Warning: This article contains spoilers from Salem’s Lot.The 2024Salem’s Lotadaptation takes a new approach to curing vampire bites with a rabies shot. While theSalem’s Lotvampires can be killed, including when they are exposed to sunlight and when a wooden stake is thrust through their hearts, curing an individual who has already been bitten is another matter entirely.Danny Glick, Mike Ryerson, Matt Burke, and the other characters who are bitten become vampiresand are unable to stop the infection from transforming them into deadly monsters.
The only exception to this is when Dr. Cody is bitten in the neck by the vampire Marjorie Glick, and she insists thatBen Mears and Susan Nortongive her a rabies shot.The rabies shot surprisingly works, ensuring that Dr. Cody remains human, and alive and well, at least until she is shot and killed by Susan’s mother, Anne Norton. After receiving the rabies shot, Dr. Cody never showed any signs of vampirism, proving that the rabies shot was more than a temporary cure.
The Rabies Shot Protects Against The Vampire’s Infection Through Bites In The Bloodstream, Similar To Rabies Virus
Science Is Used To Fight Vampires
A rabies shot is designed to protect the body from being infected by the rabies virus, and does so by producing antibodies to fight the infection. SinceDr. Cody received the rabies shot almost immediately after she was bitten, the vaccine was able to enter her bloodstream in time to combat the vampire infection by producing the necessary antibodies. In this fictional context, the rabies shot only worked because of the immediacy in which it was administered.
Marsten House History & Evil Backstory In Salem’s Lot Explained
Salem’s Lot story largely revolves around the Marsten House, with the important location’s backstory revealed in the original Stephen King novel.
Even a minute or two later would likely be too late, with the vampire bite infecting her to the point where the rabies shot would not have been strong enough to prevent the infection. It also means that, despite the discovery of this cure,it could not save the many characters who were already vampires, as they were already fully infected and beyond the help of a rabies shot. While this cure is achange from theSalem’s Lotbook, it is a compelling idea of how science and human advancement could be used to fight the vampires' ancient evil.
Salem’s Lot 2024’s Rabies Shot Cure May Be An Easter Egg For Another Stephen King Movie
Rabies Was At The Center Of Another Famous Stephen King Story
Stephen King’s booksand their adaptations often reference one another, andthe rabies shot may be an Easter egg forCujo. The 1981 horror novel, which was also adapted into a movie in 1983, famously tells the story of a Saint Bernard dog who becomes murderously rabid after contracting a rabies bite. It seems like too much of a coincidence for Dr. Cody to be saved by a rabies shot given how important rabies is to the story ofCujo, a story published only six years afterSalem’s Lot.
Instead, the rabies shot provides a different and less expected connection toCujo, as the titular dog would have greatly benefited from the same cure that saved Dr. Cody from becoming a vampire.
In theSalem’s Lotnovel, the rabies shot does not play any role, and is never discovered by Dr. Cody or anyone else as a cure for vampire bites. By killing Father Donald Callahan, the movieruins its best King connection, since Callahan goes on to be an important character inThe Dark Towerseries. Instead, the rabies shot provides a different and less expected connection to King’sCujo, as the titular dog would have greatly benefited from the same cure that saved Dr. Cody from becoming a vampire inSalem’s Lot.
Salem’s Lot
Cast
Salem’s Lot is a 2024 remake of the movie of the same name released in 1979. The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, and Bill Camp, with Gary Dauberman writing and directing the Max original film. The plot revolves around a writer who discovers a vampire in his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot upon returning home for inspiration.
