"There is no life here but the slow death of days, and so when evil falls on the town, its coming seems almost preordained, sweet and morphic. It is almost as though the town knows the evil was coming and the shape it would take."

Let's face it: 'Salem's Lot doesn't add anything groundbreaking to the vampire lore. That's completely okay, though, because it's a fantastic example of how a small town should be written. The characters make you invested in the place, making it feel real instead of just a pod of vampire food, so when evil slowly and quietly bleeds into the people's lives it's so much more scarier (the memorable window scene in particular gives me the creeps whenever I think about it).

It's the quietness. When things go wrong, it's not an explosion of monsters dancing down the street. The town is just slowly disappearing into the night. Above all looms the Marsten house, full of evil energy (and considering how King shares a Shirley Jackson quote at the beginning, it's obvious what he was inspired by).

The TV adaptations are watchable, but ultimately pretty forgettable despite utilizing legendary actors. It'll be interesting to see what the new version does with the story, but since the director is going to be Gary Dauberman, it's best if I don't keep my hopes up.

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The prequel and sequel short stories aren't necessary, but they add a bit of extra to the experience. Both can be found in Night Shift (1978) or the 2005 edition of 'Salem's Lot.

"Jerusalem's Lot" is a great emulation of a 19th century ghost story. Works great as a prequel and is a nice way to start inching your way towards the novel, but doesn't require any knowledge of it beforehand, so probably works as a standalone, too.

"One for the Road" is also pretty simple with a genuinely scary scene towards the end. You get to find out how the events affected the neighbouring towns, and it's a nice bookend to the story, leaving a lingering feeling that it's never going to be over in Jerusalem's Lot.

The Dark Tower Project
"Night Surf" from Night Shift (1978)
The Stand: Complete and Uncut Edition (1990)
The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (2003 Revised Edition)
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
"Little Sisters of Eluria" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
"Jerusalem's Lot" from Night Shift (1978)
Salem's Lot (1975)
"One for the Road" from Night Shift (1978)
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
Insomnia (1994)
Black House (2001) (sequel to The Talisman)
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" from Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
"Everything's Eventual" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)