15 Stephen King stories ranked from heartwarming to horrifying

‘Salem’s Lot (Cover image via Anchor)

10. ‘Salem’s Lot

Maybe all of the rabid dogs and girls lost in the woods are getting to you. Perhaps, you’d prefer something a little less realistic, if only so you can convince yourself that something terrible won’t happen to you. In that case, how do vampires sound?

For all that he is a widely-recognized horror novelist, Stephen King hasn’t dealt too often with vampires. Though undead bloodsuckers are genre staples, you’ve got to do a bit of digging to find them in King’s works. At the very least, though, you’ll always have ‘Salem’s Lot. In A Century of Great Suspense Stories, editor Jeffery Deaver remarked that the novel was like ‘Peyton Place meets Dracula’. Interested now?

The 1975 novel, one of King’s earliest, does indeed read a bit like a scary soap opera. But don’t think you’re just rehashing some pulpy tale straight out of Dark Shadows. King’s work is the real deal, and you may well stay awake at night, wondering if that’s a shadow or a vampire floating just outside your window.

It follows Ben Mears, a writer who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, after a long absence. He makes friends, kindles a romance, and stumbles upon an ancient vampire set to overtake the rural town.

Kurt Barlow, said vampire, is a vicious, unrepentant villain who is not at all afraid to get especially gory. Barlow has been busy, too, once Mears and his compatriots realize how many residents of the town have been turned into vampires. They’re not ready to give up their new lives and the town without a bloody, intense fight.