“The town knew darkness.”

When most non-horror fans conjure up the image of a vampire, they picture Bram Stoker’s legendary Dracula sitting in his dusty Transylvanian castle flanked by his devilish vampiric brides. But Constant Readers invariably picture an erudite antiques dealer and his bald familiar lurking in the darkness of the Marsten house. Stephen King’s sophomore novel ‘Salem’s Lot builds upon Stoker’s classic tale while pulling the horror into modern life. His vampires may predate civilization, but they converse with the residents of Jerusalem’s Lot, slowly eroding the deceptively wholesome community.

Fifty years after publication, Salem’s Lot stands as a pinnacle of modern vampire fare and a shining example of literary small town life. Before creatures of the night descend on the ostensibly peaceful burg, its seams are already bursting with secrets of their own. Monitored by gossip Mabel Werts, Salem’s Lot is a hotbed of deadly scandals including infidelity, arson, and white collar crime. When Author Ben Mears returns to face his own childhood demons, he finds himself swept up in small-town strife exacerbated by an otherworldly evil.

In the latest episode of Bloody FM’s The Losers’ Club podcast, co-hosts Jenn Adams, Rachel Reeves, and Dan Pfleegor return to this infamous town to uncover its many dark secrets. Does Mears stand as an early proxy for King or does teacher Matt Burke more successfully fit the bill? Would they prefer Jimmy Cody’s originally planned death and is young Mark Petrie too good to be true? They’ll answer these questions and more while discussing the novel’s many nerve-shattering moments and exploring one of King’s most frightening towns.

Stream the episode below and stay tuned for more coverage of Welcome to Derry. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).