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| Courtesy of © Paramount Pictures |
By Daniel Andrade
I have to admit, I’m a huge fan of horror movies, which is ironic because I generally do not like being scared (don’t even think about inviting me to a haunted house or corn maze), but there’s nothing quite like that feeling of curling up into a ball, hands getting ready to cover your eyes or ears, as you wait for that inevitable jump scare. So when I saw that Stephen King’s iconic Pet Sematary was being adapted into a (second) movie, I was excited. I may have never read his books, but I’ve seen just about all of the films made from his stories, from Carrie to IT, The Shining to Shawshank, Misery to Gerald’s Game. It’s safe to say King knows his way around suspense, and loves to through in some thrills and chills along the way. All this to say I had some pretty high hopes going in to the movie.
And thankfully, most of these high hopes were met. Pet Semetary does a great job of slowly building up that sense of unease and dread up until its disturbing finale. From the funeral procession of creepy kids in disturbing animal masks, to the site of the Pet Semetary itself, we get a great set of visuals to make the viewer generally uncomfortable. Pair that with the weird draw people in horror movies have to dark and spooky places (seriously, why would you go into a dark room BY YOURSELF with NO FLASHLIGHT? Do you want to get murdered? Because that’s how you get murdered!) and the movie effectively keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The acting is pretty impressive as well, even from one of the main stars of the movie, Church the cat. Played by 5 cats, who each specialized in one specific action (hissing, jumping, screaming, staring creepily while standing still), Church is one of our first examples of the dangers of the cursed land beyond the Pet Sematary, and serves as an excellent reminder that, indeed, “sometimes, dead is better.” Jason Clarke plays Dr. Louis, and does a great job of slowly devolving from a rational man of science to a madman who will do anything to save his daughter. Amy Seimetz plays Rachel, a woman haunted by her past experience with her sister, and phenomenally delivers some moments of genuine terror- even if we are only seeing her eyes (there is a particularly terrifying moment involving her that I don’t want to spoil, but let’s just say that sound and visual editing are effectively used in this movie). John Lithgow plays the well-meaning Jud, a widowed neighbor who simply knows too much, and is still unfortunately drawn to the mysterious woods. While he’s more known for his comedic roles, he does an awesome job in his role here, balancing a character who is simultaneously creepy and sketchy on one hand and warm and welcoming on the other. Finally, we have Jeté Laurence, who does a phenomenal job playing Ellie. She begins the film playing a sweet, innocent, precocious child but when all hell breaks loose, she becomes objectively terrifying; from the lower and creepier way she talks to her violent and aggressive demeanor- all attached to a sinister smirk. She embodies both the light and dark side of her character very convincingly which makes that transformation all the more frightening.
As stated previously, the visual and sound mixing/editing on this movie were fantastic. Admittedly, I did see this film in Dolby Cinema, of which, if you’ve never done before I would highly recommend you do the next chance you get. It’s truly one of the better ways to experience a film, particularly a horror film. The mysterious woods were made that much more haunting by the fog and whispers, and even the home was full of creaks and cracks that made me feel uneasy. Every thud or scratch heard crawling along the roof made me curl up tighter and tighter into an anxious ball of fear. The hissing and screeching of Church was unsettling, and the roar of the speeding trucks recklessly hurtling down the street was shocking. These were balanced with quiet moments that were equally uncomfortable. These elements are especially crucial in a horror film, where sound plays a big role in scaring the audiences and I think this film did a great job of that.
The few notes of criticism I do have are the ones that I have for every horror movie. There were a few mysterious elements that were introduced but never fully explained. For example, it appears that the youngest son, Gage, has some sort of either psychic power or connection to the afterlife yet it’s never really explained why or even really investigated. Additionally, there is a haunting ghost that serves as a warning to Louis, but we don’t know how or why it knows or chose him. Finally, we get a brief explanation as to the history of the mysterious woods but it is mentioned once and never explained again. I would've loved to have learned more about, or seen a clip of, what frightened these Native Americans enough to try to block others from reaching this land. While I understand that a sense of mystery, and the unknown is part of what makes horror movies fun, I also enjoy diving deep into some of these elements and learning of the horrors that brought them to life.
CONCLUSION: If you are a Stephen King fan or horror movie buff, this is definitely worth a watch- especially if you can see it in Dolby Cinema where you do not just see but feel the horror as well. While it’s not a perfect horror film, it definitely delivers enough scares through excellent acting, as well as visual and sound editing/mixing to make it worth your time and money. It’s a slow and steady burn that eventually ignites into an insane ending that was worth the wait.
SCORE: 4/5
SkyWire
skywire@skysoftentertainment.com
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