Saturday, April 06, 2019

The Secret Afterlife of Pets: Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary” Still Works 30 Years Later

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Sometimes it makes bad things seem good. Take, for instance, the 1989 horror flick “Pet Sematary.” It was a modest success at the time when the horror genre was in a bit of turmoil. Slashers were slowly on their way out and no one knew what to do with the genre. Why not visit the Stephen King well again for what the author has described as his scariest book? “Pet Sematary” as a film is fine but it’s not very good.

It certainly doesn’t hold up that much today. Even if the two year old playing Gage is pretty decent considering he’s essentially a baby, the daughter is pretty terrible. The film gets bogged down in boring side plots – who the hell cares about Rachel’s sick sister? The only reason the character scared kids is because she’s played onscreen by a man in horrible makeup. The story of “Pet Sematary” is great, but the final product, for all intents and purposes, is sort of a mess. And it’s not scary – disturbing perhaps – you certainly won’t see a studio film made today with a two year old coming back from the dead killing people with a scalpel. The film was essentially a horror film about grief another recent movie to tackle the difficult subject matter was last year’s Hereditary. And now we get another version of “Pet Sematary” that fixes everything that was slightly wonky about the 1989 version and has a few fun twists up its sleeves.

The new iteration of “Pet Sematary” is pretty similar to the original film for a majority of the time. A couple moves from the busy city to the rural comforts of Maine. There’s Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their young daughter Ellie and baby Gage (Hugo & Lucas Lavoie). Ellie also has a cat named Church. They meet a weird but nice neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) who sort of becomes a father figure to the family.

Things seem to be going ok until Louis begins having weird visions of a college student who was recently hit by a car and killed on the campus he works at. Oh and there happens to be a pet “sematary” in the woods behind the Creed’s house where all the kids in the town bury their dead pets. And there seems to be something slightly evil just beyond the pet sematary. In fact its an ancient burial ground that brings dead things back to life! So when Ellie’s cat gets hit by one of the many speeding tractor trailers that whip down their road, Jud recommends that Louis bury the cat in the place beyond the pet sematary. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you zombie Church. The cat in the original film looked evil before he was killed and zombified. The Church in the new film is precious looking and then is all mangey.

At this point we all know where the story is going but the film plays with your expectations to the film’s – and our- benefit. Screenwriters Matt Greenberg and Jeff Buhler have fun playing with an audience who they know is seeing the film because they know the original movie. Directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer know that too. But they also know how to make this story scarier and fix things that didn’t work in the first film. Rachel’s sister Zelda still figures into the story but is handled in a much better way as are the overall themes of death, grief, and the afterlife. Stephen King has essentially given us a zombie story but told through the point of view of a family dealing with tragedy. That’s why this story still resonates today.

The new Pet Sematary is scary, atmospheric, and not at all the cornball of a movie that the original 1989 film is. Of course that movie was certainly a product of its time and I admire its weirdness. This new film is a bit more straightforward but its a tad less campy and overall better paced. I enjoyed the performances – even if no one can replace Fred Gwynne – and the film’s third act was creepy and extremely fun. Sometimes remakes are better.  GRADE: B


11 comments:

steve said...


شركة شحن عفش من جدة الى الامارات
شركة شحن عفش من جدة الى الاردن
شركة نقل عفش من جدة الى الدمام
شركة نقل عفش من جدة الى المدينة المنورة
شركة نقل عفش من جدة الى الطائف
شركة شحن عفش من جدة الى البحرين

i-visaindia.com said...

+1 (888) 262-3763 Delta Airlines Customer Service Number for :

Delta Airline Reservatations

Airline Booking

PNR Change

Online Delta Ticket Booking

Delta Customer Care

Best phone number to reach Delta

Airline VIP Lounge

Delta Celebrity Reservation



24 hours, 7 days
Delta customer service number .
Get in touch with Delta’s customer service department through the following phone numbers,email and contact form.
For more information about reservations, technical support, cargo department, lost baggage and medallion status, please call the numbers listed Above .

Delta Customer Service Number
Delta Customer Service
Delta Customer Number
Delta Service Number

Anonymous said...

We are popular as Florist Service in Gurgaon from last 10 Years, we also offers fresh flowers cakes and latest gifts across Gurgaon. Send flowers online and Offline from flower shop for your loved ones and availlable for corporate gifting with fastest delivery.

Florist Service in Gurgaon
Online Florist Services in Gurgaon

travel kida said...


Thankyou for such an amazing work of art. Helped me understanding on a deeper level. Loved each and every bit of it.
Shimla-Honeymoon-Packagese
Kashmir honeymoon package
Ladakh trip
Manali Honeymoon Package

neha said...

I have to agree with all your inclusions such great information that will be very useful, Thank you for sharing this great blog.
Events Planner In Delhi
Wedding Planner In Delhi

Dharmendra Chidar said...

"I have website Live Digital india for Related to Movies Entertenmaint so please visit my site
Download Movies
https://livedigitalindia.in

Thanks
Dharmendra"

Ajay kumar said...

Thanks for posting
my website techwolk is related to technology

Ajay kumar said...


Thanks for posting
my webside techwolk.in/Sonsindiasong
I have Webside techwolk.in/Sonsindiasong for Related by All type Songs.

OptimalVE said...

"It was an informative post indeed. Now It's the time to make the switch to solar power,
contact us(National Solar Company) today to learn more about how solar power works.
battery storage solar
united solar energy
solar panels
solar inverter
solar batteries
solar panels adelaide
best solar panels
solar power
battery storage solar
battery charger solar
solar regulators
solar charge controllers
solar battery storage
instyle solar
solar panels melbourne
solar panels for sale
solar battery charger
solar panels cost
buy solar panels"

Unknown said...

This post provides all information related to Neinstein Law firm and provide all services reated to Injury Lawyer Toronto, we will help all injured cyclists get access to medical and rehabilitative care
to aid in their recovery. Since many injuries are not immediately evident, we will be vigilant in monitoring your health throughout the process.

Bike Accident Lawyer
Boating Accident Lawyer

OptimalVE said...

"consumer proposal
Consumer Proposal Winnipeg
Winnipeg Consumer Proposal
Insolvency Winnipeg
Bankruptcy Winnipeg
Winnipeg Bankruptcy
Winnipeg Insolvency
Insolvency Trustee Winnipeg
Debt Relief Winnipeg
Winnipeg Debt Consolidation
Winnipeg Insolvency Trustee
bankruptcy
Debt Consolidation Winnipeg
Winnipeg Debt Relief
Credit Counseling Winnipeg
debt consolidation companies"