Lauren Mittleman
Staff Writer
“Pet Sematary” makes viewers jump out of their seats, but misses Stephen King’s original message.
“Pet Sematary,” a 2019 movie directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, is a shocking and unsettling thriller, but strays from the main message of the original book. Suspenseful music and constant jump scares keep the audience engaged while amazing acting makes the viewers care about the characters in the film.
The horror fiction book the film is based on, also titled “Pet Sematary,” was written by Stephen King in 1983. The idea was then recreated in 1989 as a film and was followed by a sequel titled “Pet Sematary 2” in 1992.
The newest adaptation follows a family that moves from Boston, Massachusetts to the small town of Ludlow, Maine. 9 year old Ellie, played by Jeté Laurence, is wandering around in the woods of their new property and stumbles across a sign that says “Pet Sematary.” She is then warned by her neighbor, Jud, played by John Lithgow, that the woods are dangerous and she should not wander around alone. When Ellie’s cat is killed, Jud leads the father of the family, Louis, played by Jason Clarke, to a burial ground beyond the Pet Sematary, which leads to a dangerous butterfly effect.
From the very beginning of the film, there is a very nice flow between the music and suspense. This effectively keeps the audience on edge for the entire movie, as they always anticipate when the next jump scare will pop up and scare them.
One of the best things about “Pet Sematary” is how Stephen King based it off of his real life experiences along with the “what if” scenarios he worried about as a parent. In the 2019 movie, it focuses more on jump scares rather than the even scarier thing: a parent losing a young child. In this aspect, this version of “Pet Sematary” is worse than the original.
The dark tone and mood throughout almost the entire movie, in addition to the incredible performances by the actors and actresses, is really what makes the film. The morbid atmosphere constantly helps in making “Pet Sematary” into the dark, twisted movie it is.
Before the main character’s lives are turned upside down, the audience doesn’t really get to see how the lives of these characters intertwined beforehand. When Louis decides to resurrect Ellie, it really just seems like a stupid thing to do rather than a drastic measure a desperate father takes because he loves his daughter so much.
The ending of the film seems to be very sudden and differed from that of Stephen King’s book. Rather than making viewers want more, it leaves viewers very confused, feeling like something is missing from the story.
Released on April 5, “Pet Sematary” is rated R and is available in theaters nationwide.
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