Movie review: Pet Sematary brought to life - again
For horror fans, the 2019 film adaption of Stephen King's seminal 1983 novel Pet Sematary should tick most of the boxes - an eerie atmosphere, well executed if sometimes familiar jump scares and some cringe-inducing body horror to boot.
But as with most things that come back from the dead, something about this resurrection feels amiss.
For one, purists might frown at the chops and changes made by screenwriter Jeff Buhler and directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, though the barebones plot means the film rarely drags during its 100-minute runtime.
And despite some solid acting, camerawork and sound design, it lacks a freshness that truly excites.
For the most part, Pet Sematary, which comes 30 years after the first movie adaptation in 1989, sticks to the script and delivers some proper scares from the get-go.
The Creeds, a loving family of four, discover the eponymous cemetery in their backyard after moving from Boston to the small rural town of Ludlow, Maine, where local children bury their dead pets in sinister processions while wearing creepy masks.
Parents Louis (Jason Clarke) and Rachel (Amy Seimetz) are haunted by traumatic events past and present, played up for maximum effect in a few visceral, gruesome scenes.
More tragedy strikes and their innocent daughter Ellie undergoes a chilling personality shift in a show-stealing performance by 11-year-old actress Jete Laurence.
But as the film tries to land its ending, things do not quite add up.
It is hard to really feel for the characters when the sometimes rapid-fire pace means emotional beats are not given time to sink in.
Larger themes about coping with grief, trauma and guilt are broached, but they get brushed aside by a final act that neither shocks nor impresses.
Still, that is not to say that the latest Pet Sematary is better off dead. It is a well-made horror film sure to please many - it just fails to break any new ground.
Rating: 3/5
MOVIE: Pet Sematary
STARRING: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow
DIRECTORS: Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer
THE SKINNY: A family discovers a cemetery (or two) in the backyard woods of their new home in rural Maine. When tragedy strikes, they realise that the dead do not always stay six feet under.
RATING: NC16
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