View source for Jerusalem's Lot

{{Short description|Short story by Stephen King}}
{{about|the short story|the novel|'Salem's Lot|the fictional town the short story and the novel take place in|Jerusalem's Lot (Stephen King)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox short story | <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels]] or [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Books]] -->
| name         = Jerusalem's Lot
| author       = [[Stephen King]]
| country      = United States
| language     = English
| series       =
| genre        = [[Horror fiction|Horror]] [[short story]]
| published_in = ''[[Night Shift (short story collection)|Night Shift]]''
| publisher    = [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]
| media_type   = Print ([[Hardcover]])
| pub_date     = [[1978 in literature|1978]]
| followed_by_italics =  [['Salem's Lot]]
}}
"'''Jerusalem's Lot'''" is a short story by [[Stephen King]], first published in King's 1978 collection ''[[Night Shift (short story collection)|Night Shift]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Jerusalem's Lot|url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?40749|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 11, 2021|website=[[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]]}}</ref> The story was also printed in the illustrated 2005 edition of King's 1975 novel ''[['Salem's Lot]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title='Salem's Lot, Illustrated Edition|url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?305264|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 11, 2021|website=[[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]]}}</ref>

== Setting and style ==
"Jerusalem's Lot" is an [[Epistolary novel|epistolary]] short story set in the fictional town of Preacher's Corners, [[Cumberland County, Maine|Cumberland County]], [[Maine]], in 1850. It is told through a series of letters and diary entries, mainly those of its main character, aristocrat Charles Boone, although his manservant, Calvin McCann, also occasionally assumes the role of narrator.

== Plot ==
Charles Boone, in letters addressed to "Bones", describes the arrival of himself and his [[Domestic worker|manservant]], Calvin McCann, at Chapelwaite, the neglected ancestral home of Charles's estranged late cousin Stephen. Calvin learns that many people in the nearby [[Maine]] town of Preacher's Corners think Charles and Calvin are mad for living in the mansion. The house is said to be "a bad house" with a history of sad events, disappearances, and mysterious noises which Charles attributes to "[[The Rats in the Walls|rats in the walls]]". Calvin finds a hidden compartment in the library containing an old map of a deserted village called [[Jerusalem's Lot (Stephen King)|Jerusalem's Lot]], a mysterious area the townsfolk avoid. Their curiosity piqued, Charles and Calvin set out to explore the village.

The two find a decayed [[Puritan]] settlement. Nothing, including animals, has set foot in the town since its abandonment. Exploring a church, they discover an obscene parody of the [[Madonna (art)|Madonna and Child]] and an [[Cross of Saint Peter|inverted cross]]. At the [[pulpit]], they find a book filled with [[Latin]] and [[Druid]]ic [[runes]] entitled ''[[De Vermis Mysteriis]]'', or "The Mysteries of the Worm". When Charles touches the book, the church shakes, and something gigantic moves in the ground beneath. The two flee the village.

The Preacher's Corners' inhabitants begin fearing Charles. They chase him from one house with rocks and guns. Charles asks Mrs. Cloris, Chapelwaite's former maid, for information about Jerusalem's Lot. She reveals a rift in Charles' family caused by his grandfather, Robert Boone, trying to steal ''De Vermis Mysteriis'' from his brother, Philip (presumably to destroy it). Philip was a minister involved in the [[occult]] who, on October 31, 1789, vanished along with the population of Jerusalem's Lot. Charles dismisses it as superstition but cannot forget what he saw in the church.

Calvin discovers a diary in the library, encrypted with a [[rail fence cipher]]. Before he can decipher it, Charles takes him into the cellar to check for rats. Hidden behind the walls they find the [[undead]] corpses of two of his relatives, Marcella and Randolph Boone. Charles recognizes them as "[[Nosferatu (word)|nosferatu]]". The two flee the cellar, and Calvin seals the trapdoor.

As Charles recovers from the encounter, Calvin cracks the cipher. The diary, written by Robert Boone, details the history of Jerusalem's Lot and the events leading to the mass disappearance. The village was founded by one of Charles' distant ancestors, James Boon, who was the leader of an [[inbreeding|inbred]] [[witchcraft]] [[cult]]. Philip and Robert took up residence in Chapelwaite, Philip was taken in by Boon's cult, and he acquired ''De Vermis Mysteriis'' at Boon's behest. Philip and Boon used the book to call forth a supernatural entity referred to as "The Worm". In his final entry, Robert curses the [[Eastern whip-poor-will|whip-poor-will]] birds that have descended upon Chapelwaite.

Charles feels compelled to return to Jerusalem's Lot. Calvin tries to stop him but finally relents and accompanies his master. They discover a butchered lamb on the church altar, lying on top of ''De Vermis Mysteriis''. Charles moves the lamb and takes the book to destroy it, but a congregation of undead appears, including Philip and Boon. Charles becomes possessed and begins chanting, summoning forth the Worm. Calvin knocks down Charles, freeing him from possession. Charles sets fire to the book. The Worm lashes out from below, killing Calvin before disappearing. Before Charles can recover Calvin's body, Boon forces Charles to flee. In his final letter to "Bones", Charles announces his intention to commit [[suicide]], ending the Boone family line.

An "editor's note" attributes Charles's letters and the death of Calvin to insanity rather than supernatural occurrences in Jerusalem's Lot. The editor notes that Charles was not the last of his line: a [[Illegitimacy in fiction|bastard]] relative still exists, the editor himself, James Robert Boone, who has moved to Chapelwaite to restore the family name. James notes that Charles was right about one thing: "This place badly needs the services of an exterminator. There are some huge rats in the walls, by the sound." The note is dated October 2, the same date as Charles' first letter.

== Adaptations ==

=== Comics ===
Artist [[Glenn Chadbourne]] adapted "Jerusalem's Lot" for ''[[The Secretary of Dreams]]'', a collection of comics based on King's short fiction released by [[Cemetery Dance Publications|Cemetery Dance]] in December 2006.

=== Television ===
{{main|Chapelwaite}}
In December 2019,  [[Epix]] announced it had commissioned a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes for a television adaptation starring [[Adrien Brody]] as Captain Charles Boone.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/12/adrien-brody-star-jerusalems-lot-drama-series-based-stephen-king-short-story-epix-1202813775/|title=Adrien Brody To Star In 'Jerusalem's Lot' Epix Series Based On Stephen King Short Story From Epix Prods.|first1=Nellie |last1=Andreeva|last2=Petski|first2=Denise|date=December 19, 2019}}</ref> In March 2020, [[Emily Hampshire]] joined the cast in the role of Rebecca Morgan. The show is titled ''[[Chapelwaite]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/emily-hampshire-star-epix-drama-stephen-king-jerusalems-lot-chapelwaite-1202873605/|title=Emily Hampshire To Star In Epix Drama Based On Stephen King's 'Jerusalem's Lot'|last=Petski|first=Denise|date=2020-03-03|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-03-04}}</ref>

Filming of ''Chapelwaite'' was set to begin in March 2020, but had to be postponed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. On July 5, 2020, filming began in Nova Scotia, and was set to wrap up on December 18, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mystic natives Peter and Jason Filardi are showrunners for a TV series based on Stephen King short story|url=https://www.theday.com/article/20201122/ENT09/201129990|last=Dorsey|first=Kristina|date=2020-11-22|access-date=2020-11-29|website=The Day|language=en-US}}</ref> The show premiered on August 22, 2021.<ref name="bloo_“Cha">{{Cite web| title = "Chapelwaite": EPIX's Adaptation of Stephen King Story 'Jerusalem's Lot' Premiering in August - Bloody Disgusting| author = | work = Bloody Disgusting!| date = 29 June 2021| access-date = 7 July 2021| url = https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3671898/chapelwaite-epixs-adaptation-stephen-king-story-jerusalems-lot-premiering-august/| quote = 
}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Stephen King short fiction bibliography]]
* ''[[Salem's Lot]]''
* "[[One for the Road (short story)|One for the Road]]" &ndash; 1977 sequel of ''{{'}}Salem's Lot''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://stephenking.com/works/short/jerusalems-lot.html "Jerusalem's Lot" at StephenKing.com]
* {{ISFDB title|id=40749|short=yes}}

{{Night Shift}}
{{Stephen King}}
{{'Salem's Lot}}

[[Category:1978 short stories]]
[[Category:Fiction set in 1850]]
[[Category:'Salem's Lot]]
[[Category:Short stories by Stephen King]]
[[Category:Short stories set in Maine]]
[[Category:Cthulhu Mythos short stories]]
[[Category:Short stories about vampires]]
[[Category:Fantasy short stories]]
[[Category:Horror short stories]]
[[Category:Fiction with unreliable narrators]]
[[Category:Short stories set in country houses]]
[[Category:Works about missing people]]
[[Category:Short stories about witches and witchcraft]]