By JASON COMERFORD

By the time Harry Sukman was hired to score the 1979 television miniseries of the Stephen King bestseller ’Salem’s Lot, he was a salty old pro with dozens of television episodes and theatrical features to his credit, and an Oscar on his mantle for 1960’s Song Without End, an adaptation of preexisting pieces by Franz Lizst (he shared the award with Morris Stoloff, then head of Columbia’s music department). Producer Richard Kobritz told Cinefantastique he was looking for “a good, atmospheric, old-fashioned, Bernie Herrmann type score,” and Sukman responded in grand style, giving the production the finishing touch of old-school panache it required (and incorporating that trusty old saw, the Dies Irae, along the way).

One of Sukman’s most effective cues accompanies a scene early in the film where young Danny Glick (Brad Savage) is menaced by his brother Ralphie (Ronnie Scribner), who’s been newly introduced to the dubious joys of hemoglobin consumption. As Danny succumbs to the pull of the supernatural, Sukman takes over: dreamy harp textures undulate under swelling brass chords and churning strings as the vampire moves in for the kill. Tragically, Sukman’s superior genre effort remains unreleased; unauthorized releases with abysmal sound quality have surfaced in recent years, but a properly produced and licensed release has yet to emerge. And that would be your cue to write the producers of your favorite soundtracks and ask politely. (Feel free to suggest me for the liner notes.)