Pet Sematary (2019) Review – A Modern and Gory Twist on King’s Classic

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at the 2019 remake of Pet Sematary.

Everyone knows Pet Sematary, right?

This is one of those strange reviews where you almost feel no need to recap the plot. Pet Sematary is such a well-known movie that you assume almost everyone has at least some idea what to expect. Still, that’s not the way reviews work so for the benefit of those new to the series, here’s a quick recap.

The Creed family, Dad Louis, Mum Rachel, Daughter Ellie, and young toddler Gage; not forgetting their moggy Church; move out to a rural community in Maine. Louis has accepted a job as a local doctor to get away from the hustle and bustle. I am assuming they did not view the property before purchasing as there is a whacking great road in front of it.

Unfortunately for the family the road appears to be the preferred route of visually impaired, lead-footed, long-distance truck drivers. Not a fantastic choice of home if you have pets and children. Would someone purchase a house without checking this first? This is one of a few Pet Sematary plot holes that could begin to bug you if you think too hard about them.

Tragedy strikes – literally

The Creeds aren’t there for long before Church volunteers his services as a furry tyre cover for one of the aforementioned trucks. Their neighbour, Jud Crandall, informs them that their property features a custom pet cemetery. How many homes have this? Probably handy living next to a highway!

“That very night Church strolls back on into the house and into Ellie’s room sporting a new matted hair-do and a bad ‘tude. “

Due to the cemetery, they can bury the cat so that Ellie doesn’t find out. For some reason Jud, in a moment of lunacy, encourages Louis to bury the cat in a very specific part of the cemetery.

That very night Church strolls back on into the house and into Ellie’s room sporting a new matted hair-do and a bad ‘tude. The return of Church from the pet cemetery is both a shade of foreshadowing and a plot device. Church’s return hints at the horrific events to come after tragedy befalls the family once again.

A few changes from the original

Anybody who has seen the original film should know what to expect in the remake. The film makers have decided to switch things up a little, however, to keep you on your toes. There is one fairly significant change from the original, in particular.

Now, this may have been a massive surprise and a fantastic twist. That is, if the idiots hadn’t spoiled it in the trailer. I am not going to point it out but this was pretty annoying. Why are publishers so willing to spill a movie’s guts in the trailers? This is becoming a fairly significant issue. As a word of note, I have included the trailer down below but if you don’t want the changes spoiled, don’t watch it.

“Pet Sematary 2019 is far more akin to popular modern horror than it is to horror movies of the 80s. It has clearly been made with a 2010s audience in mind.”

I would have loved to have gone into this remake not knowing what had been changed. It would have opened up a whole new level of interest for me. The same could be said for probably a fair few other viewers. Obviously if you haven’t seen the trailer the twist is still new to you. Otherwise, you know what is going to happen and it’s not a surprise.

A new Creed family

Naturally the Creed family has been recast. We now have Jason Clarke (Serenity, Terminator Genisys) in the role of Louis, Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant, A Horrible Way to Die) as Rachel, and the talented young actor Jeté Laurence (The Snowman) as Ellie.

Recasting the beloved Jud from the 1989 version of Pet Sematary was always going to be a tall task. Originally played by the excellent character actor Fred Gwynne, Jud was beloved. John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun) does a fantastic job playing a loveable, if not slightly darker, version of the Creed family neighbour.

“An unexpected star of the show is the excellent Jeté Laurence. She is adorable, believable, and carries the last third of the movie on her own. She is a very talented young actor.”

The acting in Pet Sematary is pretty decent throughout if not a little by the numbers. An unexpected star of the show is the excellent Jeté Laurence. She is adorable, believable, and a very talented young actor. Not easy for a child but she carries the last third of the movie on her own. She reminds me of the under-rated Jodelle Ferland who cut her teeth as a child actor in horror movies.

Pet Sematary 2019 – is dead better?

So how does 2019’s Pet Sematary compare to the 1989 original? Jeff Buhler is tasked with the screenplay this time, while the screen story credits go to Matt Greenberg. This means we have some differences from the original film. There are also a few more nods to the novel, and a few things that deviate entirely from both.

Perhaps the most pronounced change is the ending. Obviously this is not mentioning the major one that I won’t talk about due to it being a potential spoiler. A number of endings were filmed, including the original book ending, and screen tested. The ending that we see is the one that was, apparently, received best by the test audience. This makes me think we may have a very interesting Blu-ray release with some director’s cut content and perhaps the alternate endings?

“Pet Sematary is a little like a can of Pringles. You know it’s not all that good for you, but you better believe that you are going to finish the entire tube in spite of all this.”

2019’s Pet Sematary is far more akin to popular modern horror than it is to horror movies of the 80s. It has clearly been made with a 2010s audience in mind. We have scenes that would not seem out of place in the Annabelle series. The movie almost turns into a slasher at times. There are buckets of gore and plenty of jump scares. This all seems a little at odds with the tragic themes of the story itself. The original was, however, fairly gory. The film does run pretty long and I feel we could have fit a little more character development in there.

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