I was pretty young when Salem's Lot premiered on television back in 1979, but my parents were watching it, and so they let me watch it. Horror didn't register on their parental guidance meter (not much does). So they had no idea what a hairless vampire with glowing eyes and a floating kid outside a bedroom window would do to their young son. It was bad news.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Barlow
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19 comments:
Barlow is one of my favorite all time screen vampires because he really embodies the "Monster" side of "Vampire." The rotted dirt filled coffin he rests in is a thing of beauty. The art direction really sells the idea of the vampire as evil vermin. No angsty whining for that badboy!
My parents were also of the "we do not censor" variety. This movie messes with my head to this day. I can't get through it. I HAVE seen the whole movie, but in chunks. I have to fast forward through the kid outside the window.....*shudder*
I agree. Remember that scene where he fatally bangs the kid's parents' heads together, killing them instantly? Horrible. I remember being a little kid and being so horrified of that.
It was worse than being taken to the movies as a kid to see King Kong...all those guys falling to their deaths as Kong shook them off the giant log? I swear I remember thinking "I'm too young for this!"
If you click on his pic, you can watch that scene...In my mind, the banging of the heads was the most disturbing images on film - EVER. Though it looks a little silly here because the actors didn't even TRY to make it look fast and painful.... but the reaction of the boy is STILL bothersome and disturbing. His parents were killed in front of him at the same time. By a monster.
Awful. Thanks, mom. Thanks, dad.
I agree with Sean - I've never been a huge fan of 'civilized' vampires. There was an old story about a monster-vampire that scratched on a little girls window that used to freak me out as a kid. The Nosferatu-types do that for me - the Dracula-types . . not so much.
I really dug it and I can still find little fault in it. I remember I saw the part with Barlow's first appearance over at a friend's house and was a little nervous walking home afterward. I don't think it warped me as much as other things I saw as a kid but it has to be my favorite vampire flick to this day, except for maybe Vampire Circus. I loved the cast and the fact that Starsky and hutch was big at the time and here was Hutch in a vampire movie. Now I see David Soul as more of a big old wife-beater and crappy actor but he doesn't drag the movie down too much.
I remember being told that the book was better but I had mixed feelings about the book after reading it. The less said about the remake a few years back, the better.
I was 9 years old when this movie came out and my parents had the same attitude....sure you can watch this, its not scary!
I think I see him standing at my bedroom doorway when I go to bed at night.....
Thanks parents.
Sorry, you can strike the crack about David Soul if you want to. It was uncalled for.
So, I've determined that the stork screwed up and dropped my twin elsewhere, since we are completely on the same wavelength on this one!
I am literally just finishing up my re-read of the book, " 'salem's Lot," and I tell you, that thing STILL has me enthralled, horrified, and scared to go to sleep.
That King guy should consider being a writer... ;o)
Barlow! The quintessential bad-ass, no-frills, cold blooded killer vampire, I would like to see him turned loose in a twilight movie, he could teach those sparkling little candy-ass vamps a thing or two about what it means to be undead! After seeing this at a young age I discovered the paperback in my older sister's bookcase, what a find! I feel this could be the best Stephen King book to movie adaptation to date.
The Amityville Horror did the same thing to me.
Jody.
The eyes.
Nightmares.
My parents are very much on the we DO censor type. and the worst part is, they don't care so much about the sex or language, but the violence and horror. it is AWFUL. i still haven't seen the original halloween. i'm dying to see trick'r'treat too. grrr. i am twelve years old. i post on the blog frequently but i'll go anonymous this time, don't want any pedos. rot can still see my IP address but i trust he wont post who i am.
anyway, after watching that video, i will now watch salems lot, which i AM allowed to see. thanks rot! i'll let you know what i think. :)
Did anyone else find the vampires in "30 Days of Night" to be pretty bad ass as well, or is it just me? I realize that they're part of the "new" genre and my spouse thought that their made-up language was ridiculous, but I found them riveting. They (and vamps like Barlow and Nosferatu) are exactly what vampires SHOULD be: terrifying creatures of the night and NOT Jonas Brothersesque.
Since I saw this post this morning I got "Barlow on the brain", to make matters worse Netflix doesn't have it! Arrrrgghh.....I might have to venture out to a video store to look for this for the weekend, an excellent watch while working on props...
helloooooo!
just watched Salems Lot yesterday. i thought it was great! the kid is the window was pretty disturbing.
by the way, i am the same kid who posted the comment before. between jon and another anonymous.
It was pretty creepy, but not terffying like it was to you guys back then. kids are pretty desensitized nowadays.
anyway, loved it. thanks rot.
That mini-series ('79 version) warped me for decades. I still get the heebies about not looking out of dark upstairs windows in case there's someone floating there. Yikes!
I think it was one of the more successful King novel to screen adaptions.
Barlow-the ultimate vampire indeed-i own this dvd (salems lot) i keep it on my "ready to play dvd pile" upon my bd player...only wish that it was widescreen...the remake seems closer to the original SK story, although the production sucks...snow on green tree leaves?
Barlow is a GREAT villian, and a HUGE inspiration on my costume this year (I'm doing a costume based upon the villian in a story I'm writing). In this day and age, when vamps are treated as mis-understood, whiny emo boys, it's nice to go back and visit 'Salem's Lot and Mr. Barlow!
Saw the scene, and it was awesome!!! Almost wish I was born in the 70s...
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