Intent on writing a book on the notorious Marsten House, an old, rumor-filled property atop an alleged haunted hilltop, the successful novelist, Ben Mears, returns to his peaceful hometown of Salem's Lot, Maine, after years of absence. There, Mears discovers that a pair of new tenants already reside in the sinister house, the eerily cryptic newcomer, Richard Straker, and his elusive business partner, Kurt Barlow; an occurrence that coincides with unaccountable disappearances and a spate of unusual deaths. Before long, the worried townsfolk start pointing the finger at the newly arrived Mears, as well as Straker and Barlow, who, now, have become the main suspects in a peculiar and thorny case. Who is behind the veil of terror that shrouds Salem's Lot?

More and more, as the unsuspecting inhabitants of Salem's Lot die one after another, Ben Mears, his former school teacher, Jason Burke, and Dr. Bill Norton come to realize that the curse that plagues the town is starting to spread. Now, under those grave circumstances, Ben must summon up every last ounce of courage to enter the Marsten House, the dark lair of the ancient vampire, for the final confrontation between the forces of good and the inexhaustible source of evil. However, the immortal army of darkness is unstoppable, and the archfiend's black coffin rests safely in the bowels of the unholy place. Can one man alone cleanse Salem's Lot, the bloodsuckers' sanctuary?