Published 10/29/25

Ferndale is no stranger to Hollywood, and one of the town’s best-known roles was as a fictional Maine village plagued by vampires in the 1979 cult classic miniseries “Salem’s Lot,” based on the Stephen King novel.

As we send off this spooky season, Visit Ferndale has gained a unique look behind the scenes of the production of “Salem’s Lot,” graciously shared by Wyoming artist Cindy Moore.

In the “Salem’s Lot Then and Now” Facebook community (21,000 members strong!), Cindy explained:

“I finally found my old photos and newspaper clippings from my lucky day of being an extra in Salem's Lot. These are from 1979 so they may be a bit faded. I hope you enjoy seeing my behind the scenes moments.”

In an email, Cindy told us more of her story:

“Being in that film is one of my favorite memories. I had just graduated from high school and David Soul was very very popular. My Grandparents lived in Ferndale. My great grandfather is buried in the Ferndale cemetery. So a little [bit] of history there.
“Our family had come up for a visit. When my grandfather showed me a newspaper article about the filming, of course I had to go see. So my sister and I drove downtown. We were standing on the street when I was approached by one of the crew and asked if I wanted to be in the movie. Well YES! They put me in the scene where the Sheriff leaves town. It was so surreal to be sitting in a car and have David Soul drive up and get out and put his hand on the car door right next to you.
“Everyone in the movie crew were all very friendly and kind. It took me years before I could watch that scary movie all the way through.”

Now film buffs, history lovers and Ferndale fans can enjoy these photos too. Want to dive deeper? Learn more about Ferndale’s big-screen history in the Ferndale Enterprise Souvenir Edition (including the town’s starring roles in feature films “Outbreak” and “The Majestic”), check out our Q&A interview with “Salem’s Lot” super-fan Ben Ottaviano, and keep an eye out for Ferndale’s latest star turn—in the upcoming film “Dark Light,” filming now in the Victorian Village!