Dir: Mary Lambert, 1989
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098084/
Reviewed by: Whitney
Synopsis: A handsome, (popular opinion of 1989), doctor moves his wife and two young children from Chicago to a small town in the countryside (presumably Maine, as that is where Stephen King tends to set his novels) located on busy stretch of road used haphazardly by truck drivers. His creepy, yet inviting neighbor, Judd Crandall (played by Fred Gwynne, the loveable Herman Munster), befriends the family and shares the dark history of the land behind the Creed's new house. The eerie backwoods are home to, not only a pet sematary (which, despite my atrocious spelling typically, is hard for me to spell the misspelling correctly, as I tend to actually spell cemetery correctly- though truth be told, it just took me four tries to get the e's in the right place instead of inserting a's. But that's completely off subject).... oh, where were we? Yes, the pet semetary is not the only burial ground behind the Creed's house; there is also a much darker cemetery, one traditionally used for American Indian burials. Or was used, up until the soil went sour and remains that were buried in shallow graves started rising from the dead as something dark, and supernatural- something Louis Creed finds out all to well after a string of unfortunate incidents, starting with the death of a beloved family pet, spirals a series of secret burials in the sacred, yet soiled (pun intended) ground.
Review: I first saw this movie when my mother let me pick out a scary movie to show at my birthday party, or perhaps it was a Halloween party, when I was about 10 or so. I have several childhood friends who can tell you, it scared the crap out of us. I don't think most of us could even finish it. Though it wasn't my first horror movie (which would have been Creepshow when I was 6 or 7, what ever age kindergartners are. I'm pretty disconnected from children things right now), it had a lingering effect on me. I think I've actually only been able to bring myself to watch it three times in my life, this being one of them. There is something that really creeps me out about this movie. Still.
The creepiest part, or at least when I was a kid, was the mother, Rachel's, sister Zelda. When Rachel was a kid, she often was left to care for her older sister Zelda, who suffered from Spinal Meningitis, whatever the hell that is. Oooh, okay, I just looked it up. It, as the movie would suggest, is rather unpleasant. Here is a link for more information http://spinalmeningitis.org/. If you watch this movie and think to yourself, "Man, Zelda looks like a, well, man...", then you are correct. A male was cast for the role of the hideously sick sister because the casting directors had a hard time finding a woman thin enough for the role. Sigh. This is why men look better in dresses then most women. They have the legs for it. However, this man in Pet Sematary does NOT make a good woman. Just a creepy-as-shit one. Watching these scenes as an adult, Zelda is not as frightening and looks more like a Muppet with plastic surgery then anything, but I'm telling you, nightmarish for a kid. Also, I find it kind of bizarre that one of the creepiest Stephen King movie moments comes from, not something supernatural, but the portrayal of a young (doesn't look it) woman dying of an incurable illness. It would be like making a scary movie based on a leper colony.......... hmm, I may have to do that.
One of the highlights for this film has got to be Fred Gwynne. I love this guy. His accent, which I presume is that of North Easterners, is, well, memorable, kind of, old-timey movie-esque. I think that's why I like his character so much. The baby, Gage (who also stared in movies like Kindergarten Cop and TV shows like Full House), is one of the creepiest movie kids of all time. Props to that baby's onset handler. Some of the acting is pretty cornball, but it's not too overdone. I hate the mother's character, but I think I hate her because Stephen King wanted me to hate her. What a yuppie... and that little Dutch Boy hair cut. Few things really date this movie, aside from her hair.
The story itself is an adaptation that has been told and altered time and time again. It's a lot like The Monkey's Paw, or any variation where grief stricken people bring back their dead loved ones out of desperation, only to find out that the living can never really, truly, come back as themselves; that death is much darker then one could hope. This cautionary tale is the perfect example of what separates the undead or the walking dead from the conception of zombies, primarily their motives and verbal skills.
The most enjoyable Stephen King novel to film adaptations, for me at least, are usually those that King himself writes the screenplay for, aside from a few... shining examples (feel free to puke at anytime if my grotesque puns invoke that feeling of nausea for you). Pet Sematary's screenplay was written by Stephen King, so the translation from novel to film works really well in this instance.
After all this time, the movie still holds up for me. I'd recommend watching Pet Sematary if you like classic tales of horror and are easily creeped out by children.
Rating: 8/10
Scare Scale: Classic Chills
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