Horror Annotation

 

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Genre: Horror

Publication Date: October 17, 1975

Number of Pages: 483

Synopsis: Writer Ben Mears returns to the town of ‘Salem’s Lot, Maine in order to write about the abandoned Marsten House, where he had a traumatic experience as a child. In ‘Salem’s Lot, he becomes friends with high school teacher Matt Burke and begins dating a young woman from town named Susan Norton. Meanwhile, two strange newcomers, Barlow and Straker, open an antique shop in town. As a series of disappearances and mysterious deaths unfold, Ben, Matt, and Susan begin to investigate and find that their sleepy, New England town has been infected by a kind of evil beyond their imaginations.

Horror Elements:

Monsters and supernatural and paranormal phenomena are present (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 238)

All good horror stories require some sort of evil monster or supernatural element. In ‘Salem’s Lot, “[t]he character of the villain or evil force is key” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 243). Without giving too much away, an ancient creature wreaks havoc in this small town, but it takes Ben, Matt, and Susan’s investigative work to lead to this conclusion. Before that, the particular cause of evil, that which leads to the disappearances and deaths of townspeople, is “vague and hard to know” causing a “sense of unease” which permeates this novel (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 243).

Descriptive language that is rich in adjectives and evokes the evil that threatens (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 238)

Stephen King’s writing style is known to be “elaborately lush” to say the least (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 242). He employs richly descriptive language to set the scene for his readers, whether the story is set in ‘Salem’s Lot, Derry, Castle Rock, or any other fictional Maine town. King’s descriptions “transport readers into the emotional heart and eerie setting of [his] novel” and keep them invested in books that never seem as long as they really are (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 242). His rich use of language paints a picture for his readers and is one reason why his books are often adapted into films and television series.

Unexpected appearances and attacks which keep the story moving quickly (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 238)

Unexplained disappearances and deaths fuel the narrative of ‘Salem’s Lot. However, the pace is never too fast or too slow. Instead, the pacing in this novel is “erratic” and reminiscent of the “unpredictable flow of the story” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 243). Tragedies crop up when we least expect them, and there are intense, action-packed scenes followed by sudden “retreats into dialogue” which give “characters…a place to rest” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 243). The unpredictability and unexpected bouts of violence and terror make this novel a true nightmare for readers.

Read-Alikes:

Needful Things by Stephen King

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson

 

References

Wyatt, N. & Saricks, J. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed.). ALA Editions.