All 14 Major Deaths in Salems Lot, Explained

Warning: major spoilers for 2024’s Salem’s Lot.

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Salem’s Lot sees the title town being haunted by the presence of a thirsty vampire named Barlow (Alexander Ward), and the result is many deaths, with most victims returning as vampires. In 1975, Stephen King’s second published novel, Salem’s Lot, arrived to introduce readers to King’s style of vampires. Salem’s Lot was a success with critics and readers, and is now one of King’s most popular and beloved works, so much so that it has gotten different adaptations. After two adaptations into TV miniseries in 1979 and 2004, Salem’s Lot got its first feature film adaptation in 2024.

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Directed by Gary Dauberman, Salem’s Lot follows writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), who returns to his hometown of Salem’s Lot looking for inspiration for his next book. Mears’ arrival coincides with the disappearance of a young boy, but subsequent mysterious and tragic events lead Mears and other town residents to uncover the truth: the Lot is being preyed upon by thirsty vampire Barlow, who is also turning most of its victims into vampires. As a result, there are many deaths in Salem’s Lot, but not all of them get a second life as vampires.

11 The Glick Family

Ralph, Danny, & Marjorie Glick

One of Barlow’s first victims (if not the very first) is Ralph Glick (Cade Woodward). The young boy is walking home with his brother, Danny (Nicholas Crovetti), when they are approached by Richard Straker (Pilou Asbæk) in his car. Straker targets Ralph, and as the boys walk through the woods in hopes of getting rid of Straker, he abducts Ralph. Straker takes Ralph to the Marsten house to offer him to Barlow, and the vampire feeds on the young boy, killing him.

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Not long after, Danny is lured outside his house at night by a strange presence. Danny gets sick and is taken to the hospital, where he’s said to have anemia – but in reality, he was bitten by Barlow and was in the process of becoming a vampire. Danny dies after desperately drinking the blood from his transfusion at the hospital but rises again as a vampire the night after his funeral.

Danny later targets his mother, Marjorie, who also becomes a vampire, but she’s killed by Ben and Susan (Makenzie Leigh) with a cross right after she attacks Dr. Cody (Alfre Woodward). The fate of Danny and Ralph’s father is left unknown, but it’s understood that he also becomes a vampire at some point. Danny is later killed by Mark (Jordan Preston Carter) at Straker and Barlow’s antique shop.

10 Mike Ryerson

Mike Was Danny’s First Victim

Mike Ryerson (Spencer Treat Clark) is at the wrong place at the worst time in Salem’s Lot. Mike is a groundskeeper at the Salem’s Lot cemetery, but he falls asleep while waiting for Danny Glick’s funeral to be over. Mike wakes up at night and quickly begins to fill the grave, but he hears Danny begging for help and knocking on his coffin. When Mike opens it, Danny is peacefully sleeping, so he closes it again. However, seconds later, Danny rises from the grave and attacks Mike, who becomes his first victim.

Mike is later found by Matt Burke (Bill Camp) at the local bar, and thinking he’s sick, Matt invites him to stay at his place so he can take him to the doctor the following morning. While at Matt’s home, Mike fully transforms into a vampire and tries to attack Matt, who defends himself with a cross and expels Mike from his home. Mike is killed by Ben outside the church.

9 Matt Burke

Matt Was Eventually Killed By Barlow

Matt Burke is a teacher at Salem’s Lot and one of the few residents who welcomes Ben Mears back. Matt is the first one to realize that the town is being haunted by vampires and that Mike has fallen victim to one. It’s thanks to him that Ben, Susan, and the rest learn about what’s happening, and he’s determined to find Barlow and kill him. Matt teams up with Mark and they sneak into the Marsten house to kill Barlow, but unfortunately, Barlow and Straker are quicker and smarter.

Matt is surprised by Barlow himself, who kills him while Mark is taken away by Straker.

Straker locks them in the basement, and while Mark goes upstairs for help, Matt is surprised by Barlow himself, who kills him while Mark is taken away by Straker. Matt returns not long after as a vampire but is killed by Ben after attacking him in the basement of the Marsten house.

8 Richard Straker

Barlow’s Human Familiar Didn’t Make It To The End

Richard Straker is Barlow’s human familiar, and as such, he does a lot of things for him, such as finding people he can feed on. His association with Barlow raises questions about whether he’s a human, a vampire, or a half-vampire, but he’s actually fully human – he’s just Barlow’s loyal servant. It’s Straker who arranges for Barlow’s coffin to be taken to the Marsten house, who abducts Ralph, and who attempts to prepare Mark to be Barlow’s next victim – and the latter is what leads to his death.

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Mark, an amateur magician and big fan of Houdini, manages to break free after Straker ties him up and hangs him upside down at the Marsten house. Mark waits for Straker to return to the room and hits him in the face with a piece of metal, but he makes sure that Barlow’s servant is dead and hits him again. In the book, Mark only wounds Straker, but Barlow can’t resist his freshly spilled blood and drains him.

7 Susan Norton

Susan’s Mother Was Involved In Her Death

Unlike other characters, Susan never seems to doubt Matt Burke’s claims of vampires taking over the Lot. Susan is instantly attracted to Ben and they bond pretty quickly, which makes her death a lot harder for both Ben and the audience. Susan accompanies Ben, Matt, Mark, Dr. Cody, and Father Callahan (John Benjamin Hickey) on a mission to find Barlow and kill him, but no one could have imagined that her mother, Anne (Debra Christofferson), was getting closer to the vampire.

At one point, Anne meets Straker and is seduced by Barlow into serving him, setting up a trap for Susan at their home. A vampire suddenly appears and attacks Susan. Despite Ben’s efforts, he can’t save Susan from transforming into a vampire, and by the time they arrive at the church to meet Dr. Cody, she’s already becoming a vampire. Later on, at the drive-in, Ben can’t bring himself to kill Susan when he finds her in the trunk of her car, but he finally does it when she attacks him once the night sets in.

6 Mark’s Parents

Mark Saw His Parents Be Killed By Barlow

After getting out of the Marsten house and killing Matt Burke in the basement, the group decides to split and later meet at the church, which is the only place where they will be safe. Father Callahan accompanies Mark to his house to talk to his parents about what’s happening, as Mark realizes Barlow and the vampires will target his parents next. However, Mark’s parents don’t believe him or Father Callahan, and thus they can’t convince them to go to the church before it gets dark.

Barlow then appears behind Mark’s mother and kills her right in front of Mark.

Barlow knocks at the Petrie’s home and Mark’s father opens, only to be attacked and killed. Barlow then appears behind Mark’s mother and kills her right in front of Mark. As Father Callahan confronts Barlow, Marks escapes to his tree house, where he’s followed by Danny and other vampire kids trying to get him to let them in. Mark is the only survivor in his family.

5 Father Callahan

Father Callahan’s Faith Wasn’t Strong Enough

Father Callahan is Salem’s Lot’s priest, but he has been struggling with his faith. Earlier in the movie, at the drive-in, Susan points to Callahan’s car and tells Ben that he gets drunk there. However, Father Callahan does what he can to help Ben and the rest get rid of the vampires, but he’s eventually killed by Barlow. As mentioned above, after Barlow kills Mark’s parents, he tells Mark to run as he confronts the vampire while holding a cross.

However, Barlow knows Father Callahan’s faith isn’t as strong as it should be, thus not being enough to repel him or even kill him. Barlow taunts him with this and the cross loses its power, leaving Callahan completely vulnerable. Barlow kills Father Callahan, but he’s not seen returning as a vampire in the rest of Salem’s Lot, so his fate is unclear.

4 Parkins Gillespie

Parkins Couldn’t Make It Out Of The Lot

A minor character whose death is shown in Salem’s Lot is Parkins Gillespie (William Sadler). Parkins is a constable at the Lot and is first seen when Callahan is at the police station after getting drunk at the drive-in, and later on in the movie, he goes to Matt’s house when he calls the authorities to check on Mike’s body. Parkins’ most notable appearance in Salem’s Lot, however, is when Dr. Cody approaches him for help, but he refuses to listen to anything about vampires.

The vampires throw Parkins’ body through a window and into the church.

Parkins tells Dr. Cody that he’s leaving the Lot before it’s too late and she should do the same, but she returns to the church to meet with Ben and the rest. That night, at the church, after Ben escapes from the vampires and kills Mike, the vampires throw Parkins’ body through a window and into the church. It’s unclear if Parkins returns as a vampire or dies.

3 Dr. Cody

Dr. Cody Wasn’t Killed By A Vampire

Just when it seems like Ben, Mark, and Dr. Cody will be the only survivors of the Lot, they come across an unexpected obstacle at the drive-in. It takes Dr. Cody a while to accept that Salem’s Lot is haunted by vampires and that Danny Glick didn’t die of anemia. Cody is finally convinced after seeing Marjorie Glick’s body come back to life, and though Ben and Susan kill Marjorie, she manages to bite Cody.

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Thanks to a rabies vaccine she has in her purse, Cody stops the effects of the bite and survives, but she meets her fate in the third act of Salem’s Lot. When she approaches the trunk where Susan is sleeping, she’s fatally shot by Anne, who is tasked with protecting all the vampires. It’s an unfair ending for Dr. Cody, more so as she was close to making it to the end.

2 Anne Norton

Susan’s Mother Couldn’t Be Saved By Her New Master

Image via Max

As explained by Susan, Anne doesn’t want her daughter to leave the Lot and will do whatever she can to keep her in town, including pairing her with people Susan isn’t interested in. Of course, Anne doesn’t approve of Susan and Ben’s romance and sees a great opportunity in serving Barlow, even though the details of their agreement are unknown. Anne takes her new “job” very seriously, and begins to shoot at Ben, Mark, and Cody at the drive-in, killing Cody.

Anne continues trying to kill Ben while Mark gets in a car and starts it, crashing against the base of the screen so the sun covers the drive-in and the vampires are burned. As Anne gets closer to Ben and he has no way out, Mark suddenly appears and runs her over, killing her immediately.

1 Kurt Barlow

The Main Vampire Was Killed In Salem’s Lot

The biggest death in Salem’s Lot is, of course, that of Barlow. Straker arrives first at the Lot to open the antique shop “Straker & Barlow” and settle at the Marsten house, while Barlow is said to be away on a long business trip – in reality, Barlow is in the basement of the Marsten house and sends Straker to find him victims. After some of the transformed residents of the Lot mention “Master Barlow”, it becomes clear to Ben and the rest that he’s the big enemy to defeat.

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Ben and Mark come face to face with Barlow at the drive-in, and right when it seems like Barlow is going to kill Mark, Ben appears with a stake and impales Barlow. Salem’s Lot shows the light in Barlow’s eyes disappearing, just as happens with the other vampires killed throughout the movie, leaving no doubt that the main vampire is finally dead.

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6/10 7.7/10 Salem’s Lot (2024)

Salem’s Lot is a 2024 remake of the movie of the same name released in 1979. The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, and Bill Camp, with Gary Dauberman writing and directing the Max original film. The plot revolves around a writer who discovers a vampire in his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot upon returning home for inspiration.

Director Gary Dauberman Release Date October 3, 2024 Cast Lewis Pullman , Alfre Woodard , Makenzie Leigh , Bill Camp , Spencer Treat Clark , Pilou Asbæk , John Benjamin Hickey , William Sadler , Jordan Preston Carter , Nicholas Crovetti , Cade Woodward , Kellan Rhude , Debra Christofferson , Rebecca Gibel , Mike Bash , Fedna Jacquet , Avery Bederman Runtime 113 Minutes Expand

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Category: Entertainment