They don’t come back the same: Pet Sematary (2019) review

Pet Sematary may not be perfect, but it’s still a great film on it’s own. Just go in without your nostalgia goggles.

People complain about remakes, but I’ve found if you treat them as an alternate universe then you may enjoy them more. The Stephen King renaissance rolls on as Pet Sematary opened nation wide. It’s also spring break here in Kentucky. I went to an afternoon matinee showing and the theater was surprisingly only about three quarters full.

You’ve probably seen the trailer and the big change by now. This version of Pet Sematary puts more focus on the Creeds’ daughter Ellie, instead of their infant son Gage. In fact, Gage doesn’t have as much screen time this time around. Sure it’s different and I was skeptical, but I actually ended up liking it a bit better.

The cast is wonderful from top to bottom, but Jeté Laurence steals the show as Ellie. It’s amazing watching her go from cute little girl to evil entity almost flawlessly. I had some misgivings about John Lithgow as Jud, but he won me over. He’s obviously no Fred Gwynne and doesn’t have that Maine yankee accent, but he brings such a sweetness to the character with his grandfatherly bond with Ellie, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it was going to. Jason Clarke plays Louis Creed the patriarch. He masterfully goes from loving father, to grieving parent. The grief process quickly goes to creepy insanity.

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I can’t remember the last time a film sent chills through my entire body. That’s what Pet Sematary does. However, there are some things I would change.

The trailer gives away so much that would be more effective if they were left out. I wanted to see the flashback scenes of Jud’s dog, the bull Henratty, and Timmy Baterman, alas we only got Jud talking about his dog, and a news paper headline for the other two.

Also keep your eyes and ear open for a couple of Easter eggs from other Stephen King work. Could this be the beginning of an entire Stephen King film universe? This constant reader sure hopes so. Be sure to stay for the credits with an awesome cover of the Pet Sematary theme song originally by The Ramones covered by Starcrawler.

In short, the ground may be sour, but this film sure isn’t.

Fan of the immortal Stephen King? See the new Pet Sematary yet? Let the rest of the undead know what you think in the comment section below.