“Salem's Lot” Cast Reveal Their Favorite Stephen King Books Ahead of Long-Awaited Movie Adaptation (Exclusive)

Based on King's 1975 book of the same name — his sophomore novel after 1974's 'Carrie' — 'Salem's Lot' is streaming Thursday, Oct. 3, on Max

The cast of Salem's Lot have a healthy (nay, bloodthirsty) appreciation for Stephen King's works.

Based on the prolific horror author's 1975 book of the same name — which marked his sophomore novel after 1974's Carrie — Salem's Lot is streaming on Max this Thursday, Oct. 3, and is the first time the book has ever been adaptation into a full-length feature.

Speaking with PEOPLE, the cast of the film — including Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh and Spencer Treat Clark — shared their favorite picks among King's expansive body of work.

While The Running Man (1982) gets the vote from Pullman, 31, Leigh, 34, goes in a different direction, selecting the first book in King's genre-spanning Dark Tower series: 1982's The Gunslinger.

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For Clark, it's hard to choose a favorite. Name-checking classics like The Shining (1977), The Stand (1978) and Under the Dome (2009), he also notes that Salem's Lot has a special place in his heart.

"Salem's Lot, without a doubt," says the actor, 37, when asked which King novel he likes most of those he has read. "Obviously, I have this personal connection to it, and it's one of Stephen King's first novels and one of his favorites, and it's one of my favorites as well."

Iconic horror filmmaker James Wan, who serves as a producer on Salem's Lot, tells PEOPLE it's "too hard to pick" a favorite story from King, but the author's "fantastic" 1980 novella The Mist is up there.

"It's basically Stephen King trying to do his version of H. P. Lovecraft, and kind of cool to see King doing his version of that with his own reptilian tentacle monsters that live in this mist that blows in," says Wan, 47, also praising Frank Darabont's 2007 "great" film adaptation.

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Directed, written for the screen and executive produced by Gary Dauberman, Salem's Lot follows author Ben Mears (played by Pullman) as he "returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire," according to an official logline.

It also stars Leigh as Susan Norton and Clark as Mike Ryerson, plus Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody, Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, Pilou Asbæk as Straker and John Benjamin Hickey as Father Callahan.

"There's been a few Salem's Lot miniseries, but there's never been an adaptation on a feature level," says Wan, who produced alongside Michael Clear, Roy Lee and Mark Wolper. "So we thought it would be cool to partner with Gary and then partner with Stephen King to bring that to life."

He also gives props to the original 1979 miniseries, which was written by Paul Monash and directed by Tobe Hooper, calling it "one of the scariest adaptations of King's work."

"And I think it's incredible — one of Stephen's best," Wan tells PEOPLE of the book itself. "So we definitely felt fortunate that we were able to play with it."

Salem's Lot, from New Line Cinema, is streaming Thursday, Oct. 3, on Max.

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