Pet Sematary ★★½
THE new version of Pet Sematary has a couple of interesting twists on the original story but ultimately doesn’t surpass the original version.
It’s well acted and has some creepy moments and matches the tone of the 1989 version for part of its running time in terms of being playful with the horror elements.
But the original, that was scripted by Stephen King himself, was anchored more in the book’s emotional stakes of losing a child and the grief that can cause irrational behaviour, which of course is then taken to the extreme.
The new film touches on these emotions, including a strong section where the parents discuss how to address the issue of death and the after-life with their daughter, but doesn’t sufficently build on them to the point where you care about the characters during the final, horrific act.
For those who aren’t aware, Pet Sematary is based on the novel by horror master King and tells the story of a doctor, Louis Creed, and his wife, Rachel, who relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children.
Louis is burnt out from the hectic, traumatic schedule of a busy ER and Rachel is prepared for a ‘tree-change’ . They are provided with both, courtesy of a more casual job as a high school medic for Louis and a beautiful old rambling house on the edge of a forest.
Life starts well enough, but there are a few ominous signs of the nightmare to come. At the extreme rear of their property is a pet sematary and the generally quiet road that passes the frontage is occasionally disturbed by speeding trucks thundering past.
A young man is accidentally killed at the high school and Louis begins to experience visions of the dead teenager warning him while Rachel continues to struggle with a traumatic event in her past involving her sick and deformed sister.
If you haven’t seen the original, this new version will probably exceed expectations. Australian Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz are good in the leads and John Lithgow has some good moments as neighbour Jud whose misguided efforts to help the family may trigger everyone’s downfall.
If you have seen and liked the original, the first half of this remake is very promising but eventually detreriorates. Ultimately, there isn’t a lot new here.