This blog about horror film Pet Sematary is with thanks to guest blogger Jo, making her long-awaited return to the blog!…
“…I vaguely remember the original but do know it’s a bit of a cult favourite. The remake will probably not garner such a cult following.
Firstly up front, I have to admit that I have a very high tolerance for horror, no doubt fostered by watching Deadly Earnest features on TV with my mum late on Friday nights.
The movie focuses on a family moving to a very picturesque rural setting and realising that all is not what they had thought or hoped. Odd things start to happen (as they usually do when you venture in the woods alone or go into the basement without turning on the light) when Jason Clarke’s character with direction from John Lithgow as “Jud” unlocks rituals and secrets that should be kept hidden and left alone. There were some genuine shock moments in Pet Sematary, some quirky, humourous moments that had the audience chuckling (sometimes in spots where it probably wasn’t planned), but overall I found this remake somewhat disappointing. Lithgow of course is his usual uniquely excellent self, but the other main actors (Clarke, Amy Seimetz as his wife and Jete Laurence as their daughter) were rather wooden and formulaic. Not scary enough to be true horror and too heavy-handed to be quirkily clever, although the ending is surprisingly unexpected.
I would give this 2.5 stars, maybe 3 because the cat was at times so adorable (I am a huge cat person). If you enjoy being shocked into a jump in your seat or a hand over your eyes or a grab at your co-viewer’s arm, this might be for you. For me, it was amusing rather than shocking and cliched rather than clever.
P.S. The promoters handed out really cute, well-made cat masks – a real bonus!”
Pet Sematary opens 4 April. (Rating TBC at time of publishing.) Trailer here.