I don’t recall the old version being this scary.
#PetSematary
Directed by Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Based on the novel by Stephen King
The bottom line: Strong performances, strong atmospherics make for great suspense and creepiness, except those are thrown out the window in the last ten minutes. But still a hair-raising rumination on death and grief.
It’s a pretty common horror story scenario: a city family moves to a quiet neighborhood to start anew. Spirits are disturbed. Horror ensues. Many of Stephen King’s stories usually start out simply before turning for the worse, and Pet Sematary is quite the archetype.
There’s no point to not spoiling this one, no? The novel came out in 1983 and the first adaptation was in 1989.
Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) takes on a new job as an emergency doctor at a local hospital in Maine and relocates his family from Boston.
Not soon after, the inquisitive young Ellie (Jeté Laurence) discovers a strange landmark in their forested backyard – a cemetery for pets that locals seemingly have used for quite some time. How cool, right?
The Creed’s close neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) knows the story behind the cemetery and makes friends with Ellie.
Tragedy strikes when Louis and Jud find the family cat Church dead and mangled beside the killer road. Afraid that Ellie will despair, Jud urges Louis to bury Church in the cemetery in the dead of the night – Louis seemingly aware of what was to happen if they did even if Jud didn’t fully explain what would.
The results couldn’t be more tragic – and even more after an accident claims Ellie’s life. Grief will not save Louis and his family.
While the film is an updated retelling of King’s classic, the filmmakers make use of old-school but very effective horror movie techniques.
The movie embraces literal and figurative darkness, enveloping the frame in obscurity and mystery that only amplifies the creepiness and the coming dread. Many scenes would look dark, but that’s the point. There’s also a nonexistent time element (Thanksgiving and Ellie’s 9th birthday were timestamps) but the days and nights seem to roll as if the place existed in its own nook in the universe. Not sure if this was by design or accidental editing – but I liked the result anyway. So creepy when you’re thrown in a situation where you aren’t aware when and where you are, like in a strange dream.
As the story sinks deeper into darkness, Louis descends deeper into grief and madness. We’re treated to heartbreaking, emotional performances from Clarke and Amy Seimetz who plays Louis’s wife Rachel. This is what the film plays well – grief and the consuming denial of death and separation, especially by parents. Indeed, no parent should ever have to bury their child.
But the film also doesn’t forget to give the chills, as we are reminded when the resurrected Ellie chillingly says she has no need of her mother anymore. Or to scare, as soon as Ellie comes back. Good job, Laurence.
However, the filmmakers seem to have taken liberty towards the end when all this sad poetry is thrown out the dumpster for the usual Hollywood taste for the undead. Still, it’s miles better than the 1989 movie.
Images and trailer link from United International Pictures.
acid reflects 
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