What Happens To Ben Mears & The Town

Includes SPOILERS for Salem’s Lot (2024)The latest Stephen King adaptation is Salem’s Lot on Max, and the ending offers a lot of material to break down. Published in 1975, Salem’s Lot is one of Stephen King’s most beloved books, and the 2024 film is just the latest interpretation of the iconic vampire horror novel. Gary Dauberman, a writer on the It films, took over as the director for the new movie. Lewis Pullman leads the Salem’s Lot cast, and he’s joined by Makenzie Leigh, Pilou Asbæk, Alfre Woodard, and more, putting together a small-town ensemble that’s vital for the narrative.

Pullman plays Ben Mears, a man who returns to Jerusalem’s Lot, the town of his childhood, to find it simultaneously being invaded by a vampire named Kurt Barlow. Ben and other townsfolk notice the chain of mysterious deaths happening in town, realizing that vampires are about. Throughout the film, many main characters’ allies, friends, and family members are bitten and turned into vampires, demonstrating how rapidly the down is declining. In the climax, the survivors arrive at the drive-in theater, where the vampires take shelter from the sunlight in the trunks of their cars, and a final battle ensues.

Is Barlow Dead At The End Of Salem’s Lot?

Ben Mears Killed Barlow For Good

A distinctive feature of Kurt Barlow and the vampires of Salem’s Lot is the glowing eyes, which indicates that Barlow is killed at the end of the film. As Ben thrusts the stake into Barlow’s chest, the light in his eyes goes out, confirming that he’s dead for good and can no longer inflict harm on other towns. However, the damage has already been done on Jerusalem’s Lot, with the entire town being transformed into vampires. Because of this, Ben and Mark decide to leave town at the end of the film, as there’s nothing left to stay for.

How Ben Mears Deals With His Past Through Mark

Ben Sees Mark As A Reflection Of His Younger Self

A significant part of Ben Mears’ story at the start of the movie is left primarily unmentioned in the back half, relying on book information and interpretation of the events to deduce. The Salem’s Lot movie sees Ben return to his childhood home, where his parents had previously died in a tragic accident. He states on multiple occasions that he’s there to discover himself and do some soul-searching. In a sense, he does find an adventure of his own rather than just being the author of other people’s adventures.

Another crucial aspect of Ben’s arc is the character Mark, who he essentially adopts at the end. Seeing Mark allows Ben to reflect on his own childhood. It’s not an element that the film touches on much, but the novel describes it as “the more-than-chance coming together of their lives.” This is a crucial narrative piece of Salem’s Lot, and it’s vital to Ben’s return to his hometown and the character development in the movie’s early scenes.

Why Ben Had To Be The One To Kill Susan After She Became A Vampire

Ben Overcomes His Trauma With Loved Ones’ Mortality By Killing Susan

The first opportunity the survivors have to kill Susan sees Ben handing off the responsibility to Dr. Cody, saying that he doesn’t feel capable of doing it, given his love for Susan. Dr. Cody ends up getting shot by Susan’s mom, leaving Ben to face off with vampire Susan in the climax. It’s essential for Ben to kill her in the end due to another crucial story element that’s omitted from the movie.

In the book, Ben has not only suffered from the tragedy of his parents but also a recent tragedy that saw the death of his wife. Therefore, his ultimately killing Susan is part of him finding the courage to overcome this other major tragedy he’s endured. He needs to accept that Susan is gone, just like how he needs to accept that his wife is gone. Killing her undead form confirms his grasp on mortality, demonstrating growth in his character.

What Happens To Jerusalem’s Lot In Salem’s Lot Ending – Is Anyone Else Alive?

Jerusalem’s Lot Is Even More Dead Than Before

By the end of the film, Jerusalem’s Lot appears to be even more of a ghost town than it was before. Most of the town had either escaped before the action or died in the film’s climax due to being converted into vampires. A scene earlier in the movie between Dr. Cody and a townsman sees the townsman admitting to getting out while he can out of fear of Barlow. The film suggests that Jerusalem’s Lot was dead before Barlow got there.

Why Barlow Chose Jerusalem’s Lot

Jerusalem’s Lot Is A Symbol Of Small Town Corruption

As mentioned, Barlow chooses Jerusalem’s Lot because it’s a dying town. The dodgy real estate agent at the start of the movie is just one example of how corruption has plagued life there, and when things start to go wrong with the first missing child, everyone pretty much ignores it. In the book, Barlow also mentions that he chooses a small town over a big city because it’s more familiar to him, saying, “What do I know of cities? I should be run over by a hansom crossing the street!“

How 2024’s Salem’s Lot Differs From Stephen King’s Book

Ben Mears’ Origin Story Is Changed Drastically

There are several notable differences between the 2024 film and the original book, mostly due to the time constraints of the film format. Salem’s Lot is far from King’s longest book, but it’s still hefty. Firstly, the origin story for Ben Mears is quite different. In the book, there’s the aspect of his wife dying, but he also never lost his parents in Jerusalem’s Lot. In the novel, he went into the Marsten House as a child and saw a hanging ghost there, creating lasting trauma. This is crucial to knowing that the home and town are haunted.

There’s also a significant difference in the story’s ending. After Ben and Mark leave Jerusalem’s Lot, they drive to a seaside town in Mexico where they heal from the experience, speaking to a priest about everything that has happened. Then, they return to Jerusalem’s Lot after a year to eliminate more vampires.

The Real Meaning Of Salem’s Lot’s Ending

Salem’s Lot Is The Study Of A Town In Ruin

Vampires pray on Jerusalem’s Lot because the town already suffers from evil created by humanity.

2024’s Salem’s Lot movie uses horror as a metaphor for societal decline in small-town life. The original novel was crucially released in the 1970s, when films like The Last Picture Show were among the many works of art that depicted that decline, demonstrating the death of classic Americana, often symbolized by the drive-in movie theater. While the film isn’t quite as thematically rich as the novel, it still touches on these crucial ideas. Ben Mears returns to his hometown, hoping to recapture something from his childhood, only to find everything falling to ruin.

The small town is the perfect setting for this type of story, as they’re often depicted in a very friendly light, leaving room for darkness beneath the surface. Vampires pray on Jerusalem’s Lot because the town already suffers from evil created by humanity. The town importantly “ignores” issues, and by repeatedly ignoring small acts of evil, it opens Jerusalem’s Lot to a larger, existential evil that eventually eliminates them.

How Ben & Mark’s Fate Sets Up Salem’s Lot 2

Ben & Mark Can Return To Salem’s Lot To Clean Up The Mess Later On

Seeing as the Salem’s Lot novel ends with Ben and Mark returning to Jerusalem’s Lot to kill more vampires, there’s undoubtedly potential for Max to develop a sequel, similarly to what Warner Bros. did with the It movies. In this case, however, there wouldn’t be as much meaningful material to adapt, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Salem’s Lot’s ending was constructed to leave room for more in the future.