Though I’m excited about it, all the hype building for the ‘Salem’s Lot reboot this year only makes me more disappointed that a relatively recent TV show based on Stephen King’s vampire stories wasn’t more successful: Chapelwaite. The long-gestating ‘Salem’s Lot remake is finally coming to Max on October 3, and it’s been eagerly awaited by Stephen King fans like me. It tells the story of writer Ben Mears, who returns to his temporary boyhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot to write a novel only to discover that a creeping, malevolent evil is taking over the town.
‘Salem’s Lot was Stephen King’s first real foray into the world of vampires, and, as with so many things King, it evolved over time into his own expansive lore. An important part of that lore is the short story “Jerusalem’s Lot,” which hasn’t gotten nearly as many adaptations as ‘Salem’s Lot. In fact, the Epix limited TV series Chapelwaite, based on that Stephen King story, has been the only adaptation so far. Even though it was only a miniseries, I really wish it had had more eyeballs on it at the time – though hopefully, in the lead-up to or aftermath of ‘Salem’s Lot, more people can find this underrated historical vampire gem.
Chapelwaite Was A Loose Adaptation Of The Short Story Jerusalem’s Lot
It’s The Prequel Story To The Novel
Those who aren’t very familiar with Stephen King’s work can be forgiven for thinking ‘Salem’s Lot and “Jerusalem’s Lot” are the same thing. While they share the same town name, they are, respectively, his full-length novel and a short story prequel. Epix’s Chapelwaite was based on the latter, and while it wasn’t a to-the-letter adaptation, I thought it still did a fine job of telling the chilling story of “Jerusalem’s Lot” and I’m bummed that it didn’t get more recognition, even if it was buried on a channel few people watch.
The miniseries, set in the 1850s, starred Adrien Brody as Charles Captain Boone, a sailor who relocates his three young children to Preacher’s Corner after his wife dies at sea. He’s reluctant to leave the ocean, but he knows his children need stability in their grief, so he moves back into his ancestral home of Chapelwaite, an old estate full of dark family secrets and a history of madness. While there, he discovers a mysterious wasting illness is plaguing the town.
Chapelwaite Episode | Original Air Date |
|---|---|
Episode 1, “Blood Calls Blood” | August 22, 2021 |
Episode 2, “Memento Mori” | August 22, 2021 |
Episode 3, “Legacy of Madness” | August 22, 2021 |
Episode 4, “The Promised” | August 29, 2021 |
Episode 5, “The Prophet” | September 12, 2021 |
Episode 6, “The Offer” | September 19, 2021 |
Episode 7, “De Vermis Mysteriis” | September 26, 2021 |
Episode 8, “Hold the Night” | October 3, 2021 |
Episode 9, “The Gathering Dark” | October 10, 2021 |
Episode 10, “The Keeper” | October 17, 2021 |
Vampires are absolutely the reason behind the “illness,” and I am a huge sucker for a vampire story. Interestingly, though, both “Jerusalem’s Lot” and Chapelwaite get far more Lovecraftian and grand in their stories than the relatively straightforward vampire story of ‘Salem’s Lot., which makes it the perfect complement to the movie. Chapelwaite, like all good Stephen King works, takes a while to fully reveal its nightmares, but once the horror unfolds, it’s unrelenting.
Why Chapelwaite Didn’t Get A Season 2
It Was Only Ever Planned As A Standalone Miniseries
Unfortunately, despite Chapelwaite being an excellently creepy, slow-burn Lovecraftian vampire horror, it did not receive a second season. While I was disappointed, I also wasn’t exactly surprised: Chapelwaite was only ever conceived as a standalone miniseries. While Chapelwaite season 2 was informally in development, the show had never actually been renewed. It’s not uncommon for ideas for further seasons to be sketched out just in case a one-off series should be turned into a multi-season series, but that isn’t a sure indication that a season 2 has been greenlit, and such was the case with Chapelwaite. Thus, I’m less disappointed by the lack of renewal than by the fact that the miniseries didn’t get the audience it deserved.
It was hard to see where the story of Chapelwaite season 2 would have gone considering how season 1 ended. The miniseries had already deviated considerably from the short story, which was necessary to cover 10 episodes. The ending saw all loose ends tied up tightly, with Adrien Brody’s protagonist Charles Boone stepping into a fate that didn’t leave an opening for a return or a continuation of the story. Charles’ surprising decision in Chapelwaite‘s ending was quite perfect for the narrative themes of the miniseries, and to continue it would have completely undermined that ending. It also would have felt too forced and unnecessary. As great as Chapelwaite was, leaving it as the one-off miniseries it was always meant to be was the right call.
Chapelwaite Had A Great, Gothic Feel That Is Perfect To Watch Before Salem’s Lot
It Lays Out Some Of The Backstory & Lore That Makes Salem’s Lot Richer
With its quick, 10-episode life and gothic feel, Chapelwaite is the perfect appetizer for the main course of ‘Salem’s Lot. While it does differ pretty greatly from the short story, I appreciate that all the big beats and elements remain unchanged, setting the stage to be a great prequel to the vampire movie. “Jerusalem’s Lot,” and Chapelwaite, by extension, tie into the deeper lore of Stephen King’s vampires, showing how their origin is tied to an ancient worm deity and how the land around Jerusalem’s Lot has been poisoned and cursed for centuries. While it’s unlikely ‘Salem’s Lot will dive into that lore, Chapelwaite provides a much richer context for the movie that makes for a more complex, engaging watch.
