‘Sometimes dead is better’
Pet Sematary is a 1989 supernatural American horror film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. It was directed by Mary Lambert (Mega Python vs. Gatoroid; The Attic; Urban Legends: Bloody Mary) from a screenplay by King who also has a cameo role as a minister.
The movie stars Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Blaze Berdahl, Miko Hughes, Fred Gwynne (The Munsters), and Andrew Hubatsek.
A sequel, Pet Sematary II, was also helmed by Mary Lambert but met with less financial and critical success.
In 2018, King’s novel was again adapted into a movie for a 2019 release.
Plot:
The Creed family moves into a new home, close to a road where high-speed truckers often carelessly drive by. They befriend their neighbour Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne) who tells them about a pet cemetery nearby.
Later, Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff), working at the University of Maine at Orono health centre, treats Victor Pascow (Brad Greenquist), who’s been hit by a truck and has incurred massive head injuries. He dies on the examining table, but not before suddenly grabbing Louis, addressing him by name, and uttering a mysterious and cryptic message. He also promises to “come to” him. That night, in what is seemingly a dream, Victor visits Louis, warning him about the burial ground beyond the pet cemetery. Louis wakes up to find his feet covered in dirt.
Church, a British Shorthair cat owned by Louis’ daughter Ellie (Blaze Berdahl), is run over by a truck on the road in front of their house while Rachel (Denise Crosby), Ellie, and Gage (Miko Hughes) are in Chicago. Jud takes Louis to an ancient Micmac Indian burial ground beyond the pet cemetery they visited earlier. He buries the cat underneath a cairn.
Church is brought back to life, but is an evil shell of himself. He attacks Louis and reeks of decomposition. Jud tells Louis about the grounds. Louis asks if a person was ever buried in the grounds. Jud is clearly upset by the question, knocks over some beer bottles, and forcefully exclaims “Christ on His throne, no. And whoever would?” But that is a lie, as Jud later reveals to Louis…
Reviews:
“The plot alone would make for a scary movie, but by injecting excellent atmosphere, capable acting and generally nightmarish scenes, Pet Sematary is a truly effective horror flick and well worth the price of admission.” Bloody Disgusting
“Pet Sematary marks the first time Stephen King has adapted his own book for the screen, and the result is undead schlock dulled by a slasher-film mentality – squandering its chilling and fertile source material” Variety, December 31, 1988
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