Salem’s Lot Killing Off A Big Stephen King Universe Character Ruined The Book’s Most Tragic Ending

The 2024 remake of Stephen King’s iconic vampire story ‘Salem’s Lot made some major changes to Stephen King’s book, and one of the most impactful alterations surrounded the movie’s handling of the character of Father Callahan. The new remake that went straight to streaming after years of delays acts as a streamlined version of the original source material; the 1979 adaptation was a three-hour-long miniseries, for comparison. Given the shorter overall runtime, characters’ arcs were either shortened or cut completely, and Father Callahan was one of the primary examples.

In ‘Salem’s Lot 2024, Father Callahan (John Benjamin Hickey) is shown to be an alcoholic, just as his counterpart in King’s original novel is. Father Callahan features in one of the key interactions in the narrative: a one-on-one face-off with Type One vampire Kurt Barlow. He fails to subdue the vampire despite his status as a holy man, and is killed outright by Barlow (as opposed to being turned into a vampire). However, that represents a major change from Father Callahan’s role in the source material, and it unfortunately closes the door on a larger story.

Father Callahan Survived Kurt Barlow’s Attack In Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot Book

Callahan Lived, But His Existence Was Cursed

In Stephen King’s novel ‘Salem’s Lot, Father Callahan aligns with Ben Mears and his group of survivors who struggle to contain the vampiric outbreak in the town, just as he does in the 2024 film. Callahan winds up at Mark Petrie’s house when Kurt Barlow appears, and quickly kills Mark’s parents in retaliation for Mark’s own murder of Barlow’s assistant, Straker. Barlow challenges him “faith to faith”, and ultimately, Callahan’s wavering faith fails him in the face of Barlow’s evil.

Instead of killing him though, Barlow opens up a vein in his own neck and forces Callahan to drink his blood, which carries long-term consequences. Callahan isn’t turned into a vampire; instead, he is damned to carry a curse for the rest of his life. Callahan’s final scenes in the book involve him burning his hand on his own church, and boarding a bus out of ‘Salem’s Lot while despairing that he is now “unclean” in the eyes of the Church.

Salem’s Lot 2024 Killing Father Callahan Ruins His Tragic Religious Story

Callahan’s Exile From The Church Was Completely Eliminated

Father Callahan is already a tragic figure before his interaction with Kurt Barlow. He’s a man who has dedicated his life to the Church, but due to his alcoholism and other factors, he has lost his faith almost entirely. Having to confront that crisis of faith in the form of a manifestation of evil like Barlow, who sadistically challenges Callahan knowing he will falter, puts an exclamation point on his failure. The fact that his encounter with Barlow results in his permanent exile from the Church is the ultimate tragedy for a man of God.

By killing Father Callahan off in his battle with Kurt Barlow, the ‘Salem’s Lot remake eliminates the tragedy of Callahan’s character. In the 2024 movie, Callahan fails against Barlow in the Petrie home because, as Barlow taunts, Callahan lacks the conviction to empower the cross that is supposed to repel the powerful vampire. It’s similar, but not the same as the interaction in the novel, and when Barlow kills him quickly as opposed to damning his soul, it weakens Callahan’s overall tragic character story significantly.

How Father Callahan’s Death Changes The Meaning Of His Role In Salem’s Lot 2024

Father Callahan Becomes Another Random Victim As Opposed To A Major Player

Father Callahan’s quick death at Kurt Barlow’s hands changes how his role in the overarching narrative of ‘Salem’s Lot is defined. By choosing not to kill Callahan or turn him into a vampire, Barlow is exercising his power over not only a man of God, but, in essence, over the Church itself. He is so evil that he is able to corrupt a man who has dedicated his life to the Church to the point that the Church holds no salvation or grace for him anymore.

By having Callahan die quickly in a one-sided fight with Barlow, he becomes unimportant; he is simply another in a long line of victims that rapidly fill the town of ‘Salem’s Lot.

That’s a powerful definition of Barlow’s power, and ultimately speaks to what his true goal is: the proliferation of his evil in the town, and the world at large. By having Callahan die quickly in a one-sided fight with Barlow, he becomes unimportant; he is simply another in a long line of victims that rapidly fill the town of ‘Salem’s Lot, only he doesn’t suffer the same eternal fate as the citizens who become vampires. It’s a gross oversimplification and omission of Callahan’s significance, which Stephen King himself acknowledged by writing him into other books.

What Happened To Father Callahan After Salem’s Lot In Stephen King’s Books

Father Callahan Continued To Deal With Vampires Away From Salem’s Lot

Father Callahan resurfaces in Stephen King’s connected literary universe in the fifth book in the storied writer’s magnum opus, The Dark Tower series. In The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, Roland and his companions meet Father Callahan, who goes into detail about how he found his way to New York City, and subsequently Mid-World where he meets Roland. As part of Barlow’s curse, Callahan can sense vampires, and was working to hunt and kill them for a time. After meeting them, Callahan accompanies Roland and his companions back to what is intended to be the “real” world.

Father Callahan has such a profound impact upon Roland Deschain that Callahan is one of the names that Roalnd invokes in the field of roses on his approach to the Dark Tower itself at the culmination of his journey.

Thanks to the magic and fantasy of The Dark Tower‘s universe, Father Callahan actually discovers a copy of ‘Salem’s Lot, written by Stephen King, and goes to King’s own timeline and universe to confront him about it. The journey goes awry, and Callahan ultimately finds himself in a restaurant filled with several Type One vampires (like Kurt Barlow) and their many subordinate vampires and other creatures. Callahan chooses to sacrifice himself to save his companions, and in doing so rediscovers the power of his faith that he lost in his battle with Barlow.

While the 2024 remake of ‘Salem’s Lot was not, and should not be expected to set up Father Callahan as the symbol of redemption that Stephen King himself viewed him as, killing him so quickly still ruined the impact that his character should have had. The powerful tragedy of a priest who loses his faith is omitted in favor of making Callahan just another victim of Kurt Barlow. Even if his story was never meant to progress past the end of the 2024 adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot, Callahan’s major character themes could have been fleshed out far better.