#’Salem’s Lot Movie Has The Good Taste To Cast Alfre Woodard

“‘Salem’s Lot” is only Stephen King’s second novel, published in 1975. Like most of King’s work, it is set in Maine and as a result … well, it’s very white. The Dr. Cody of the book also happens to be a dude. 

Now, before the toxic fans start setting up petitions or hounding the creatives on social media, let me just say that I’m one of the biggest Stephen King fans out there. I love the dude so much I run a podcast about the man (::cough::The Kingcast available wherever you get your podcasts::cough::) and I’m telling you this is a good change. 

There’s nothing inherent in the character that demands Dr. Cody be a white dude. What is important is that they’re a person of science that has to see a vampire victim rise from the dead in front of them before they can believe in the supernatural. Woodard’s a perfect candidate for this role because she can exude a no-bullsh*t demeanor that you’re gonna need in this supporting character.

Matter of fact, King’s characters in this book are almost all doubters who need to see solid proof before believing in real-life vampires. That was the draw of this story for the prolific horror author. He wanted to see what vampires looked like in a recognizable world, not some shadowy Transylvanian castle. And in the real world, nobody would buy that their town is becoming overrun with vampires until they saw one with their own eyes. And maybe not even then!