Pet Sematary (2019) Reviewed: An Over Improvement

‘Pet Sematary’ (2019) Review

‘Pet Sematary’ (2019) | Paramount Pictures | Directed by Kevin Kolsh & Dennis Widmyer | Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow | Rated R | 3/5 Bags of popcorn

*Spoiler alert near end of article

Adapting Stephen King’s Pet Sematary to the big screen in 2019 is dangerous territory, considering the film will have to please both fans of the novel and the 1989 adaption. With that being said, this is nowhere near the dangerous territory surrounding Stephen King cult classics such as The Shining or Carrie. The team behind Pet Sematary (2019) was able to take more risks, and they did so tastefully.

For those who are familiar with the novel, the movie’s plot is virtually untouched. Two parents, played by Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz, and their younger daughter, move to a new house far from the city. The father discovers there is a pet cemetery on their property built on indigenous burial grounds with the power to raise the dead. They see this firsthand after burying their cat. After their daughter is killed, she is brought back to life, but as a very different and deviant person. It’s your classic “be careful what you wish for” message seen in earlier horror movies.

But Pet Sematary (2019) does a great job at capturing the story’s eeriness with a modern, more relatable twist. Subtle changes, such as the presence of smartphones, are necessary visual cues for a modern audience to subconsciously think “what if this could really happen?” The use of CGI also tones down the inherent corniness seen in the 1989 version, especially when you compare the possessed cat featured in each film. The undead daughter is also a lot scarier thanks to CGI. However, with the movie being a modern rendition of the original, one would expect a modern approach of excitement. The movie fails in this area, spending half the movie “setting the stage” of an obvious and familiar plot.

On top of this, the stage is set entirely through the dialogue of the family’s old neighbor, played by John Lithgow. It’s almost insulting that this character has to completely spell out the “big secret” – that these were burial grounds – to the audience. They could have learned a thing or two about the unveiling of a story through The Shining, which does a better job at building suspense while holding the viewer’s attention. Indeed, Pet Sematary (2019) ends on a strong note, it just takes a while to get there.

Once it gets there, the movie features some very convincing main-role acting. Jason Clarke gives an incredible performance of a father who’s losing his mind, and will do whatever it takes to get his daughter back. When the daughter does come back, the audience is given the fist-tightening horror factor they paid for. The father experiences a disturbing cognitive dissonance upon getting his daughter back; he’s so happy, yet so scared. This is especially evident when the father gives his “new” daughter a bath, combing her hair, ripping out a part of her scalp. It’s crucial that this role and scenes like these are performed well, and Clarke executes the role perfectly.

To fairly critique this movie, though, one should not simply hold it against other Stephen King adaptions. It is worth noting that the movie stands out well amongst today’s supernatural horror movies. In fact, this might be the first time in a while that a viewer can watch a supernatural horror movie that isn’t a variation of Insidious or The Conjuring. While these movies did well, they’ve since became the blueprint of every supernatural horror movie – often using the same actors. It is refreshing to see a supernatural movie that isn’t about a supernatural house, or that requires a “medium” to help the family cleanse their house.

At the same time, this movie doesn’t stray away from the good elements of modern supernatural horror either. Just like Insidious, Pet Sematary is loaded with jump scares. The combination of modern cinematography techniques and Stephen King’s signature writing style, where you watch someone slowly lose their marbles, creates a refreshing cinema experience. When Amy Seimetz’s character relives her past trauma, the audience can really feel it, and enter that dark mental space with her.

I’ve given this movie three-out-of-five popcorn bags, which might even be a little harsh. I am somewhat of a Stephen King fan. Although I had never read this novel, I’ve seen the original film adaption. I went to see the movie with someone who has no connection to Stephen King novels or movies. Both of us left the theater with the same reaction – great movie, great actors, great ending, but it definitely dragged for a while. Depending on your patience, this movie could be a four-out-of-five, but I wasn’t feeling that generous.

3/5 popcorn bags.