I’ll be honest. I was never a big fan of the 1989 original film adaptation of this Stephen King novel. While this reviewer enjoyed some of the story elements (including Fred Gwynne’s supporting role and the catchy Ramones tune that graced the end credits), the whole picture never gelled or chilled me the way it should have. Today sees the release of a Pet Sematary remake and my reaction to it is… well, pretty similar. Perhaps this horror tale just doesn’t speak to me personally.
Louis (Jason Clarke) is a physician who decides to move his family to a small college town in Maine. Joining him is wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz), 9-year old daughter Ellie (Jeté Laurence), and toddler Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie). It isn’t long before some family members begin to suspect that something isn’t quite right deep in the woods behind their new and massive property. For one, oddly behaved kids wearing animal masks frequent a “Pet Sematary”, where they come to bury their deceased pets. And, according to neighbor Jud (John Lithgow), much further in the wilderness, there is a burial mound with supernatural properties that might be able to bring back the dead.
And wouldn’t you know it, but that’s exactly what happens. When a family pet passes away, Jud gives Louis the specifics on resurrecting practices, which quickly spiral out of control after further tragedies strike. Of course, as all of this is going down, the lead has visions of a dead patient who warns him that the soil of the burial area is spoiled, and even his wife has horrifying hallucinations of unsettling events from her past.
While there is a jolt or two from the unexpected roars of speeding trucks down country roads, the eventual monsters don’t startle or make a big impact. In fact, there’s a heavy and somber mood to the proceedings, and the film is shot in a fairly cold and muted visual style. Given the dark subject matter the approach is understandable to an extent, but this tone, along with the obvious dream sequences, don’t drum up much momentum or tension.
Early scenes do mirror the original film fairly closely. And admittedly, the feature does try to throw in some misdirection, including one significant twist as it tries to recreate major shock moments from the original (even if the story still ends up heading to a similar destination). It’s later in the running time that this tale truly veers off on its own course. Yet even then, it doesn’t result in the scares or excitement hoped for.
At least the cast are solid. Clarke makes for an empathetic lead and Lithgow is an equally likable substitute for Gwynn’s earlier take on the role of Jud. But even with their skills, it’s still impossible to comprehend some of their actions. The jarring supernatural visions and warnings don’t make an impact on any of the characters. Beyond raising the dead, Louis makes other terrible choices over simple matters. This includes attempting to remove a violent, undead cat that has walked a great distance from its grave to return home, by merely driving it a few miles away and releasing it. While it certainly ties into the theme of not being able to let go, it’s a bit of a stretch.
The movie attempts to rationalize Louis’ behavior simply by suggesting that the evil burial site influences those who come into contact with it into making poor decisions. Yet it’s not only Louis who suffers from this affliction. When a more knowledgeable character is threatened, they don’t leave the property or call authorities for help, but rather walk home and lock their doors to avoid slaughter. You can easily guess what follows.
Another who comes face to face with an undead relative first reacts in horror and disapproval. Then, they decide the next appropriate action is not to leave, but rather to head upstairs, lock the door, fall asleep and leave another family member vulnerable. It’s all baffling and distances viewers from the proceedings. A menacing force may be blamed for their obtuseness, but in the end the characters appear to be doing senseless things not out of obligation to the burial mound, but rather a screenplay that needs to move the plot forward and get to the next attack sequence.
There’s clearly some potential here in a tale where characters are forced to deal head on with mortality and loss and I enjoyed individual moments in the story. However, this take doesn’t do as much at it could with the concept, other than to recommend that one must eventually say goodbye to loved ones… and warn against resurrecting them. The cast members make Pet Sematary tolerable, but the script can’t do its source material justice, and the film eventually sinks into silliness by the final act.