All 16 Stephen King books that tie in & reference Salem's site

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All 16 Stephen King books that tie in & reference Salem's site

With the long-awaited adaptation of 'Salem's place In the end, when Max met, the audience wondered how the story of the book and the city itself, Jerusalem's Lot, connects with other Stephen King stories. The history of 'Salem's placeAdapted for television and now a movie, it follows protagonist Ben Mears, a writer who returns to his once-childhood home of the oddly named Jerusalem's Lot to battle some personal demons and gain inspiration for his current book. When he meets Susan Norton and there is an instant spark, things seem to be looking up, until they and a few of the townsfolk find themselves confronting an ancient evil that is slowly taking over the town.

'Salem's place is the first novel where Stephen King tackles vampires, but it certainly wouldn't be his last. While the 1975 novel was originally meant to be King's response to DraculaOver time, the in-universe lore of his vampires grew as did his interconnected literary universe. That interconnectivity means that although the city of Jerusalem's lot does not feature in Stephen King's stories as prominently as other places, it and the events that happened there are still referenced in more than a dozen Stephen King books and short stories.

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1

Salem's Court (1975)

Standalone novel


Stephen King Salem's Lot book cover

The main book, of course, is where the majority of the events in Stephen King's universe take place. Unlike other notable fictional locations such as Derry or Castle Rock, Jerusalem's lot cannot, given the nature of events that happened there, be a setting that King returned to again and again in his work, as Kurt Barlow effectively destroyed the lot and made It a ghost town.

Those who didn't leave for greener pastures or pack up and escape the darkness that spread across the city. 'Salem's place Are either turned into vampires and then killed or just killed outright. After Straker and Barlow's work, there is no city to return to. Still, there are two short stories that serve as bookends to the events of 'Salem's place.

2

One for the Road (1977)

Short story


Salem's Lot Barlow smiles while Callahan holds a cross

The short story "One for the Road" was first published in My magazine in 1977 before, like many of Stephen King's short stories and novellas, later collected and republished in one of his short story collections. In this case, it was 1978 Night shiftOne of King's more beloved short story collections.

The story picks up on where things stand after the events of 'Salem's place. As it turns out, some vampires still remain, and the residents of the nearby towns regard Jerusalem Lot with fear and suspicion. They carry religious symbols and stay away from the cursed area, warning passers-by not to go into the lot because they won't come back. Of course, not everyone listens to the warnings, which lead to serious consequences.

3

Jerusalem's Court (1978)

Short story


Kurt Barlow's Mansion in Jerusalem's Court in Salem's Court (2024)
Image by Max

Also part of the US Night shift Collection was the short story "Jerusalem Lot". While "one for the road" serves as a sequel to 'Salem's place"Jerusalem's Lot" serves as a prequel, explaining why the city was primed for Kurt Barlow's evil workings and expanding on the mythology of King's vampires.

The epistolary story begins in the town of Preacher's Corners, Maine, and reveals the story of the evil cult that took hold in the nearby village of Jerusalem Lot before mysteriously disappearing. The cult was obsessed with an occult book called De Vermis Mysteriiswhich they used to summon a great Lovecraftian, vampiric entity known as the Worm before becoming vampires themselves. In researching his family's cursed history, protagonist Charles Boone stumbles upon the horror nest in Jerusalem's lot. It is strongly hinted in King's mythology that all vampires in that universe are descended from the worm.

Salem's site adaptation

Release year

Kurt Barlow portrayed by

Salem's Lot (2 ep. miniseries)

1979

Regie Nalder

Salem's Lot (2 ep. miniseries)

2004

Rutger Hauer

Chapelwaite (10 Ep. Limited Series)

2021

N/A ("Jerusalem's Lot" adaptation)

Salem's Lot (feature film)

2024

Alexander Ward

While only these three stories are set in Jerusalem's lot, other stories mention it and the events there. One main character from the original 'Salem's place Even goes on to become a significant character in another series, The Dark Tower: Father Donald Callahan.

4

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Kala (2003)

The fifth book in the Dark Tower series

Father Callahan leaves - or rather, rides off in a bus - towards the end of 'Salem's place. His faith was wavering, and Kurt Barlow exploits that, forcing the priest to drink his blood and thus be forever impure, barred from churches, sanctuaries or any type of consecrated ground. He re-enters Stephen King's literary universe in Wolf of the Calla, where Roland and his co-tet find him in Roland's world in the village of Calle Bryn Sturgis.

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During the events of the novel, Father Callahan tells his new acquaintance about what happened in Jerusalem's lot, explaining that he spent the next few years using his newfound ability to see vampires to hunt them down. Eventually, he was lured into a trap and died, crossing into the middle of the world. Eventually, he ends up with the Manny people at Calla Bryn Sturgis, where Roland and his allies meet him.

5

The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)

The sixth book in the Dark Tower series


Stephen King The Dark Tower VI Song of Susannah

Father Callahan continues to be part of Roland's ca-tet, traveling with Jake and Oi to 1999 New York City to free their friend, Susannah Dean, from her possession by the demon-turned-mortal woman, Mia. While there, they confront the agents of the Crimson King at the Dixie Pig restaurant. Interestingly, Father Callahan's faith is now restored, his time fighting vampires as a fearless protector of the good helping him to regain his belief and faith in God. That faith helps him and Jake prepare to fight the Crimson King's vampires and other henchmen.

6

The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)

The seventh book in the Dark Tower series

In the final Dark Tower book, and the last Stephen King book in which Father Callahan appeared, the redemption arc of the once-disgraced priest is completed when he sacrifices himself to save Jake and Oh in the Dixie Pig. Although he is defeated in the end, Father Callahan emerges as a good hero, and his newfound faith is so widespread that he can even hold off the Grandfathers, the oldest and most powerful vampires in Stephen King's universe, and at the same time Thinking about it. Off a horde of lesser vampires. Before he can be swarmed and turned into one of them, he shoots himself with his revolver, going out on his own terms.

The other Stephen King books and stories that incorporate 'Salem's place are not as involved as The Dark Tower books, but there are still references and nods to the city of Jerusalem's lot and its events sprinkled throughout.

7

The Shining (1977)

Standalone novel


Stephen King's The Shining Book Cover First Edition

The Shinings connection to 'Salem's place is more thematic than anything, referring to a specific ability that pops up a few times in Stephen King's books. At one point in 'Salem's placeBen Mears talks to Susan Norton and tells her about a conversation he had with the senile Minella Corey, the sister-in-law of 'Salem's place Figure Hubert Marsten. She described to Ben a moment when she was standing in her kitchen making a salad, when she was suddenly struck with a flash of knowledge, and in that moment knew that her sister had been murdered by Hubert. It's very similar to Dick Halloran's moment in The Shining In which he suddenly smells oranges as a young man and knows intuitively that his brother is dead.

8

The Dead Zone (1979)

Standalone novel


Christopher Walken in the Dead Zone looking up slightly off camera.

The Dead Zone connection to 'Salem's place is one of the short in Stephen King's books. In the novel, protagonist Johnny Smith is in a conversation and the location of Cumberland, Maine, comes up. He replies, "Cumberland General. I know where it is. Just over Jerusalem Lot.” The events of the vampire novel do not factor in The Dead ZoneBut this moment is one of the many ways Stephen King weaves his fictional places and people together and makes them feel real.

9

The Body (1982)

Novella


The kids in the stands by me point and look on

the bodyLater turned into the classic 1986 coming-of-age movie Stand by mewas a novel that first appeared in the collection Different seasons. The reference to Jerusalem's lot comes when Gordy Lachance is first telling his friends his made-up "Lord Ass" story and they interrupt him because they think the name of the city he's using sounds silly. Ever the hero, his best friend, Chris Chambers, chastises the guys and sticks up for Gordy: "'Many real cities sound stupid,'" Chris says. 'I mean, what about Alfred, man? Or Sako, my? Or Jerusalem's lot? Or castle - in stone? There is no castle there. Most town names are silly. You just don't think that way because you're used to them. Right, Gordy?'"

10

Pet Sematary (1983)

Standalone novel


Pet Sematary book cover

The link to Jerusalem's site in 1983's Pet Sematary is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference on the page, not only to readers, but also to the characters in the story. In the scene in which Rachel Creed is driving to Ludlow, she passes an exit sign for Jerusalem's Lot and it looks strange. "Jerusalem lot, she thought thoughtfully, what a strange name. Not a nice name, for a reason... come sleep in Jerusalem."Even to characters who have no connection to the 'Lot, the thrill of evil still makes them uneasy as they pass.

11

it (1986)

Standalone novel

King's iconic it And 'Salem's place Share a small snippet of a connection - not a refrain or a character, but a refrain. in 'Salem's placeWhen vampire Danny Glick is trying to hypnotize Mark Petrie into letting him in, Mark breaks the mental hold by repeating the tongue-twister "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. In vain he puts his fists against the posts and still claims that he sees the ghosts."Years later, it Protagonist Bill Denbrough repeats the refrain to control his stammer, and even later in the Dark Tower Jake Chambers also recites the lines, all three boys using the refrain as something of a magical talisman.

12

Dolores Claiborne (1992)

Standalone novel


Cover for the book Dolores Claiborne.

Dolores Claiborne is another epistolary novel, unique in that it has no chapters and no section breaks, instead being framed as one long transcript of the titular character's testimony after she is accused of murdering her boss. The reference to Jerusalem Lot is oblique; As Dolores arrives at a village a few hours before an eclipse, she comments on how empty it is. "[T]The streets were so empty it was spooky," says the passage.This made me think about the town in the southern part of the state where they say no one lives."

13

Dreamcatcher (2001)

Standalone novel


Stephen King Dreamcatcher

The novel Dreamcatcher is another one in which there is a passing reference to the city of Jerusalem's lot - literally. In a paragraph describing multiple characters driving to different locations, an Exit 9 is mentioned as leading to various small Maine towns, including Falmouth, Cumberland, and Jerusalem's Lot. Unlike the reference in Pet SemataryThere is no strange feeling that accompanies the drivers or riders as it is simply mentioned as part of the lay of the land.

14

Doctor Sleep (2013)

Standalone novel, The Shining sequel

The sequel to 1977's The Shining2013s Doctor Sleep has a more concrete connection to 'Salem's place Like the previous few books. In this novel, the antagonists are the True Knot, a group of semi-immortal vampires who feed not on blood but on the life force of psychically gifted children. In the book, it is revealed that the True Knot has clusters of members ensconced in locations throughout, slowly taking over the nearby towns. One of the base locations, unsurprisingly, is Jerusalem's lot, a suitable place for psychic vampires to thrive.

15

Revival (2014)

Standalone novel


Revival of Stephen King cover art flash.

There are several connections between 2014's Revival And the town and story of "Jerusalem's Lot", which makes sense considering they both share certain themes, mainly between them what happens when religious fanaticism opens an evil door that cannot be closed. Revival Follows Jamie Morton over the decades as he encounters a traveling preacher and mad scientist, Charles Jacobs, at various points in his life. In the section of the book during Jamie's childhood, he mentions at one point the Lot of Jerusalem. Later, the fanatical preacher mentions Jacob's book De Vermis MysteriisThe cursed holy book that started all the troubles in Jerusalem Lot.

16

The Institute (2019)

Standalone novel


The book cover image of Stephen King's The Institute

The most humorous reference to the events of 'Salem's place Recently entered The institute. In it, a homeless woman named Annie is a big fan of conspiracy theories. She tells the deuteragonist Tim Jamieson about how people in black cars keep kidnapping kids and tells him that it's not the first time it happened, revealing her theory that this is what happened to the city of Jerusalem's lot: "There is a town in Maine, Jerusalem's lot, and you can ask the people who lived there about the men in the black cars.- she warns.If you can find any people, that is. They all disappeared forty or more years ago. George Allman talks about this city all the time."