Pet Sematary review (Pet Sematary (DVD))

Member Name: Walter_Kovacs

Product:	Pet Sematary (DVD)
Date:	08/10/08 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Creepy, atmospheric

Disadvantages: Ghost character didn't bring much to the story

Pet Sematary is a film based on the novel by Stephen King. He also wrote the screenplay and cameos as a minister.

The film centres around the Creeds, who have just moved to a new house in the countryside, a house that hasn't had anyone living in it for a long time. Their neighbor, Jud, tells them to be careful on the road as they are constantly being used by semis. He also shows them the Pet Sematary, where all the kids bury their pets after they got run over.

When the Creeds' cat suffers the same fate, Jud shows them a deserted hill with some bizarre markings on it past the Pet Sematary and tells the husband, Louis, to bury the cat there. Soon after the cat returns from the beyond, but he seems different: he's more aggressive and vicious than before. Soon, with the help of Jud, Louis realizes what happens. What he doesn't know though, is that he will soon need the help of that isolated hill again.

I don't mean this in a macho way or anything, but it's very rare for a film to scare me, but this does. It's directed very well, and is full of genuinely, tense, scary moments. The music helps with that, and creates a dark, foreboding atmosphere. The acting is good, especially Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall. He brings gravitas to his role, a complete man of mystery, you know he knows more than he's letting on but you don't know when or if he'll tell you. He's seen more than his fair share of horrors and so is reluctant to talk about the Pet Sematary but he soon finds himself helping the Creeds and, in the end, gets punished for it.

The family members are act adequately, and I don't know what it is but evil kids really freak me out. Perhaps it's because kids are supposed to be pure and innocent, to think of them murderously evil is a complete contradiction to what we think we know. Whatever the reason when the Creeds little boy says to his dad "I've played with mommy, now I wanna play with you" I knew it wasn't gonna end well.

One negative though is the ghost of the student that helps the family. I thought the reason why he helped Louis was a bit flimsy, and you never really found out why he knew all about the Sematary or the hill. Only a minor point though, overall it was a very good, creepy film, and highly recommended for anyone who likes Stephen King films or for anyone who just wants to be scared. An ideal Halloween movie!

Summary: Sometimes dead is better