Pet Sematary

It's of little surprise that a handful of Stephen King's horror novels are getting the movie treatment after the incredible success of It (both as a film and at the box office). 

Granted, Pet Sematary has been made before, but there's no time like the present to craft a "high-quality" iteration of one of King's most famous tales, one that I never did get around to reading. 

Unfortunately, to nearly the complete demise of the film, Pet Sematary is Hollywood's most recent casualty when it comes to blowing their load in the trailers for the film. The first trailer was innocent enough - creepy, ominous music, decent cast - I was semi-optimistic that it would be at least "good". 

Eventually a second trailer emerged that was practically unavoidable for me given the amount I go to the movies and that this film was being teased before anything PG-13 and above. This second trailer, much like the god-awful give-everything-away-play-by-play that Batman v Superman had, literally tells Pet Sematary's entire story, including the twist/plot development of which I was unaware. 

To say that having seen that trailer didn't affect my movie going experience for the worse would be an outright lie and its incredibly frustrating that a movie I otherwise would have enjoyed and found some shock-value in was almost completely neutered by a asinine marketing decision. Say what you will about how that affects my final score of the film and how fair that may be, but trailers are something that, when crafted with care, can make movies stand out and seem special. When they end up being a book report of the film, I'm just going to flat out stop seeing your movies.

All these kids are trying to do is start a new DJ group in peace!

When they encounter Big Foot...

To Pet Sematary's credit, it does keep along at a brisk pace for most of its time on screen. The book by King is large and while I'm sure there are certain subplots left out, this seems like a strong adaptation of the novel that hits the main points and horror scenes. It ends a little more abruptly than I would have liked, but didn't really have anywhere much else to go. To a certain extent it feels like it's ticking boxes along the way, but that's likely my hindsight of the trailer layering on top of the film itself. From a horror perspective, there are a few good jump scares throughout, but I never found it as supremely creepy or terrifying as anything that Pennywise was able to conjure up. The cat featured within the marketing, Church, reminds me why I'm not particularly fond of cats but is never all that scary and for me the most disturbing moments came during some brief subplot deviations that give our main characters backstory. 

The characters and casting are solid here with John Lithgow playing the gravelly-voiced neighbor and Jason Clarke as Louis, the father of the family. Clearly they can both act and while neither seems to be extending their range much here, they're impressive choices that elevate the material. Other members of the cast including Amy Seimetz (Rachel/mom) and Jete Laurence (Ellie/daughter) are just as strong.

Tha's a mean kitty...

And lastly, the film is pretty well made in terms of technical prowess including editing, cinematography, and sometimes original music. Looking back on Pet Sematary is weird because it's just so damn forgettable yet it's component in a lot. When I look back on It, I look back on it with fondness because it had that special "something" - that movie magic. Between its balance of humor, youthful playfulness, and technical prowess + scary imagery, it because a horror favorite of mine. Pet Sematary captures lesser degrees of a lot of those same notes but never really sings in the same way. It feels a bit empty and while there are worse ways to kill two hours, I certainly think there are better films in theaters right now (*cough Shazam! cough cough Us cough*). Not to mention, It Chapter II arrives later this year, so if you really want your Stephen King horror fix, that's probably your better bet. 

Speaking of which...where was that trailer before this film? Seems like it would have been perfect placement and likely could have taught it a thing or two about creative, non-destructive trailers.

CONS

• The second trailer for the film was atrocious and book-report advertising. I'm going to try and avoid films that feature these trailers anymore because it's evident they dont' need/want my money if they're giving me everything 2 months early
• Feels uninspired and doesn't bring anything truly special to the table. Somewhat forgettable
• Not as scary as you're likely expecting
• Abrupt ending

PROS

• Solid cast that elevate the material
• Technically well made with decent pacing, editing, cinematography, and at times, original music
• Has a few jump scares that are effective
• Some creepy imagery from the subplots
• Fine plot had it not been ruined in the marketing
• Definitely R-rated, adds to intensity of some scenes

Rath's Review Score | 6/10