‘Sometimes… dead is better…’
Pet Sematary is not the first name that comes to mind when considering the big guns of the horror franchise world, and yet, now that we are five films and one documentary in, the time has come to consider them all as a cohesive whole. Let’s dive in…
Pet Sematary (1989) – 7.5/10
‘Sometimes… dead is better…’
After IT, I think Pet Sematary was the second Stephen King book that I ever read. When I finally saw Mary Lambert’s film adaptation a number of years later it truly terrified me. Sometimes, in the dead of night when sleep is elusive, I still imagine that I can see Zelda crouched in the corner of my room…
When the Creed family move to Ludlow, Maine and befriend an avuncular old man (Fred Gwynne) it seems that everything is going swell. Patriarch Louis (Dale Midkiff) gets a job as a doctor at the local university, his wife Rachel (Denise Crosby) loves their new home, daughter Ellie (Blaze Berdahl) is excited to start her new school and baby Gage (Miko Hughes) is crawling with the best of them. The death of beloved family cat Church leads to the discovery of the titular Pet Sematary (purposefully misspelt) and the ancient Indian burial ground that lies beyond.
Watching Pet Sematary again for the first time in over a decade was an interesting experience. Parts of it hold up better than others. A lot of people find the ghost of Victor Pascow (Brad Greenquist) to be annoying, for example. I think his inclusion lends the film a strangeness that suits the story well. The three nightmarish flashback sequences involving the aforementioned Zelda (Rachel’s deformed and insane older sister) are still, to be frank, fucking horrifying. I like Midkiff’s performance in the lead role and Gwynne, Herman Munster himself, really makes the role of Jud Crandall his own, to the point that I can’t imagine anyone else doing the character justice. The nods to the wider King universe (a cameo from King himself here, an appearance from Cujo there) are subtle enough to be effective and the bonkers third act stays just the right side of credulous.
Pet Sematary is an odd film, and it certainly doesn’t come close to matching the source material, but all things considered, it must go down as a success. A top-tier King adaptation.
Pet Sematary 2 (1992) – 6/10
‘You bury your own…’
After the success of the first Pet Sematary adaptation, it feels only natural that a sequel would be produced. However, things had changed in the pop culture landscape between the first film in ’89 and the second film of ’92. Grunge was in. Horror was in a state of flux. Edward Furlong was a going concern. It was a different era…
Following the death of his actress wife in a tragic on-set accident, veterinarian Chase Matthews (Anthony Edwards) and his tearaway son Jeff (Furlong) move to Ludlow, Maine to begin the grieving process. Upon arrival, they meet an insidious school bully (Jared Rushton) and a manic cop (Clancy Brown) and hear about the old legend of the Creed family… sometimes dead is better.
Director Mary Lambert returns for Pet Sematary II but instead of Stephen King, we have Richard Outten on writing duties. The result is an uneven and messy film that falls apart in the third act. The opening 45 minutes is quietly effective, however, and manages to conjure up some scares without feeling like a tired retread of the original. Furlong pretty much reprises his character from Terminator II:, but the smart-ass kid trope fits well into this universe, even if his relationship with Edwards never really convinces. Clancy Brown fares better as the film’s central villain, delivering an insanely over-the-top and scenery-chewing performance that stays just the right side of utterly deranged but the conclusion is so overblown and extravagant that any kind of emotional resonance or poignancy is diminished. By the end, Lambert loses sight of the central premise of the Pet Sematary – the process of grieving.
As a rote horror sequel, Pet Sematary II is perfectly adequate. Is it objectively a ‘good’ film? No. No, it isn’t. Is it a lot of fun? Just watch the last 20 minutes. Wonderfully bonkers.
Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary (2017) – 6/10
‘Pet Sematary is really a timeless story…’
The original Pet Sematary is just about iconic enough to justify a feature-length documentary. Unearthed & Untold from John Campopiano and Justin White (the same team behind 2021’s Pennywise: The Story of IT) explores the making of a cult classic with interviews from all surviving members of the cast and crew.
While it is illuminating to hear about how much the cast loved shooting in Maine and the camaraderie onset, the lack of footage from the movie itself is damaging. Had Campopiano and White secured the rights for the original footage this would be a top-notch ‘making of’ doc. As it is, sans original footage, Unearthed and Untold is a little repetitive and perhaps overly long at 75 minutes. That being said, interviews with director Mary Lambert and stars Denise Crosby and Dale Midkiff are compelling and for longtime fans of Pet Sematary there is a lot here to enjoy. It’s also satisfying to hear that everyone seems to agree that Fred Gwynne was a total sweetheart throughout the entire process of making Pet Sematary.
Pet Sematary (2019) – 7/10
The original Pet Sematary was quietly one of the most effective horror films of the ’80s, as well as causing little Robbie Johnson to have blood-curdling nightmares as he lay on his side, clutching a fluffy gizmo doll. The hideous scenes in the original movie that feature the twisted and broken Zelda are as iconic as they are unforgettable, so the question is, as so often with these films, do we need a remake of Pet Sematary?
**mild spoilers ahead**
Louis (Jason Clarke) and Rachel (Amy Seimetz) Creed are a seemingly normal family who move from Boston to Maine, probably to escape the legacy of their uncle Apollo Creed, a famous boxer. Anyway, nobody is laughing when their young daughter Ellie (Jete Laurence) is hit by a truck, least of all the Creed’s next-door neighbour ol’ Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) who had previously confided in Louis about an ancient Indian burial ground that brings the dead back to life.
The worst remakes of course are those that are just a bland retelling of the original. In order to improve on something, a fresh perspective must be applied. Just like how the bacon double cheeseburger is a masterful retelling of the beautiful story that is the plain old double cheeseburger, a film remake must be different enough from the source material to justify its own existence, while still remaining true to the original vision. Pet Sematary just about manages this by choosing to kill off the elder Creed sibling Ellie, rather than the toddler Gage. This is less shocking, but it does make sense in light of what comes later, especially when taking into account the fact that the third act of the original Pet Sematary is definitely the least effective.
In terms of scares, Kevin Kolsch’s remake kind of works but it does too often stray into Mike Flanagan territory. Kolsch does manage to build up an effective crescendo of dread, however, and this, complemented by some fine work from Clarke and particularly Lithgow, ensures that Pet Sematary is an enjoyable if unremarkable addition to the Stephen King filmography. The source material was always one of King’s darker novels, indeed, the master of horror himself claims it is the only book he ever wrote that actually scared him. Neither film adaptation has managed to capture the true visceral horror of King’s novel, but both the original and the remake have had a lot of fun trying, and both are successful in their own way.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023) – 6/10
There comes a time in the lifespan of every horror franchise when we hit prequel territory. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines takes us back to Ludlow, Maine in 1969 to a time in which a young man named Jud Crandall (Jackson White) and his sweetheart Norma (Natalie Alyn Lind) are all set to run off and join the Peace Corps. That puts us on the same timeline as the 2019 remake rather than the 1989 original for anyone keeping track.
Usually, one of the most frequent complaints about the humble horror prequel is that they provide a backstory where none is required. In this case, I enjoyed hearing more about the elders of Ludlow (particularly as said elders include Pam Grier, Henry Thomas and David Duchovny) and positioning Ludlow as some kind of cursed town (none unlike that other Stephen King creation – Derry, Maine) is a smart move. Even the flashback to the 17th century is tastefully handled. First-time director Lindsey Anderson Beer (who co-wrote the script alongside Pet Sematary (2019) scribe Jeff Buhler) spins a compelling yarn in this little town, creating a community that feels both lived in and authentic. Beer struggles a little visually, not in terms of cinematography but more in terms of costume and set design. While it is a treat to see a more grizzled Duchovny (who is excellent throughout) and Henry Thomas knows his way around a period piece, none of the younger cast members can pass for being from the past – particularly Lind who could have walked straight off an Instagram photoshoot.
All of that aside, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines adds an intriguing layer of mythos to a franchise that hasn’t explored its own lore that much and at less than 90 minutes it never outstays its welcome. I understand Beer’s sequel has had some stinky reviews elsewhere but on the whole, I had a good time with Bloodlines, so much so that I’d welcome another film in this universe.