'Chapelwaite' Trailer: Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot' Prequel Is Now A Show On EPIX

Take a trip back to 1850s Maine with the latest trailer for Chapelwaite. The EPIX series is based on the Stephen King short story "Jerusalem's Lot," which, as you can probably tell from the title, is related to King's vampire novel Salem's Lot. It's a prequel story done in the style of a Lovecraftian pastiche, and it's mighty spooky. The TV adaptation has expanded on the story considerably, adding new characters and storylines not present in King's tale. The end result looks like an appropriately moody, gothic series full of people stalking around dark rooms with flickering lanterns. Watch the Chapelwaite trailer below.

Chapelwaite Trailer

Fans of gothic horror are likely going to enjoy Chapelwaite, a new series adapted from Stephen King's short story "Jerusalem's Lot." The series stars Adrien Brody and Emily Hampshire (Schitt's Creek) and comes from creators Jason Filardi (17 Again) and Peter Filardi (FlatlinersThe Craft).

Here's the synopsis:

Set in the 1850s, the Chapelwaite follows Captain Charles Boone (Brody), who relocates his family of three children to his ancestral home in the small, seemingly sleepy town of Preacher's Corners, Maine after his wife dies at sea. However, Charles will soon have to confront the secrets of his family's sordid history, and fight to end the darkness that has plagued the Boones for generations.

Hampshire plays Rebecca Morgan, an ambitious young woman who left Preacher's Corners to attend Mount Holyoke College, and has returned home with an advance to write a story for the new and prestigious Atlantic Magazine. Her writer's block lifts when Boone arrives in town with his children, and despite her mother's protests, Rebecca applies to be governess of the infamous Chapelwaite manor and the Boone family in order to write about them. In doing so, Rebecca will not only craft the next great gothic novel, she'll unravel a mystery that has plagued her own family for years.

The series is executive produced by Brody, Donald De Line (Ready Player OneWayward Pines), Jason Filardi, Peter Filardi, and Burr Steers (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). Chapelwaite is produced by EPIX Studios.

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What Does This Have To Do With Salem's Lot?

I've seen several episodes of the show already, and while I can't tell you what I thought of it just yet, I can say that fans of gothic romance and horror will definitely want to check this out. As I mentioned above, King's "Jerusalem's Lot" short story that inspired this show is a prequel to his Salem's Lot novel. Which might make you ask: what the heck does this have to do with Salem's Lot? That's not an easy answer, because the series has taken a lot of liberties with the source material. But I can tell you that the town of Jerusalem's Lot, the setting of Salem's Lot, plays a big part in King's story — and is factored into the show as well.

This begs the question: will there be vampires in the show?

You're going to have to wait and see for yourself, but there are some pretty big hints as to what's going on here in this trailer. You'll know for sure when Chapelwaite premieres on EPIX on August 22, 2021.