The newest adaptation of Stephen King's adaptations of Salem's Lot, and each version has made its own changes to the story and characters. The 2004 version, for example, turned Father Callahan into Barlow's servant, while the 2024 version made Doctor Cody into a woman. Max's adaptation of Salem's Lot, however, also turned one of the story's heroes into one of the most frightening people in the entire Lot.

Max's adaptation of reviews for Salem's Lot, it also turned one character into an absolute menace compared to their book version, and actually made them rather terrifying.

Mark Petrie Becomes A Much More Intense 12-Year-Old Killer In Salem's Lot 2024

Mark Kills Humans & Vampires With Ease, & Is Far More Fearless Than His Book Counterpart

In Max's adaptation of Salem's Lot, Mark Petrie is a lot more terrifying than he is in the novel. In the book, Mark was a very capable 12-year-old, but he was still a kid at heart. He knew about vampires and the rules they follow, but he was also just as frightened as anyone else would be in the situation. In Max's Salem's Lot, however, Mark is immediately down to kill both vampires and humans without a second thought. Once he realizes what's going on, Mark kills Straker, Susan's mother, and several vampires without a moment's hesitation.

There's really only two times that Mark even shows fear in Max's Salem's Lot. The first is when Barlow kills his parents, and even that moment was more about Mark's rage than his fear. Then, Mark only gets visibly distraught when Barlow is about to kill him at the drive-in, which is a moment anyone would have been terrified of. Otherwise, Max's adaptation turned Mark Petrie into a terrifying killing machine, one that slayed vampires and humans indiscriminately. He's an incredibly intense character, and the fact that he's only 12 makes him somewhat out of place in Salem's Lot's story.

Mark's Characterization Feels More Fitting Of Different Stephen King Stories

Mark's Fearlessness Would Fit In IT, Children Of The Corn, Or The Long Walk

Mark's fearlessness and ruthlessness in Max's adaptation of Salem's Lot would fit a lot more naturally in one of Stephen King's more kid-focused stories. While the author is known for juxtaposing the innocence of childhood with his brand of horror, some of his works do this more than others. IT, The Long Walk, and Children of the Corn, for example, feature a main cast of mostly child characters, and Mark Petrie would be perfectly at home in those stories. Salem's Lot, on the other hand, is really about the town itself and the people who call it home, so Mark's unusual intensity doesn't fit as well.

What Happens To Mark Petrie After Salem's Lot's Ending

Mark Petrie & Ben Mears Returned To Salem's Lot A Year Later

After the ending of Salem's Lot, when Mark and Ben Mears drive away from the town and its remaining vampires, their story wasn't completely finished. King's novel had a prologue and epilogue that explained that Mark and Ben fled to a town in Mexico and were spiritually healed with the help of a priest there. The epilogue then revealed that Mark and Ben returned to Salem's Lot a year after they killed Barlow, and they set fire to the town. One of King's later short stories, One for the Road, showed that while they destroyed the town with fire, they never succeeded in removing the vampires.

If the version of Mark that was featured in Max's adaptation of Salem's Lot had been around, however, he would have had a much better chance of surviving the return to the Lot.

Aside from the fate of the Lot itself and of Father Callahan, Stephen King's stories never revisited Mark Petrie or Ben Mears after Salem's Lot. It's unknown if they survived their return to the Lot, or if the vampires there finally got hold of the last prey to escape. If the version of Mark that was featured in Max's adaptation of Salem's Lot had been around, however, he would have had a much better chance of surviving the return to the Lot. It's hard to say whether Max's Salem's Lot changed Mark Petrie for better or worse, but it definitely made him more intimidating.