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Showing posts with label Pet Sematary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pet Sematary. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Pet Sematary (2019) #465

 


"Pet Sematary" is a classic Stephen King kind of story and it only makes sense that there would be a new version of movie for horror fans. In my opinion, the 2019 version is an improvement over the original 1989 film. It has an impressive cast that includes Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz ("The Sacrament"), and John Lithgow. It has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers alike, but I still recommend this to any who enjoy a good horror movie; a film to watch alone in the dark and get lost in.




The first thing you notice is how beautiful this film is. The colors pop and the scenes are crystal clear. Then there are the haunting children in the processional to the pet sematary, a purely haunting scene that draws the viewer in. All of the special effects and make up are such an improvement over the original, as well as some of the narrative choices that have been made. They very from the novel but not in a distracting fashion. In fact, the changes that were made make the story overall more effective and gives the narrative a fresh new feeling. 



The story in "Pet Sematary" is it largest struggle because the narrative is to busy going in different directions to keep everything focused. The story itself in this case doesn't need to be fancy, it should be kept simple and straight forward. The three main adult characters all see their own personal ghost. Louis sees a patient who had couldn't save, Rachel sees her sister, and Jud sees his wife. I can understand why they are there but I feel it adds just too much to the overall story. 



Louis Creed has moved his family from Boston to Ludlow, Maine, a sleepy little town when compared to the bustling metropolis. While exploring the large plot of land that they now own, his wife Rachel and daughter Ellie witness a procession of children on their way to the pet sematary. Louis learns more about the secrets about the cemetery from his neighbor Jud when he takes Louis to bury Ellie's cat Church after he was killed by a truck on Halloween. Church comes back but he is different, more feral and viscous. After attacking his young son Gage, Louis takes Church out to the woods after he fails to euthanize him. Later, Ellie is killed by a truck when she runs out to the street after seeing her cat after a few weeks. Overcome with grief, Louis decides to bury his daughter in the pet sematary but soon comes to regret that decision.... 



Monday, October 14, 2013

Pet Sematary (1989)

“Pet Sematary” is a great idea with flawed execution. Most of Stephen King’s earlier novels kept the storyline simple with one thing leading to the next with a natural progression and unfortunately that is not the case with this book/movie. One of the first events in the movie is when a student is hit by a truck and utters a chilling warning before he dies. And then the following night his ghost comes and reveals a major plot point to the movie’s main character. I love when a movie or book has foreshadowing but these scenes are so obvious and leaves the audience asking why is this happening when there is no reason for it to occur. The actions of Mr. Crandall are also just as odd considering that he knows the nature of the pet cemetery. If you watch the movie just for the scares, there are some decent moments in the third act of the film.

The Creed family relocates to a small Maine town where Louis works as a doctor at the University of Maine. Their neighbor, Mr. Crandall, becomes like a father figure to Louis and spends a lot of time with the young family. One day Mr. Crandall shows the Creed family the local pet cemetery that is in the woods behind their house. Then, completely unprovoked, the ghost of Victor Pascow warns Louis not to go beyond the cemetery. Afterwards, the family cat is killed and Mr. Crandall takes Louis beyond the cemetery (because whoever listens to a ghost) to bury the cat. Soon the cat is resurrected and this just causes a domino effect of bad ideas and terrible consequences.


Favorite moment – I love that Mr. Crandall is played by Fred Gwynne, who is best known as Herman Munster in the campy tv series “The Munsters”.

The most intense moment in the film...

Little kids can be so creepy!

The "real" cemetery