Pet Sematary (1989)
- Cody Iden
- Oct 14, 2021
- 3 min read
Release Date - April 21, 1989
Synopsis:
After tragedy strikes a family, a grieving father discovers an ancient Indian burial ground that holds the power to raise the dead.
Directed by - Mary Lambert
Screenplay by - Stephen King
Produced by - Richard P. Rubinstein
Cinematography - Peter Stein
Music by - Elliot Goldenthal
Distribution Company - Paramount Pictures
Cast:
Dale Midkiff - Louis Creed
Fred Gwynne - Jud Crandall
Denise Crosby - Rachel Goldman-Creed
Brad Greenquist - Victor Pascow
Michael Lombard - Irwin Goldman
Miko Hughes - Gage Creed
Blaze Berdahl - Ellen "Ellie" Creed
Run Time - 1 hr. 43 min. Rated - R
Budget - $11.5 million Gross - $57.5 million
Review:
Director Mary Lambert manages to bring some chilling imagery to this adaptation of the popular Stephen King novel, though the film does come across as being a little disjointed at times. The film would really have benefited from some better actors for the parents, Dale Midkiff is actually pretty good as Louis Creed, but Denise Crosby just comes across as miserable and unlikable. Young Miko Hughes in his very first film is quite memorable as Gage Creed, but it is Fred Gwynne who completely steals the picture with his performance as the kindly and well-intentioned neighbor who ultimately leads the family down the wrong path. The story itself, much like the source novel, is very dark and creepy but the film drops several elements from the novel and as a result some of the supporting characters like Victor Pascow and Missy Dandridge seem oddly stuck into the film with not a lot of back story or development. The film also lacks any true scares, mostly resorting to jump scares featuring the family cat. Some of the imagery is fairly gruesome including a car wreck victim and a pretty brutal scene during the finale that always makes me cringe. The cinematography is excellent and the special effects are pretty good, though you do have some obvious dummies being used as stand ins for the Gage Creed character. The Ramones “Pet Sematary” song is a nice addition to the film as well. While not the best Stephen King adaptation out there this is definitely one of the better ones.
My Score: 80
Plot - 7 Cinematography - 8
Attraction - 9 Editing & Special Effects - 8
Theme - 8 Sound & Music - 8
Acting - 8 Directing - 8
Dialogue - 8 Enjoyability – 8
Trivia:
Bruce Campbell was the original choice to play Louis Creed but he turned it down.
Fred Gwynne was the first and only choice to play the part of Jud Crandall.
The was the first film for actor Miko Hughes who was only around 2.5 years old during filming.
Stephen King, who wrote the Pet Sematary novel and also the screenplay for the film adaptation, has a cameo in the movie as the Minister seen at the funeral of Missy Dandridge.
Stephen King has stated that of all the books he has written, Pet Sematary was the only one the actually scared him.
Stephen King was a fan of the Ramones and referenced their music in the novel Pet Sematary. As a result The Ramones wrote and performed “Pet Sematary” which plays over the end credits of the film.
Stephen King was on set for most of the production which was filming only 20 minutes away from his home in Bangor, Maine.
George A. Romero was originally set to direct but decided to do the film Monkey Shines (1988) instead.
Fred Gwynne’s character mentions having a pet named Spot. Spot was the name of The Munsters’ pet dragon on the TV series The Munsters (1964-1966) which starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster.
Availability:
Watched on October 12, 2021
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