Customer Reviews

Pet Sematary

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

First off, this is the scariest movie I have ever seen. It may not be so for everyone (and I know comments like that often get you a "0 out 0f 30 people found this helpful" but so be it) but if you like King's visceral, deep-seated horror, I recommend it.

The town, the graveyard, the music, the mist everywhere, the monstrous undead animals and the people all make this a frightening ensemble for me. I have to concur with many of the reviewers about the Zelda character (who was incidentally played by a man named Andrew Hubatsek). There's something so phenomenally horrifying about that character to me that I can actually say I have trouble watching the movie, and certainly never again alone. I find those sequences truly terrifying. The flashbacks of Timmy Baderman (sp?) are also scary.

Furthermore, I agree with many of you that this is a different experience from the book, which I also recommend for added terror. I read the book in broad daylight in a friend's house in Hollywood and I still felt like I was alone in the woods at night.

Highly recommend the film to fans of horror, though it might not be your thing if you just dig slashers. DVD completely lacks features, so for the format itself I'd give 2 stars.

It has been the candid observation of numerous film critics that the works of literary horror maven Stephen King don't often translate well to the screen. But when they DO work, man do they WORK! PET SEMATARY is a prime example. Though some of the details of the King masterwork had to be pared down--as is often the case when well-written literature is made to fit into a two-hour visual narrative--this film captures perfectly the spine-tingling essence and atmosphere of the original novel. As with many King cinematic adaptations, it HELPS if you've already read the book. But with a really good one like PET SEMATARY, familiarity with the book is absolutely NOT a prerequisite.

PET SEMATARY tells the story of the Creeds, a young nuclear family who has moved from the Midwest to a small college town in Maine. They take up residence in a old country house a few miles outside the town, and it isn't long before they become friendly with their new neighbor, a bucolic but agreeable old coot named Jud who lives across the street. Jud quickly alerts them to the fact that the road between their two houses is a busy rural highway, and he therefore warns them to be always mindful of their young children and the family cat. Many a pet has ended up in the nearby pet "sematary," Jud explains, due to an unscheduled meeting with a speeding truck or car on that infernal highway.

Inevitably, the Creeds' cat, Church, joins the roadkill ranks, but only the father, Louis Creed, is at home when this happens. Neighborly Jud worries about how the Creed children will take the news, so he decides to let Louis in on secret. Just beyond the nearby cemetery where the children of ages past have buried their beloved pets, Jud tells Louis, is another cemetery that was long ago held sacred by the Native Americans once indigenous to the region. Local legend has it that when you bury your dead there, they will return to life before the end of the following day. Sometimes there is a price to pay for this magic, says Jud, as the dead don't always come back exactly the way they were before they died. Nonetheless, Jud thinks it is worth the risk if they can protect the Creed children from the pain of losing a cherished pet. Being a physician, Louis is understandably skeptical, but he humors his elderly friend and, with the stiffened body of Church in hand, follows Jud up to the "magical" burial grounds.

Much to the surprise of Louis, Church does indeed arrive on the Creed doorstep the next morning. In some intangible way, though, Church seems different--no longer a loving feline, but instead stealthy, aloof, and easily provoked to anger. Jud tells Louis to try to ignore theses differences, and he suggests that if Louis remains mum about Church's resurrection, the rest of the family will never know their little secret.

Of course, as one might guess, it isn't long before one of the Creed children meets his fate on the highly trafficked road. But dare the grieving Louis bury his son in the sacred soil of the Indian cemetery? And if he does, will what worked for a cat work for a human? If so, at what price?

PET SEMATARY is a very satisfying horror film that offers the requisite spooky ambiance, frightful imagery, and outright scares, and all without requiring much effort to suspend one's disbelief. Part of the reason the filmmakers pull this one off is, of course, due to the excellent job that King has done in his adaptation of his own novel. But the lion's share of the credit goes to the excellent performances from the cast. TV actor Dale Midkiff, whose acting style usually teeters on the histrionic, here turns in a subtle yet compelling performance as the family patriarch, Dr. Louis Creed. Even when things get really intense for his character, Midkiff maintains control and convincingly delivers the reactions of an educated, loving father who is grasping for a rational means of rescuing his family from a dangerously surreal situation. Denise Crosby--better known to SF fans as STAR TREK's Tasha Yar--also does an unusually good job portraying Louis' perky upper-middle-class wife.

It is the performance of Fred Gwynne that really makes the show, however. Genre fans know Gwynne from his role as Herman in TV's classic horror-themed sitcom THE MUNSTERS. As the rustic and lovable Jud, Gwynne stretches his thespian skills way beyond the limits of the slapstick of THE MUNSTERS to create a credible and convincing elderly Maine farmer. Gwynne could easily take it over the top and upstage his fellow actors here, but he instead keeps it honest and subdued and thereby makes a significant contribution towards pulling the audience into the fantasy of the filmic narrative.

As with many of Paramount's DVDs, this disc is sparse on extras. However, the digital transfer (for the widescreen anamorphic edition) was made from a very clean print, and both the picture and sound quality are great. For King fans and fans of great cinematic horror, owning this film is a must!

After reading Stephen King's novel "Pet Sematary" and being a little disturbed by it, I figured that I would rent the movie to see what a terrible adaptation some money-hungry fellow made. After viewing the film I was quite surprised. The first half of the film starts out nice with a happy family enjoying thier new rural home. But then we see the second half of the film in which all turns to hell. After Gage is killed you can't help but feel bad, no one wants to see a boy that cute skin his knee let alone what happens to him in this film. The performances in the film were mostly well done, especially from Fred Gwynne (Jud Crandall), Denise Crosby (Rachel Creed) & Miko Hughes (Gage Creed). The Pet Sematary novel was meant to be disturbing, and this film certainly is just that. Most likely the reason people hate this film and think it's sick is because they too were disturbed by it. It's definitely not a film to give you a positive outlook on life, but I guess that's what makes it such an effective horror film.

Pet Sematary is by far the most disturbing horror film I have ever seen. From the creepy opening credits to the tragic ending you will either be creeped out or disturbed by this movie. The most unnerving part of the film is that you can't root for the killers demise because he is an innocent little boy who did nothing to deserve what happened to him, it is a complete injustice. The fact that Rachel Creed (Denise Crosby) is seen with red, swollen, tear filled eyes after her little boy is taken away from her only makes the tragedy seem real. As well, the flashbacks of the Ludlow town's hidden secrets, told by Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne), are intriguing and make you wonder why people wouldn't move far away from that place. Having picked the cutest little boy to portray the tragic role of Gage Creed (Miko Hughes) is one thing, but him giving such an outstanding performance at the age of 29 months is incredible...incidentally it took 2 girls to play the role of Ellie Creed! All in all this film is great for people who can stand emotionally unsettling situations, it is truely a horror film.

"Pet Sematary" is my all-time favorite book, so in 1989 when the film came out, I couldn't WAIT to see it. The first time I watched it (covering my eyes most of the time), the movie terrified me. The sets and characters are quite true to the book (Fred Gwynne WAS Jud Crandall), and the music was just as I had imagined it would be like. Also the Zelda character I still can't watch today- she was really scary. I couldn't sleep for a week.

I went to see it again with my eyes OPEN during the "scary" parts, and was crushed to discover that even with Stephen King adapting his own book to the screen, the movie STANK. The makeup was overdone way past "over the top", and the Pascow character was so creepy, yet they screwed that up with making him a comic. And lastly, since when does a two year old who's been run down by a Mack truck only have a cut on his forehead to show for it??!

I guess if you've never read the book, you might find the movie entertaining, but as someone who's always treasured this story, I agree with a previous reviewer when I say this movie should never have been made. There are too many things in the book you just can't transfer to the screen; it should have been left up to our individual imaginations.

Just read the book and scare the hell out of yourself.

Wow! Definately King's best film to date! Seriously, this movie has everything. So, if you want to be scared senseless, Pet Sematary is well worth the money.

The movie starts out creepy enough with opening credits in the "pet sematary" with an eerie soundtrack. Then, we meet the Creeds, surgeon father and husband Lewis, mother and wife Rachel, kindergarden daughter Ellie, and adorable little infant son, Gage.

Actually, if you were watching it on TV and didn't know what the title was or what it was about, for the first 15 or 20 minutes, you wouldn't even know it was a horror movie. But then, things start getting strange when their neighbor starts talking about the mysterious path behind the house, which leads to the "pet sematary."

Then, while Rachel and the kids are at Rachel's parents house for Thanksgiving, Lewis' neighbor calls and tells him that he thinks Ellie's cat got killed and is dead on his lawn. Instead of buring it in the "pet sematary" they bury it in "the place where the dead rise," and old Native American burial ground.

Sure enough the cat comes back the next day, bring an unearthy stench back with it. That's how Lewis finally manages to convince himself that it really did work.

Then, something extremely heartbreaking happens to the Creed boy, Gage. This is where the ol' zombie-raising ground comes in. But, when the little boy comes back, he ain't exactly the innocent little tike he was in the real life...

This movie is SO SCARY! YOU NEED TO SEE IT! also the sequel is really good.

PET SEMATARY IS RATED R FOR VIOLENCE, GORE, STRONG LANGUAGE, BRIEF NUDITY AND DISTURBING IMAGES.

Stephen King rules, and Pet Sematary is, in my opinion, his greatest triumph. The atmosphere can't be beat, the characters are memorable, and the gory, horrifying climax is nothing short of cataclysmic. The movie almost captures the chilling spirit of the book, but on a more conventional level that somehow softens the depth of the horror. Still, it's a solid movie (Fred Gwynne was intense), that does deliver its fair share of shocks and chills.

I find it disheartening that so many of King's masterpieces were treated so badly in their film adaptations...and perhaps it's mostly because his books are too complex to adapt well to film...I'm not sure. Delores Claiborne, Stand By Me, Misery, Carrie, Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, and the Green Mile all did well. Then we are treated to stinkers like IT, Maximum Over-drive, Dreamcatchers, Thinner, The Running Man, Firestarter...and of course, this one.

Did I forget to mention Stephen King's own remake of The Shining? He should have settled for the original.

This film has all the feel of a made-for-tv movie or direct-to-video film...and, in fact, that's what it should have been. The film was terribly fast-paced and left out some of the more necessary plot elements of the book. They jumped into the darker elements way too quickly. There is barely a set up for the horror to come.

That they left out Norma Crandall was very disappointing as she added to Judd's character so much. He's barely even interesting in the film. Fred Gwynn turned him into a goofy, drawling, old man. Over-acted. Not subtle at all, as his character was in the book.

Ellie, the daughter, was a terrible actress. I am sure they could have found a better actress than her. She was whiny and abrasive and her lines were very forced and unnatural.

Even the cinematography was badly done. Everything is way too bright for the plot line. Too many primary colors. It felt like they were on the set of a soap opera. At least it matches the acting of the principal characters.

They tried to sew it all up with gory makeup effects, but set in the backdrop of a badly made film, it just makes the blood and gore goofy and laughable. The only way this film could be considered "scary" is with the cheap haunted-house "BOO!" scare tactics...like when a hand shoots out of the dark and grabs a shoulder.

Why would they choose Mary Lambert to direct this film? She barely had any experience as a director before this gig and most of the experience she did have was with music videos. And, as expected, beyond this flop, she has barely done anything worth mentioning. Well, except for more music videos and the follow-up stinker sequel to this film.

Let's hope the 2008 re-make is better.

Of the countless Stephen King novels which have been adapted into major motion pictures and TV movies and mini-series, Pet Sematary ranks among the best adaptations. The fateful move of a family from Chicago to life in the country has drastic consequences when a local (Fred Gwyne) introduces a pet cematary to the father of the family (Dale Midkiff) when the family cat is killed. After the animal is buried, it returns days later, but there is something noticibly different about it. Later on, when Midkiff's young son (Miko Hughes) dies, well, you can guess what happens next if, for some reason, you've never seen this movie before. What makes this novel to screen conversion work is the chilling atmosphere, masterfully crafted by director Mary Lambert, who would also helm the sequel a few years later. What also helps make Pet Sematary work is the performance of Miko Hughes (you can see him in Wes Craven's New Nightmare and Spawn), whom at a young age, was superbly chilling as well once he returns from the grave. Bloody, scary, and despite a few flaws, Pet Sematary is a real treat for horror afficiondos, and if you've never seen it you should give it a look.

The Stephen king book "Pet Sematary" was one of the most horrific, disturbing books that I have ever read and the movie based on the novel is probably one of the most tragic and depressing horror movies ever made. The movie starts out with a young family moving into a new home in rural Maine. An elderly neighbor introduces the family to a nearby "Pet Sematary" where neighborhood children bury their dead pets. Things rapidly go downhill from there. First the family cat is run over and killed by one of the trucks which seem to constantly drive by their home. The neighbor shows the father, Dr. Creed, the "real" pet semetary, an ancient indian burial ground located far back in the woods behind the other pet sematary that has the power to resurect the dead. They bury the cat in the micmac indian burial ground and the next day the cat returns home with a very bad attitude. Later in the story Dr. Creed's young son is killed by a truck. Well, you can probably figure out what happens later in the story. This atmosphere and tone of this movie very dark and creepy. The acting wasn't so great but the premise is chilling. If you knew that you could raise the dead would you do it? And to those who criticize the fact that the father stupidly keeps returning to the burial ground, all I have to say is READ THE BOOK because it explains that the reason that the father continues to bury people there is because he can't help himself. The micmac burial ground is like a magnet to it's chosen victim's (Dr. Creed's) brain, a magnet that becomes more powerful as is causes more tradgedies to occur. Towards the end of the film, the micmac burial ground makes the grief stricken Dr. Creed dig up his son's newly buried corpse so he can bury him again out in the woods, even though he knows deep down that more likely than not the consequences would be horrific. The ressurected boy comes home that night, murders and mutilates his own mother (yikes). This new tradgedy, caused by Dr. Creed himself, makes him go insane and he attempts to ressurect his wife, only to have his wife come back to murder him. Granted, not the most cheerful ending for a movie. All in all, I thought that Pet Sematary was a really scary movie, but it was also rather sad.