Pet Sematary (1989)
Director: Mary Lambert
Writer: Stephen King (based on his book)
Stars: Fred Gwynne, Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby
Pet Sematary isn’t that good of a movie. It is, however, a really good horror movie and a great adaptation of a book Stephen King hated writing. Perhaps this is why King opted to write the screenplay himself, figuring if such a heinous tale was to be put on screen, he might as well do it right. He even appears in the movie as a priest.
The opening credits and soundtrack set the tone beautifully for what is a highly depressing and frightening endeavor. We then meet the main players, including Jud Crandall, played wonderfully by Fred Gwynne, easily one of the best screen versions of a Stephen King character. There’s also Louis Creed: doctor and family man, his wife Rachel, kids, cat, station wagon, etc. Originally from Chicago, they relocate to Maine and settle into a house with a very odd path out back, a path to a cemetery for pets, misspelled “Pet Sematary” by local heartbroken youngsters. The “sematary” naturally leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, especially when the Creed’s own cat, Church, is run over by an eighteen-wheeler on Thanksgiving. After hearing some local legends from Jud, Louis chooses not to bury Church in the harmless children's pet sematary, but an ancient Micmac burial ground instead. This burial ground is known to bring back the dead, only what it brings back usually isn’t for the better. In a desperate attempt to salvage his daughter’s pet, Louis buries Church exactly where he shouldn’t and keeps it to himself. Amazingly enough, Church does return from the dead, smelling like shit and with a really bad attitude. Let’s just say no one in the Creed household will be taking a relaxing bath any time soon.
The story then takes a dark detour about halfway through, when Louis’ son Gage, practically a baby, is run over and killed by the same kind of truck that killed Church. The way I recall seeing this scene for the first time, my inner monologue went something like this: “He’s not really gonna get run over by...yep, he just got run over by the truck.”
No surprise to those who’ve read the book first, but I had not at the time, and it’s just something you don’t see very often in any movie. Hell, I thought this movie was about a killer cat! Gage’s funeral is yet another disaster and it’s clear where Louis plans on burying his son’s body.
Did I mention Louis does all this despite a strict warning not to by the ghost of a dead jogger? His name is Pascow, and even though his brain literally dangles from his bleeding skull, he’s a pretty nice guy. In the first act, Pascow pretty much flatlines on Louis’ nurses' office table, after being hit by none other than a giant truck. He wakes up dead and swears his allegiance to Louis. All he wants to do is help, and perhaps had he made any attempt to be less creepy, Louis would have heeded his warnings properly. Instead, Louis does nothing but piss on Pascow’s advice, which ultimately gets him, and the entire family killed.
The plot of Pet Sematary, a cemetery that brings back the (evil) dead, is undeniably scary. What’s interesting is that the scariest scenes don’t necessarily directly relate to said plotline. For many, the most memorable scene of the movie is Rachel’s flashback about her dead, reptilian sister, Zelda. Just thinking her name makes me shudder, and she’s put a dark cloud over the classic Nintendo game, that’s for sure. But this scene, along with the unsettling suicidal hanging of housekeeper Missy Dandridge, could’ve easily been cut from the movie and not taken away a single thing...except for two of the scariest scenes. They work more as subtext, providing some insight into Rachel’s past and feelings about death. Other scenes involving stories relayed to Louis via Jud, are scarier than the entire third act, which features slasher Gage going to town with a scalpel.
There are some movies I distinctly recall seeing for the first time. Pet Sematary was on a Saturday evening, I’m guessing around 7pm (although my instincts are 5pm), and on television. It’s actually not a bad movie to suffer through a TV edit, as it’s not too gruesome, nor does it have much profanity, so for the most part it’s all there. Already a big horror fan by age 8 or 9, and knowing what Pet Sematary was, I didn’t have particular interest in it; I just sat there and started watching as it came on because I didn’t feel like getting up. Needless to say, I never did get up, nor do I remember at what point the power came back on. Imagine sitting there, a little kid, getting a real big kick outta a horror flick you’re not supposed to be watching, TV edit or not, loving every minute of it, fully aware getting sleep will be difficult tonight but making the gamble anyway. Successfully making it through the entire thing, almost turning it off several times, I finally get up and due to some summer or fall wind (this is why I can’t pinpoint a 5pm or 7pm start time) the power goes black just as the sun has officially vanquished. It was like something out of a horror movie!
That’s how I remember Pet Sematary and probably always will (and nothing beats that peaceful Paramount jingle at the beginning).
- Peter DiGiovanni
Trailer:
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