of Stephen King’s vampire opus in September 1981, nearly two years after its Stateside debut on CBS, it was the talk of the playground. With a terrifying part one cliffhanger, all we could focus on was the terrifying, floating vampire kids with glowing eyes.

Forty-five years later, it would be fair to assume that the TV movie would by now have lost some of its impact, but this is not the case. The remakes in 2004 and 2024 were nowhere near as effective, and this 4K upgrade by Arrow makes the original look better than ever.

The previous Blu-ray release by Warner Bros presented the two-part series as a single movie, with a commentary by director Hooper. Arrow’s release has new 4K restorations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the original two-part miniseries and the shorter (112 minutes) international theatrical cut, with original lossless mono audio.

And it looks fantastic. Just a cursory watch of Gene Kraft’s Emmy-nominated opening credits with the jet black night sat behind the iconic purple logo shows how crisp this transfer is. Come for David Soul’s earnest Ben Mears, James Mason’s slimy Straker, Reggie Nalder’s Nosferatu-like Barlow. Be terrified by the window-tapping Glick kids and Geoffrey Lewis’ Ryerson – ‘Teacher’ – and one of the screen’s scariest haunted houses. But stay for the glorious upgrade which now makes your nightmares just that much sharper and colourful.

Disc 1 lets you play the mini-series as either two parts or a single movie, with both the archive Hooper commentary and a new one by film critics Bill Ackerman and Amanda Reyes. Alternate TV footage includes commercial bumpers and the original broadcast version (not so gory) of the antlers death impaling, as well as a gallery of pages from the original shooting script. What’s stunning is the ‘this episode’ throw forward at the start of each segment, pretty much ruining every major highlight of what you’re about to watch.

Disc 2 has the theatrical cut, with a new audio commentary by film critic Chris Alexander, interviews with and appreciations by Douglas Winter, Grady Hendrix, Mick Garris, Heather Wixson, Joe Lipsett and Trace Thurman, and a fascinating featurette about the series’ locations as they are today.

This collector’s edition has a reversible sleeve with two original artwork options, a booklet of new writing, foldout poster and Salem’s Lot town sticker.

Verdict: Salem’s Lot was my Stephen King gateway drug, and what a way to start! Proving that TV horror can be just as scary as the big screen, this collector’s edition is packed with fan-pleasing extras and Arrow should be applauded for this superlative release. 10/10

Nick Joy