Cheryl Eddy, io9:Salems Lotwas originally meant to be a theatrical release.
And the car was on a bumpy road.
io9: The original book is doorstop-sized.
© New Line Cinema/Max
Dauberman:As you said, the books really dense in a great way.
I think the biggest challenge I had is really decidingOk, cant tell his story.
Cant tell her story.
© New Line Cinema/Max
Who do I need to focus on to make this into a digestible, one-sitting piece of entertainment?
Thats really the biggest challenge, and its the same challenge I had withIt.
Why did you want to pull back on that?
© New Line Cinema/Max
Dauberman:So I shot that.
But you have to sort of decide what youre telling.
It became, like, Is it a ghost story or is it a vampire story?
© New Line Cinema/Max
And it became, like, Is this muddying the waters for the audience a little bit?
Part of the history comes out in dialogue and stuff here and there in the movie.
That was the one thing I really missed.
io9: LikeIt,Salems Lothas been adapted before.
Did you take into account choices made by the previous adaptations?
So I dont really consider it.
Obviously Barlow leans more towards the 79 version than the book version.
What was the inspiration there?
Dauberman:Well, I do love drive-ins.
I thought about community and where people gather on weekends that wasnt necessarily church back in that era.
It felt refreshing to be at a drive-in movie because that is my church, is a movie theater.
So I wanted to play with that element.
In the book, they go from house to house and they kill vampires.
So thats how that came about.
io9: And even beyond that, can you talk about how your version approaches that 1970s setting?
Dauberman:I love working in the 70s.
I was born in 77, but I just love the vibe.
I love the texture, I love the music.
I had no interest in doing a contemporary version of the story.
I felt like thats a story down the road.
I wanted to do what the [the books setting was].
Its interesting because in Maine and places like Maine, some places still feel like the 50s.
And I thought that was kind of fun.
io9: In any vampire story, the rules, if you will, will vary a little bit.
I dont know if Ive seen that before.
Dauberman:I hadnt seen that before, which is why I used it.
He mentions the color of Gods light in the cross in the book.
And I was like, thats kind of cool.
I was trying to think about how to visually tell the story of faith and belief.
io9: I liked how you used the comic books.
It reminded me a little bit ofThe Lost Boys.
Dauberman:The Lost Boysis probably my favorite vampire movie.
Its one of my favorite horror movies.
I love it so much, and I love that its so fun and scary.
I think that the influence of that movie is in a couple of places for sure.
io9: AfterSalems Lotyou have theTrain to Busanremake and theUntil Dawnadaptation, as well as aGargoyleslive-action series.
What is it about adaptations in particular that inspires you as a writer/filmmaker, as opposed to original stories?
Dauberman:You know, I think about this a lot.
I dont choose one over the other; I like original stories a lot.
I want people my sons age, 14, 15, I want them to love it, too.
You know, introduce them to the animated series.
But also, a live action version really excites me.
I think its really cool.
And I think an audience today would really dig it.
Its a piece of a larger puzzle, the movie.
So its not just doing the game.
We didnt want to do that.
I dont want to sit there and watch what I could be playing at home.
AndTrain to Busanis one of my favorite horror movies; Timo [Tjahjanto] I love as a director.
I just got excited about that.
But I also treated it as likewell, I think thats an answer for down the line.
But again, I venture to look sometimes at adaptations as not just a straight one to one.
Salems Lotarrives October 3 on Max.
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