Pet Sematary (2019)

2019 • 100 minutes
3.4
510 reviews
57%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Based on the terrifying novel by highly-acclaimed author Stephen King (It)... After the Creed family relocates from Boston to rural Maine, they soon discover an ancient burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home. When tragedy strikes, the grief-stricken father is driven by the cemetery's sinister power, setting off a perilous chain of events that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences. Some secrets are best left buried in this twisted thrill ride.
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

3.4
510 reviews
Alexander Liu
June 26, 2019
Not so much a scary horror movie than an adult tale about guilt and one's inner demons (metaphorically speaking), this adaptation certainly gives its predecessor a run for its money. Though as a child I grew up being terrified of the original Pet Semetary, this reworking appeals more to the adult I've grown into, as the characters are more relatable, and forgive me, but the acting here and character motivations are a million times more believable, which helps with the suspension of disbelief.
104 people found this review helpful
Ethan Jones
August 3, 2019
This movie suuuuucks. It trades in the clever, creeping scares of the original for a half dozen jump scares (many of which are the same "truck coming at you from nowhere") and a slasher movie ending. The scariest bit in the original is when the dad goes into the house and everything's all warped and twisted around...that scene messes with my brain to this day. This movie doesn't have anything like that. Bah.
Buffy Brinkley
July 16, 2019
When I saw the trailer, I ticked off a list of things that simply didn't happen in the book. It's a book I love, after all. So, I was very surprised that I liked it. While I found it lacked in the overall creepiness of the original film, it did provide a good level of acting; the little girl is much less annoying, but the character of Pascow, who is important, seemed to be pushed to the back like a outgrown toy. The character of Zelda is all but a joke in this version when this character is the driving force behind the withdrawn and guilty conscience of the wife. She should have been portrayed as in the book. Jud Crandall is effectively portrayed by John Lithgow, but the character is abbreviated by the screenwriters in ways that prevented what he had to say to send a chill down my spine. Those who have never seen the original version and those who have never read the book might find the film scary, but there wasn't any real scares in this one for me. That prevents me from giving it a full 5 stars, but I must say that I found this version well-made and I admit that I liked the ending much better. It's worth watching at least once.
175 people found this review helpful