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| Stunning and eerie Pet Sematary (2019) poster |
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Creepy Pet Sematary (2019) poster
Pet Sematary (2019)
After her sister
(Alyssa Brooke Levine, in her debut) died from a spine-related illness (that
results in several creepy scenes courtesy of flashbacks), Rachel (Amy Seimetz),
her husband (TV actor Jason Clarke), and their kids move to a secluded house in
the middle of nowhere, U.S.A. The only problem with this particular quiet
location is the big trucks that pass by on occasion from the nearby highway and
the tenants should be somewhat careful when crossing the street. One of those
trucks kills the family cat, and when its corpse is found by the male lead he
asks for the help of friendly neighbor Jud (TV actor John Lithgow) to bury it
at the local (and absolutely spooky) pet cemetery. The thing though with this
particular cemetery is its haunted history that brings the animals back to
life. And so does this cat, but when it comes back, it is not exactly the same
cute pet.
Stephen King’s Pet Sematary novel had an unfortunate
adaptation for the big screen already, namely Pet Sematary (1989), but despite how much this movie was hated by
those that saw it, it still spawned a sequel which was even more awful, namely Pet Sematary II (1992). It is no surprise
that during the current Stephen King renaissance that the same book is adapted
(this time by screenwriter Jeff Buhler, who also penned the same year’s The Prodigy, discussed briefly on this
article’s introduction), albeit in much more high-profile fashion. Paramount
Pictures was involved and a $21 million budget was utilized. The film went on
to gross a massive $112.4, so quite predictably a sequel followed suit.
The end result
is – to put it frankly – amazing. This is one modern horror film that is scary,
vile, and grim. Kevin Kolsch’s and Dennis Widmyer’s direction is full of power,
it takes you by surprise, it grabs your face and gives you an experience that
you may not be able to forget easily. The cinematography by Laurie Rose (who
works mostly in television) is also top notch.
Oh, and in case
you’re wondering how this film qualifies for inclusion in this column, suffice
to say that as long as zombie humans are considered monsters, so do zombie
cats. I watched this on my 36th birthday and it was an amazing gift
to me.
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Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023)
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023)
Set in 1969
Ludlow (that resembles many a Small Town, U.S.A.) amidst references to the
Vietnam War and very little other historical or cultural background, this
prequel is about a group of young people who have to face the local ancient
evil course.
Following the
commercial and critical success of the 2019 remake, this prequel directed by
Lindsay Anderson Beer (who also penned the screenplay with Jeff Buhler) does
not really know where it wants to go, and its story is all over the place,
becoming not so much of a tale, but rather an abstract canvas that is employed
only as an excuse for a series of gory set-pieces to be showcased. And whereas
this would sound like a warning sign by uptight film critics, it is kind of the
opposite here and I offer it as a recommendation. Yes, some of the CGI are not
so good (luckily the practical effects are really cool), and some of the young
actors cannot offer much to the table (and are saved only by the experience of
veteran colleagues that include David Duchovny and Pam Grier), but this is a
very entertaining film that does its best to scare you or gross you out, and
most of the times it succeeds. It premiered at the Fantastic Fest and is now
available for streaming at Paramount+. More sequels have been promised and
we’ll be here to watch them.
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