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'Pet Sematary'—A Movie Review

'Pet Sematary' is the only written novel by author Stephen King that scared him.

By Marielle SabbagPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Better lock your doors, or all the pets of the undead will burst into your homes.

Pet Sematary is a film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 horror novel. When a family moves to Maine they believe that it’s a new beginning. But when the Creeds come across an eerie pet "sematary," where children bury their deceased pets, dark secrets plague their surroundings. Discovering the power to bring back the dead, the results turn into a living nightmare.

In 1989, director Mary Lambert created the first chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s terrifying work. In my opinion, the newest adaptation is a better version. That’s not saying that the film doesn’t have flaws. The most recent Pet Sematary is better acted and the new twist opens the door to new ideas.

Pet Sematary is the only written novel by author Stephen King that scared him. He even placed the manuscript on the shelf wondering if he should even publish it. I remember feeling chills run up my spine while reading Pet Sematary. It’s a bleak, depressing, and dark novel. The theme of death is prominent. The ‘89 version of Pet Sematary is tough to watch and it’s a movie I would rather not see again.

Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer created an adaptation with chilling surprises, memorable scenes in acting, but the story missed out on an opportunity to further expand with the new twist. Other than that detail, I feel this is one of the better film adaptations of Pet Sematary.

Let’s talk about the actors. Jason Clarke performs as Louis Creed, the father and the main character. He’s a doctor who loves his family dearly. Other than that, we really don’t know much about his character. Clarke’s performance was somewhat bland, but he was able to project emotion, especially fear, very well. That’s what I felt was missing from Dale Midriff’s performance as Louis in the first adaptation.

Amy Seimetz has now become one of my new favorite actresses. I wish the film could have expanded her role more. Rachel Creed has a horrifying and tough background that makes her uneasy about death. Siemetz's emotion, fear, and delivery was so genuine that I was rooting for her more.

Now onto the two children. Ellie is the oldest child who is curious about the world, especially death. As for Gage, he is only three years old and is still adapting to the world. I won’t spoil anything, but I love the twist. Remakes always need to make a change, to add something new and different for audiences.

Jete Laurence gets the outstanding young actress of the year award from me! In her role as eight-year-old Ellie Creed, Laurence’s ability to act from innocence to a chilling demon in a matter of seconds is one of the best parts of this movie. I wish all the best for her in her movie career.

And then there is Jud Crandall played by John Lithgow. Judd is the elderly neighbor of the Creeds who is the source of the history behind the pet "sematary." Jud was one of my favorite characters in the book because he is cheery and knowledgeable.

John Lithgow did a remarkable job but I feel like the film missed out on creating the inner connection between Louis and Jud. Jud’s main purpose of being in this film is to be the exposition.

The five cats who performed as the adorable, or chilling, family cat, Church, did an awesome job. More cats need to appear in films. I know dogs tend to be easier to train, but cats need their big film break.

The film’s flaws are that audiences are told too much, there was a missed opportunity to create something from the twist, and even slow pacing in the beginning half. The beginning of the film does too much telling. The middle half of the movie is on-edge and hooks you. Unlike the book and ‘89 version, the new adaptation does not fall on any unneeded subplots.

The horrifying makeup, the beautiful and yet eerie setting, and direction made Pet Sematary a better adaptation. Nowadays horror movies only relying on jump scares, while Pet Sematary horror revolves around your worst fears.

With a chilling ending, I recommend audiences to experience Pet Semetary on the big screen. The film is tough to watch in places, most especially scenes involving death, Rachel’s terrifying past, and the climactic last half of the film is not for all audiences. If you’re a Stephen King fan, go ahead. The film kept me on the edge of my seat.

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About the Creator

Marielle Sabbag

Writing has been my passion since I was 11 years old. I love creating stories from fiction, poetry, fanfiction. I enjoy writing movie reviews. I would love to become a creative writing teacher and leave the world inspiring minds.

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