It’s the day before Halloween folks! And has your old pal, Slick Dungeon got a terrifying movie recommendation for you? Oh yes, he does! In this post I’ll be reviewing the original adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. It’s a story that will convince you, sometimes, dead is better. It’s one of the films from my childhood that still gives me nightmares. There will be spoilers in this review so if you don’t enjoy that sort of thing, bury your dead cat at the cemetery, not the sematary, watch the film, and come on back here to read the review!

Pet Sematary background

In the 1980’s there was a glut of Stephen King adaptations. It got to the point where studios were losing interest in making films from his stories. Originally, George A. Romero, the legendary horror director of Night of the Living Dead purchased the rights to film Pet Sematary but he was tied up with other productions and couldn’t make the film.

In 1988 there was a WGA strike and studios were left scrambling to find finished scripts to produce. One script that had been completed was Pet Sematary and Paramount decided to give it the green light.

The movie was made for $11.5 million and made $57.5 million at the box office, proving the world was not still tired of Stephen King adaptations. But why did this film do so well? Because it is terrifying. Let’s get into the review.

The Creed family moves in

Louis, Rachel, their children Ellie and Gage Creed move from Chicago to Ludlow, Maine. It’s a big change from a bustling city to a quiet pace of life. But the road near Louis’ house is a deadly one. Pets are frequently run over by trucks speeding along. Louis is a physician and one of the first things he sees at his new job is a jogger who was killed by a truck on the road. Louis does everything he can to save the man but it’s no use.

This man, just before he dies, warns Louis not to go to the pet cemetery. And that night, the man shows up as a ghost to warn Louis once more.

Goodbye Church

The Creed’s have a cat named Church. Louis has to stay home during Thanksgiving while the rest of the family visit the relatives. While they are gone, Church runs into the road and is run over by a truck. The dead cat is a huge problem for Ellie who has recently been questioning what happens after someone dies.

Louis has a neighbor named Jud who takes Louis out to the Pet Sematary but they go further. Jud explains there is a place where the Miꞌkmaq locals used to bury their dead. Jud has Louis bury the cat but asks Louis to swear he will never speak of what they have done.

The cat came back

Sure enough, the next day, Church returns, alive but changed. He’s more aggressive and really has it out for Louis. But, Ellie doesn’t have to know what happened.

It’s the first real warning Louis gets that sometimes dead is better. I guess this dude never read The Monkey’s Paw in school. But things are about to get much, much worse for the Creed family.

Pet Sematary has The most heartbreaking scene in any King story

Tragically, the youngest member of the Creed family, Gage, runs off while the family is distracted. And he is hit by a truck. The little boy is only two years old so everyone is devastated. And the scene in the film is just heartbreaking when you see the little shoe slowly flying in the air. Gage is utterly and purely innocent. It’s not a monster that kills him, it’s just something that tragically happens every single day. And it could happen to anyone.

Any father would be grief stricken by this event. Jud knows exactly where Louis’ mind is going. Jud tells his neighbor a horrifying story about the last time a human was buried out at the pet cemetery. He tells Louis, “Sometimes, dead is better.” And he means it.

You can guess the rest

What happens next is predictable but it’s no less terrifying. I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not seen it but from the point Gage dies, this movie pulls zero punches. And it is still as scary as ever. It’s a wild ride and there’s a bit of a twist at the end. Nothing ground breaking but it is still frightening.

Pet Sematary in conclusion

Not only is the main story here frightening, there is a side story about Rachel Creed’s sister that will give you nightmares for years. I really don’t want to spoil that part because it comes out of nowhere.

Other than the problematic trope of an “ancient burial ground” being cursed, this movie is scary as hell. And this version stars Fred Gwynne as Jud. Gwynne played Herman Munster so it’s a really fun horror connection. And Gwynne does a great job here.

The effects almost all hold up because the majority of them are practical effects. This one might be a little more frightening to me than it would be to some others. But that’s because I definitely have a fear of the dead returning, despite the fact that I love zombie movies and shows. They just tend to give me nightmares.

If you want a great Halloween movie pick, guaranteed to scare you, give Pet Sematary a shot. I promise you will remember it.

Gravely yours,

Slick Dungeon

Want More?

Want to see some of my other King reviews? Take a look here!

Looking for a good King read? Check out this one!

Does this one scare you as much as it did me? Let me know in the comments!