In A Nutshell
Based on the seminal horror novel by Stephen King, Pet Sematary follows Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbour, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.
Review
In 1983 Stephen King’s hit novel, Pet Sematary was released to widespread acclaim with many proclaiming it to be his most terrifying work to date, however, its journey to bookshelves around the world was far from straightforward.
Based on a lot of his own experiences from his time as a teacher, King felt that he had gone too far with the books subject matter to the point that he has gone on record on numerous occasions to state that it is his scariest book to date. Even his wife and a close friend described it as being too dark and unenjoyable. However, King (who needed a book to complete a contractual obligation) submitted Pet Sematary and the rest is history.
With the book’s success came a film adaption from Mary Lambert in 1989 (which featured King in a cameo appearance as a minister) which received mixed reviews. Despite this, the film was a financial success and has gone on to have a cult following in recent years. There was a sequel released in 1992 but the less said about that, the better.
The Right Time for a Remake of King’s Grief Stricken Classic?
With the recent success of It, there has been a resurgence of King’s work on the big screen with a slew of adaptations released or in pre-production. With such great source material, the time is ripe for someone to take another stab at King’s iconic novel.
Sticking (relatively) close the source material, the latest adaptation of Pet Sematary follows the story of the Creed family (along with their cat, Church) as they move to the idyllic town of Ludlow for a quiet life. Once settled they discover that beyond the nearby woods lies a “pet sematary” which possesses a dark power that comes into play when tragedy strikes.
From the outset, there are a lot of things going in favour of this adaptation. Directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer (who previously directed satirical horror, Starry Eyes) and writer Jeff Buhler (whose credits include an adaptation of the Clive Barker short story The Midnight Meat Train) background in the genre indicates some intent of producing something worthy of the novel’s legacy.
This is reinforced with a score from Christopher Young (of Sinister fame) and cinematography from Laurie Rose (whose work includes the modern horror classic, Kill List) showing how the film has all the makings of being one of the best King adaptations, but sadly this is not the case for the latest version of Pet Sematary.
Delivers on the Jump Scares, but not on Character!
In the literary world, horror and Stephen King go hand in hand but one of King’s greatest abilities as a writer is not his ability to frighten us but to create characters that we genuinely care about as their struggles in life are a reflection of our own. This is no different with Pet Sematary as we identify with the predicament the Creed family are put in long before the elements of horror come into play.
Sadly this key aspect of the novel is missing from Kölsch and Widmyer’s adaptation.
With a pedigree of experience in the horror genre behind them, Kölsch and Widmyer do a great job at creating a lot of evocative horrific imagery (thanks to the expert cinematography from Laure Rose) from the cult-like march of children with a dead pet resembling plague doctor’s from the Black Death to the haunting “Pet Sematary” shrouded in mist.
They also make effective use of tropes of the genre from tight hallways at night to creaking doors in a lonely house as they start off small and escalate the scares as the film progresses to its ghoulish finale.
Fails to Explore the Central Themes of the Source Material
However, the film is far too light on character as the only moment of genuine character development comes from the parents of the Creed household having a frank conversation with their daughter about life after death. For the most part, their job is to react to the horror thrown at them with little or no concern from the audience. A subplot involving Rachel (the mother of the Creed household) and her guilt-ridden past with her deceased sister is perhaps the strongest and most interesting element of the film as it cuts to the heart of the main theme of the film, grief.
The film doesn’t lean heavily enough on it though as it rushes through its flat opening act so it can go through the iconic moments from the novel like the immortal line, “sometimes dead is better” or the death and resurrection of a beloved pet. On the other hand, directors Kölsch and Widmyer have to be given credit for flipping the script on key moments from King’s novel but again their ambition has blinded them in their attempt to accentuate what made King’s novel so great in the first place.
The cast does their best with the material given to them. Jason Clarke (who plays Louis, head of the Creed household) does a solid job. His face almost seems to be custom built for roles such as these as it is a road map of someone who is deeply haunted and grief-stricken. Playing opposite him as his wife Rachel, Amy Seimetry is believable as a woman who has never truly made peace with her past. John Lithgow is criminally underutilised and reduced to an expository role as a family neighbour, Jud but Jeté Laurence steals the film with a very mature performance as Louis and Rachel’s daughter, Elle.
Verdict
In the cinematic world of Stephen King, sometimes remakes are better but with Kölsch and Widmyer’s take on King’s
