Pet Sematary (film)
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| Pet Sematary | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster for Pet Sematary |
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| Directed by | Mary Lambert |
| Produced by | Richard P. Rubinstein |
| Written by | Stephen King (novel and screenplay) |
| Starring | Dale Midkiff Fred Gwynne Denise Crosby Brad Greenquist Miko Hughes Blaze Berdahl Susan Blommaert |
| Music by | Elliot Goldenthal |
| Cinematography | Peter Stein |
| Editing by | Daniel P. Hanley Mike Hill |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 21, 1989 (USA) |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11,500,000 |
| Followed by | Pet Sematary II |
| IMDb profile | |
Pet Sematary (sometimes referred to as Stephen King's Pet Sematary) is a 1989 horror film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. Directed by Mary Lambert, the film stars Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed, Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed, Blaze Berdahl as Ellie Creed, Miko Hughes as Gage Creed, and Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall.
Stephen King wrote the screenplay himself, having become frustrated with how his novels were represented in film adaptations, and appears briefly in the film as a minister at a funeral.
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[edit] Synopsis
The plot revolves around the corporeal reanimation of deceased pets and humans in an abandoned Mi'kmaq burial ground outside the town of Ludlow, Maine. The Creed family moves into a new home and befriends their new neighbor, Jud Crandall, who tells them about a pet cemetery and the burial grounds nearby. Letting go of the past could be a theme of the story.
[edit] Comparison to the book
The movie is more faithful to the novel's story line and structure than is common for novel-to-movie adaptations in the horror genre. Even so, several plot elements, such as Louis's troubled relationship with his in-laws, his sorrow after Gage's death and his consequent justifications for resurrecting his son, were either combined, truncated or dropped entirely due to the limitations of a movie-length script. The repeated line from the book about "Oz the Gweat and Tewwible" was replaced by repeated appearances of Pascow and Zelda. In addition, the movie glosses over the concept of the Wendigo in the forest, and completely skips over the implication that there is a singular, specific intelligence which guides the resurrected creatures and speaks through them. Additionally, there is the particular omission of one of the book's more disturbing implications: that this intelligence, by way of Gage's body, has eaten parts of Rachel in addition to killing her ("something had been at her").
The role of Steve Masterton, an employee at Louis's medical center and the only character whose future is disclosed, is greatly reduced in the film. His only appearances are when the people bring Pascow into the infirmary and at Gage's funeral. The film also omitted Norma Crandall, Jud's wife, and changed some of the dates; for instance, the year that Jud claims to have buried his dog Spot is changed from 1914 to 1924.
The ending of the film has a significantly different tone from that of the novel. In the novel there is a certain level of ambiguity pertaining to the resurrected Rachel; she is not seen by her husband, but merely felt when she places a decaying hand on his shoulder and says in a rather gravelly voice "Darling..." However, in the film, a far more graphic and violent ending is depicted. The resurrected Rachel returns, in a state of decay (bloody, oozing, partially skeletal) and kisses her husband before brutally dispatching him with a large carving knife. (This last action is not shown, but the sound effect that accompanies it over the end credits has a certain morbid finality, underscored by Louis's guttural scream.)
In the film Stephen King plays the part of the priest at Missy Dandridges Funeral. However, in the book, Missy never dies.
[edit] Cast and crew
Produced by Mitchell Galin, Richard P. Rubinstein, and Tim Zinneman. Directed by Mary Lambert. Stephen King wrote both the novel and the screenplay for the movie. The soundtrack was composed by Elliot Goldenthal. The end credits contained a song, called "Pet Sematary", by Punk rock band, The Ramones, which was a radio hit and was later released on their 1989 album Brain Drain. The end of Pet Sematary 2 also had The Ramones play their hit Poison Heart in the end credits.
- Cast
- Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed
- Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall
- Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed
- Brad Greenquist as Victor Pascow
- Michael Lombard as Irwin Goldman
- Miko Hughes as Gage Creed
- Blaze Berdahl as Ellie Creed
- Susan Blommaert as Missy Dandridge
- Mara Clark as Marcy Charlton
- Kavi Raz as Steve Masterton
- Mary Louise Wilson as Dory Goldman
- Andrew Hubatsek as Zelda
- Matthew August Ferrell as Jud as a child
- Lisa Stathoplos as Jud's mother
- Stephen King as Minister
- Elizabeth Ureneck as Rachel as a child
- Chuck Courtney as Bill Baterman
- Peter Stader as Timmy Baterman
- Beau Berdahl as Ellie Creed II
[edit] 2006 DVD
On September 26, 2006, Paramount released a Special Collector's Edition DVD. It features:
- Commentary by Director Mary Lambert
- Documentary: Stephen King's Pet Sematary: Stephen King Territory
- Documentary: Stephen King's Pet Sematary: The Characters
- Documentary: Stephen King's Pet Sematary: Filming the Horror
The documentaries feature interviews with Dale Midkiff, Brad Greenquist, Denise Crosby, Stephen King, director Mary Lambert, Fred Gwynne, and other members of the cast and crew.
[edit] Reception
Despite an initially positive reception by many eminent critics, Pet Sematary generated mostly mixed reviews, and was considered to be a moderate box office hit of that year, taking in $16 million in its first week at the North American box-office. The controversial nature of the film may have led to some of its alleged "unviewability", and Pet Sematary remains to this day banned in several countries. Nevertheless, it has recently developed an ardent cult following. 'This is the first screenplay that Stephen King has adapted from one of his own novels, ' wrote Films and Filming, in November 1989 'and while it is a generally competent effort, there some absolute howlers in the dialogue...There is also a taut Halloween-style ending that almost justifies the preceding hour and a half. But ultimately there are still too many unanswered questions.' Fear magazine wrote 'The viewer is made to feel personal grief with some realism, and that's something which most horror film-makers have never handled or been willing to handle.' Mary Lambert was quite protective of her work "Pet Sematary is about a love of a father for his child that is obsessive to the point of breaking certain taboos, passing certain boundaries that shouldn't be passed. I think I brought a sense of mystery and mysticism to the story that they were looking for. There are certain aspects of this story that take it beyond just another horror movie."
