Paramount remaking Pet Sematary [Archive] - Palaver - A forum for Stephen King fans & Book Collectors

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mae

03-05-2010, 09:24 AM

http://www.heatvisionblog.com/2010/03/stephen-kings-pet-sematary-resurrected.html

Matthew Greenberg, who wrote the Stephen King adaptation “1408,” is heading back to King territory with “Pet Sematary.”

Lorenzo di Bonaventura recently boarded as producer on the long-gestating project, which is set up at Paramount. Steven Schneider is also producing.

Published in 1983, King’s creeper tale centered on a family that trades the city life for the country life in Maine, then discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that rests on an ancient burial ground. When the husband’s toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy’s body to the cemetery, where it is resurrected in demonic form.

Paramount brought the book to life in 1989, with a feature version adapted by King that starred Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby and Fred Gwynne.

The new project at one point was being produced by Alphaville, working with a screenplay by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary (“Face/Off”), and had George Clooney circling.

Film group president Adam Goodman, looking over library titles, deemed it worthy to resuscitate.

Mark Vahradian and David Ready are overseeing for Di Bonaventura Pictures. The company is in production on comic-book adaptation “Red,” starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren.

Greenberg, repped by UTA, has carved out a career in the fantasy and horror genres. Among his credits are “Reign of Fire,” “Halloween: H20” and “Mimic.”

Hannah

03-05-2010, 09:34 AM

That's exciting news!

BROWNINGS CHILDE

03-05-2010, 09:36 AM

mixed on this. Loved the original. Abhorred all the sequals.

mae

03-05-2010, 11:33 AM

Yes, the original is very eerie and quite scary. I doubt they could do much better. Where will they find a creepier kid?

Hannah

03-05-2010, 11:37 AM

There are creepy kids all over the place. Have you ever been to a Walmart or the mall on a saturday? :panic:

pathoftheturtle

03-05-2010, 01:50 PM

Fred Gwynne was pretty good. Denise Crosby was pretty bad.

1408 was superb.:panic: Me, I do expect that this will be an improvement. :excited:

Ricky

03-05-2010, 02:51 PM

This has been "in development" since 2005-2006 and I've been waiting for a release date since.

I guess I'll get excited once they get their arses in gear and shoot the darn thing.

Hannah

03-05-2010, 02:52 PM

No, you'll get excited when I tell you to get excited.

Kidding! I'm in a rather odd mood today, and felt like bossing people around.

Ricky

03-05-2010, 03:00 PM

No, I totally get you. Gotta love those days. :shoot:

:lol:

gsvec

03-05-2010, 03:08 PM

Why remake it? Guess I just don't get it - has the world run out of "new" ideas?

LadyHitchhiker

03-05-2010, 08:05 PM

Um.. why? It was great the first one!

How do they expect to capitalize on greatness?

Brice

03-06-2010, 06:18 AM

nonononononoNO...Goddamnit quit with the fuckin' remakes already. <_<

Brice

03-06-2010, 06:20 AM

No, you'll get excited when I tell you to get excited.

This sounds SO naughty.

alinda

03-06-2010, 06:31 AM

*shrugs*

PS , Hannah...:wtf:

Woofer

03-06-2010, 09:32 AM

Pet Sematary: Aside from Gage and Jud, the cast could be replaced.

Regarding sequels: Clancy Motherfucking Brown was in PS2 - 'nuff said.

1408: I didn't care for the adaptation. I thought John Cusak was a good choice, as was the location, but everything else was wrong. There were unnecessary elements added that didn't enhance the drama and, IMO, detracted from the tension of the real story. Samuel L. was not the right actor for the manager. I wish we could've had the manager from Kubrick's The Shining. The atmosphere and feel was all wrong, too.

I'm not hopeful. :nope: :cry:

pathoftheturtle

03-07-2010, 12:43 PM

Well, of course, we've talked lots about the cultural bankruptcy shown in that contemporary trend, on this thread: Remakes (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=2006)
However, there's also this one to consider: Movies Based On Books (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=6427)
I just happen to feel that the 1989 adaptation really failed at the level of existential theme which truly distinguishes Pet Sematary. Minor technical matters aside, what the 1408 film added to that story seems worthwhile to me. King's version was essentially Lovecraftian in spirit, and I think the screenplay actually rather well expounded on that. I know that I'm a bit weird, but I find such issues more important than impressonistic tension, and would totally welcome a PS redux without "safe" cliché for crowd-pleasing Hollywood ending.

Woofer

03-07-2010, 01:16 PM

And I think the reason it failed was, primarily, bad casting. They didn't make me believe.

1408 was one for which I had great expectations. Perhaps that is why I felt that it fell far short of hitting the mark. The wife and kid addition was completely unnecessary. Frankly, it pissed me off because I immediately thought they put it in to widen the $$$ base. King's story was fine the way he wrote it.

But that's just my opinion. I also prefer chocolate to just about every other dessert option, hate beets, find Henry James to be a "difficult" read, and adore everything wolf.

That and $2 will get you a cup of joe.

Brainslinger

03-07-2010, 03:26 PM

The original had scenes that freaked me out so much I actually don't want to watch it! I know horror films are supposed to scare you, but...

I'm talking about the backflash scenes with the cackling 'little girl'. I actually feel slightly guilty for saying that since she was terribly ill, but.. she really was shown in a horrific way. Totally intentionally so, of course.

Actually I can put up with quite a lot of scary imagery it's the sudden stuff on screen which gets me. Another example would be the dream sequences from American Werewolf in London. Particularly contact lens moment. (Great film though!)

As for the remake of Pet Sematary, I'm not sure I've seen all of the original to judge, but on the horror front, job jobbed (as my Dad would say).

pathoftheturtle

03-08-2010, 12:09 PM

...the backflash scenes with the cackling 'little girl'. ...on the horror front, job jobbed (as my Dad would say).Good point. I, myself, recently thought of how well the hand in the coffin worked.
I guess that it could have been much worse. Sure wouldn't want to see a real flop turn out. Maybe I'm just one who's being too picky.
And I think the reason it failed was, primarily, bad casting. They didn't make me believe.
...Well, naturally, that is important. We're going to have to find another thread in which to talk more about 1408 and SLJ.

Hannah

03-08-2010, 12:11 PM

I'm all about the remake. If it's bad then it's bad. If it's good then we have another good movie to watch. it doesn't take away from the original to have a remake made, in fact sometimes it makes you appreciate the original that much more.

Brice

03-10-2010, 05:24 AM

I'm Okay with it. It just gives me more victims...the people who make remakes. :evil: :grouphug:

Candice Dionysus

03-11-2010, 06:01 PM

I look forward to it with a strange mixture of skepticism and optimism. I'm prepared in event of it sucking, but hope it doesn't.

Ben Eads

03-11-2010, 06:11 PM

Re-making good movies is a BAD trend in hollywood.

I felt the original was one of the best adaptations of King's books so far. His script etc...

The fact that the director from the stink-bomb of a film "1408" is at the helm really irks me.

I doubt this movie will do anyone involved justice. Unless King really steps up to the plate with it...which I doubt.

DanishCollector

03-12-2010, 01:16 AM

I don't think the director of "1408" is involved with the Pet Sematary remake...I think it's the screenwriter, but of course, that may amount to the same. However, to Håfström's credit, he made a terrific Swedish movie a number of years ago called Onskav (Evil - and it's not a horror movie!), and it's the best Scandinavian film I've ever seen.
"1408" the movie suffered from Hollywood's exhaust of creative imagination, and they just had to throw in that dying daughter-cliché...however, Cusack nailed it.

Ben Eads

03-12-2010, 01:10 PM

Mrs. Underwood

03-13-2010, 06:57 AM

Ben Eads

03-13-2010, 09:30 AM

It could manage to be a good remake (but I do ask how to you replace Fred Gwynne?), though I'm in the camp with those that don't understand why any movie made before 1995 has to be remade all of a sudden. With all the SK books that haven't been adapted at all yet, why are we moving backwards? Seriously, I'm still waiting impatiently for a movie to be made from Cell.

My thoughts exactly. :harrier:

How can you replace, Fred Gwynne? I love South Park's "Pet Sematary" episode. ROFLMAO...

"Here son...you're an abomination now. You must feed."

"Can't I just have a plate of spaghetti O's?"

pathoftheturtle

03-13-2010, 09:51 AM

Leave out the metaphysics, (as the film mostly did) and South Park's mockery of PS definitely makes sense.

I look forward to it with a strange mixture of skepticism and optimism. I'm prepared in event of it sucking, but hope it doesn't.:couple: My feelings exactly. Still.

Candice Dionysus

03-13-2010, 06:59 PM

woodpryan

05-31-2010, 02:15 AM

Maybe this has been posted here somewhere and I just can't find it. Or maybe it just has not yet been talked about. If this thread needs to be merged with a thread about this that is already open... by all means...

So, they are apparently talking about a remake of "Pet Sematary". The screen writer who brought us "1408", which I quite enjoyed is currently working on the script. I loved the novel and I loved the original movie. I thought it was, and still is, great. I just hope they don't screw this up. I'm not sure what to think about it. What say you all SK junkies?

http://www.filmstalker.co.uk/archives/2010/03/pet_sematary_remake.html
http://www.beyondhollywood.com/1408-writer-visits-the-pet-sematary-remake/
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/pet-sematary-remake-forgets-that-sometimes-dead-is-bettah.php

Brice

05-31-2010, 02:22 AM

I say there is no good reason for a remake. In fact there is no good reason for most remakes.

Woofer

05-31-2010, 05:19 AM

So the guy who adapted 1408 is doing it? Great, we should see some pointless additions that take away from the plot rather than enhance it. I'm psyched.*

*The bad way.

Cujo56

05-31-2010, 05:24 AM

I don't like it. I don't like it at all.

Letti

05-31-2010, 05:55 AM

Well I am not fond of remakes, either but if this one showed the emotional side of the story more I wouldn't mind it.

ArtherEld

05-31-2010, 09:26 AM

I never saw the original, but King books have a bad track record for adaptation.

While some feel "remakes" are a bad idea, when it comes to books I think it's a good idea if the original was a horrible adaptation of the source material (case in point LotR).

Then again King books readaptations don't seem to do that well either ("The Shining").

JRM

05-31-2010, 03:03 PM

. . . I approve! It seems to me that Hollywood's on a roll with good Stephen King adaptions, with 1408 and The Mist. I don't remember the first Pet Sematary film (though I did see the sequel as a kid, and it really terrified me), but I'm looking forward to a remake. If it sucks, oh well. That's that.

BROWNINGS CHILDE

05-31-2010, 03:31 PM

RUBE

05-31-2010, 04:54 PM

For those of you that have not seen the original Pet Semetary, that is a shame. It cut a few of the weirder things from the book but I think it was still one of the scariest movies made from a King novel. And I almost forgot that it was filmed really close to where King lived when he got the idea for the book. I think he required it when he sold the rights.

Letti

05-31-2010, 11:47 PM

woodpryan

06-01-2010, 02:26 AM

i just re-watched "Pet Sematary" and I must say that I think this movie is excellent. I loved the acting. The cast did a great job. I thought the director was excellent. I think this movie can be made better by today's graphics and design. It was a great movie for its time and it still stands very tall today, but I don't think a re-make will hurt it. I remember reading the book when I was 13 years old. It was my first Stephen King book. I had just finished my Goosebumps phase a year before and I skipped right past the teen fiction genre and moved on to novels. Dean Koontz' "The Mask" was my first novel and this was my second. I remember this book scaring the shit out of me, solidifying King in my mind and drawing me to read many more of his books. This novel and movie have a special place in my heart and I'm looking forward to a new adaptation. I was impressed with the work done on 1408 and I think that it will be done right. I'm excited for this thing now. :excited: :nana: :clap: :shoot:

RUBE

06-04-2010, 09:14 PM

Letti

06-05-2010, 12:28 AM

And I almost forgot that it was filmed really close to where King lived when he got the idea for the book. I think he required it when he sold the rights.

I didn't know that. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

There are a lot of interesting facts behind this book and movie and how they compare to King's real life.

This is not one of those facts but, if it is true, it is very funny to me: Pet Sematary is banned in Germany.

I also just re-watched it. It is still good but some of the effects are a little dated.

Banned? I guess it means every German kid has seen it already. ;)

Anyway when I was watching the movie I was wondering what kind of effects it had on the kids who acted in it. I mean what did their parents tell them about the story? 'Come on honey, you will play in a movie about dead people and animals coming alive.' Or what? I always wonder about this when I see a horror movie with very young characters in it.

woodpryan

06-05-2010, 02:12 AM

Anyway when I was watching the movie I was wondering what kind of effects it had on the kids who acted in it. I mean what did their parents tell them about the story? 'Come on honey, you will play in a movie about dead people and animals coming alive.' Or what? I always wonder about this when I see a horror movie with very young characters in it.[/QUOTE]

Gage Creed actor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miko_Hughes
Ellie Creed actress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaze_Berdahl

Jack Torrance

06-11-2010, 02:08 PM

I will definitely give it a chance. It is hard to form an opinion about something before you see it. That is what bothers me about certain types of people. Just because its not the original doesn't mean it won't be great.

Letti

06-11-2010, 08:53 PM

Anyway when I was watching the movie I was wondering what kind of effects it had on the kids who acted in it. I mean what did their parents tell them about the story? 'Come on honey, you will play in a movie about dead people and animals coming alive.' Or what? I always wonder about this when I see a horror movie with very young characters in it.

Gage Creed actor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miko_Hughes
Ellie Creed actress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaze_Berdahl

After reading the article I can say they both are doing just fine. :)

JRM

06-11-2010, 09:41 PM

Woofer

06-13-2010, 10:53 AM

I think any adaptation or readaptation of SK's work is good for me. I enjoy seeing them, even if they ultimately suck. I don't care if they remain true to the source material. I don't care if they are low budget. I don't care about most of the things that everyone seems to be so aprehensive about. I enjoy the movie for 90 minutes, and then go on with my life. If it sucks, i.e. "The Mangler", then I will never watch it again. If it is ok, i.e Cujo, then I may watch it a few times. If it is fantastic, i.e. Stand by Me, then I will watch it over and over. But, I will not sit back and say, " I don't think this movie should be made etc.etc.etc. I think that most of the people that complain about SK's movies still go and see the new release when it comes out.........I guess so they can complain about how terrible it was.

This is how I see things. :)

1) While I dislike the idea of remakes, I am not opposed to all on principle. I have seen some good remakes. However, given the large number of King stories AS YET UNADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN, why remake one that is already on film?

2) I go with hope that it won't suck, not to complain that it does.

3) I will, however, complain if I feel it sucks - such as 1408. While it had some excellent effects and genuinely creepy moments, the needless additions immediately turned me off to the film, completely lowering its overall impact as a piece of art. Great story; mediocre film. Stop adding shit that just has mass and takes up space. WHY?!?! King's a better writer and has a better imagination than you. Stick to his bloody story.

Heather19

06-13-2010, 01:14 PM

I really wouldn't be opposed to a remake of Pet Sematary. That story will always hold a special place in my heart since it was the first King story I read. So I would love to see a really good film made from it. The only thing that worries me is that it's by the people that brought us 1408 which I honestly wasn't a huge fan of.

Ricky

06-13-2010, 02:26 PM

it was the first King story I read.

Me too! 1408 was a let down for me also--just didn't cut it.

I wouldn't worry too much about a PS remake right now. I remember reading about it in 2006 when it had a plan for a 2009 release date. So either I totally missed it, or something's just not flowing well in the production stages.

I'd definitely go see it if it did happen though.

BROWNINGS CHILDE

06-13-2010, 03:08 PM

It is really amazing how many people read Pet Semetary first. It was my first SK book as well. (And technically my second too, since I immediately reread it) Do we have a thread about "What was the first SK book that you read?" I would be interested in seeing how many read Pet Semetary first.

Heather19

06-13-2010, 03:53 PM

There is :)
Your First SK Book (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=255)

JRM

06-13-2010, 04:03 PM

I don't understand how some people don't like 1408. I loved it. Maybe it's because I didn't read the short story first?? Not sure how faithful it is as an adaption, but as a film, I think it's great.

Woofer

06-13-2010, 04:48 PM

BROWNINGS CHILDE

06-13-2010, 07:48 PM

There is :)
Your First SK Book (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=255)

Thanks for the thread. I read back through it. Some interesting stories in there. I also had already posted in the thread about 3 times. So much for short term memory.

pathoftheturtle

06-14-2010, 06:00 AM

1) While I dislike the idea of remakes, I am not opposed to all on principle. I have seen some good remakes. However, given the large number of King stories AS YET UNADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN, why remake one that is already on film?

2) I go with hope that it won't suck, not to complain that it does.

3) I will, however, complain if I feel it sucks - such as 1408. While it had some excellent effects and genuinely creepy moments, the needless additions immediately turned me off to the film, completely lowering its overall impact as a piece of art. Great story; mediocre film. Stop adding shit that just has mass and takes up space. WHY?!?! King's a better writer and has a better imagination than you. Stick to his bloody story.1) Looking at Which unadapted SK stories would you like to see? (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=10319) none of the prospects excites me.
On the other hand, plenty of already-filmed stories besides PS could be done much better. That, I'm for.

2) Totally. Again, I'm hopeful for a new PS, though I hope I'm not as disappointed as I have been by some awful remakes.

3) King's "1408" wasn't long enough for a feature film. I do like outright creative adaptations more than strictly commercial filmings. (And as you know, I really dug the 1408 film.)

I don't understand how some people don't like 1408. I loved it. Maybe it's because I didn't read the short story first?? Not sure how faithful it is as an adaption, but as a film, I think it's great.

Probably. I like Dreamcatcher better than most here, and I suspect that's why.I read Dreamcatcher first, and I still like the movie better than the novel. (Although I'm sure that you like both of them much better than I do.)

Ricky

06-14-2010, 06:47 AM

I don't understand how some people don't like 1408. I loved it. Maybe it's because I didn't read the short story first?? Not sure how faithful it is as an adaption, but as a film, I think it's great.

I've found that as well; when I watch the movie version of a book and haven't read the book previously, it seems like I really like the movie while othes don't because they read the book first, had expectations, etc. Sometimes it's cool to read the book afterwards; it's an interesting change of pace.

Cujo56

06-14-2010, 07:24 AM

I thought the short story & the movie were both good.
Both seriously give me the creeps.

mae

09-22-2010, 08:31 AM

http://www.horroryearbook.com/5412476/guillermo-del-toro-would-like-to-adapt-stephen-kings-it-and-pet-sematary

Last night, as part of the TimesTalks series at New York City’s TimesCenter, director Guillermo del Toro revealed that he would like to adapt Stephen King’s It and Pet Semetary in the future. The Hellboy director has a lot of projects lined up, including producing Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and working on his adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, it may be a long time before he gets to King’s works, if ever.

flaggwalkstheline

09-22-2010, 08:56 AM

huh
yeah i've seen some of his earlier horror stuff like chronos, he could do em

del toto? lol that's a funny typo

pathoftheturtle

09-22-2010, 10:36 AM

Give him Rose Madder. There's no one else who could make anything good out of that.

Jean

09-23-2010, 12:40 AM

I don't think there's anyone who could make anything good out of any King - except probably Del Toro. I have some hopes... rather high, actually... especially for It.

Darkthoughts

09-23-2010, 03:25 AM

Same here, I'd love to see him do It.

Bahahahaaa <---- childish sense of humour :D

But really, I think he'd do it justice.

CyberGhostface

09-23-2010, 01:20 PM

Guillermo del Toro doing a Stephen King film?

YES, PLEASE!

:excited:

DoctorDodge

09-23-2010, 01:23 PM

Del Toro. A director with such style and a love of monsters that he's one of the few directors I'd ever trust a Dr Who movie with. I'd love to see how he would handle IT!

pathoftheturtle

09-23-2010, 03:39 PM

Well, I think you folken know that I would like a better Pet Semetary adaptation. :orely:

mae

09-23-2010, 03:50 PM

A Rose Madder by Del Toro would rock hard.

pathoftheturtle

09-23-2010, 04:01 PM

A Rose Madder by Del Toro would rock hard.http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s12/POTT2007/smileys/nod.gif :rock:

mae

09-23-2010, 06:45 PM

A mayhap Insomnia. Two of my most wanted King adaptations, besides The Dark Tower.

Jean

09-23-2010, 10:31 PM

Well, I think you folken know that I would like a better Pet Semetary adaptation. :orely: So would bears.

alinda

09-24-2010, 01:23 AM

And Lindas....:rock:

Woofer

09-24-2010, 07:44 AM

Wolves would like another Pet Semetary, but would like to keep Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne) from the first. And Pascow's wrecked body as a spirit was cool.

Also, nobody gets to remake Pet Semetary 2 because it's a HOOT of a cheesy B-movie with an awesome zombie dog and Clancy Motherfucking Brown in it.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6MkQMMNcC78/RcKquSQpCxI/AAAAAAAAAFU/lu2q9dol1V4/s1600/pet_sematary_2-3.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6MkQMMNcC78/RcKquCQpCwI/AAAAAAAAAFM/L2f73XSKDh0/s1600/pet_sematary_2-2.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6MkQMMNcC78/RcKqtyQpCvI/AAAAAAAAAFE/ramHzbnH3pQ/s1600/pet_sematary_2-1.jpg

pathoftheturtle

09-25-2010, 11:29 AM

Well I'll say this: I will not be anywhere around after you re-bury Mr. Gwynne. :lol:

Woofer

09-27-2010, 09:45 AM

LOL!

Hey, isn't technology good enough to splice his performance from the first movie? We had Bogart endorsing Coca-Cola a decade ago, so surely we can pick out Jud Crandall and place him in the new movie.

pathoftheturtle

09-27-2010, 09:58 AM

That'd save Del Toro the trouble of having to judge an old New Englander performance, but I imagine it'd be a little awkward for the other actors, and it'd leave the same taste in my mouth of not leaving the dead at rest. I guess they could CGI the entire new movie in around Gwynne and not bother with new actors at all, but that disturbs me even more. I guess I'm just not so sure of whether technology is good at all.

Some say I'm a fool and I live in the past,
but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast.

-- The Lorax

Woofer

09-27-2010, 09:59 AM

No, you're absolutely right. I'm just being silly because I love Fred Gwynne and he was awesome.

pathoftheturtle

09-27-2010, 10:07 AM

Well, you're quite right about that. Sorry if I was being a wet blanket. The first one wasn't all bad. Wasn't all good, though. Here, I'm more like just wondering if Del Toro, great as he is at what he does, is really the best choice to re-do PS.

Woofer

09-27-2010, 10:12 AM

I can see the concern, but I think that he did a good job with reality as well as fantasy in his films, e.g., the reality of the orphanage against the supernatural in The Devil's Backbone and the reality of war against the fantastic in Pan's Labyrinth. Thus, I think we stand a good chance all around of his getting the balance between normal family life, including the impact of a loved one's death, and the mythical and mystical elements of the burial ground.

maerlyns_rainbow

10-07-2010, 06:01 AM

Insomnia would be awesome to see. I always get worried when directors start talking about adapting SK though. I'm one of those people that if it's not perfect (and it never is) then I'm always terribly disappointed. It's one of the things I'm trying to overcome as I get older.

Mattrick

10-10-2010, 12:12 PM

Del Toro can have It...I want Pet Semetary.

the dalinean

11-09-2010, 11:49 PM

I'm really looking forward to seeing GDT doing "At the Mountains of Madness"... even if not a Stephen King tale, Lovecraft's an author that SK thinks highly of. Still disappointed that del Toro is out of "The Hobbit"...

Brainslinger

11-12-2010, 10:27 AM

Still disappointed that del Toro is out of "The Hobbit"...

Yeah, I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand I'm glad Jackson is back on board as I thought he did a wonderful job on Lord of the Rings. I love Del Toro's work though and his creature stuff, and I think his version of The Hobbit would have been something very interesting to see.

I wonder if Dream's library that features in The Sandman books has a video section?

EvaH

02-02-2011, 02:32 PM

No mention of Del Toro, but it looks like they're looking for a "high-level director" to tackle the material.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/02/pet-sematary-stephen-king-remake.html

Roland of Gilead 33

02-02-2011, 06:35 PM

1stly i love the film "Pet Semetary" & i don't honestly think it needs to be remade. but the 2nd one is a piece of shit. "IT" is a good one too.

but if they choose to make it just a 2 hr. film than they might as well leave that one alone as well. i think it would be interesting to see this dude make an SK" film i haven't seen much of his work to be honest, but from what i have seen it's not bad. i loved "Hellboy" i didn't see the sequel though so i can't comment on that one.

& i agree he's be PERFECT if he went & decided to do 'Rose Madder' it fits his tone perfectly of the films he normally does. i think "Insomnia" does as well. i think he would do a hell of a job with that one as well.

Mattrick

02-02-2011, 11:48 PM

So long as no one makes The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon until I do, Del Toro can make which King novel he wishes.

Jean

02-03-2011, 04:05 AM

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_thumb.gif

pathoftheturtle

02-05-2011, 11:56 AM

... i think it would be interesting to see this dude make an SK" film i haven't seen much of his work to be honest, but from what i have seen it's not bad. i loved "Hellboy" i didn't see the sequel though so i can't comment on that one.

& i agree he's be PERFECT if he went & decided to do 'Rose Madder' it fits his tone perfectly of the films he normally does. i think "Insomnia" does as well. i think he would do a hell of a job with that one as well.Thanks. I think you'd agree even more with my Rose Madder suggestion fitting his usual tone if you HAD seen more of his past work. I love del Toro. RM is one of the SK books I like least, but as I said, I believe that BdT could capatilize on its potential like no one else. And you're probably right about Insomnia, too, which I also don't love. I bet del Toro could change that. Occasionally, I see a movie adaptation that I actually like better than the original. Secret Window, to give a somewhat relevant example.
...i love the film "Pet Semetary" & i don't honestly think it needs to be remade... "IT" is a good one too. Sorry, no. Compared to the books, they both stink BAD.

Slender

02-06-2011, 07:25 AM

I'm a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro's works. I regard Pan's Labyrinth as a genuine masterpiece. There's something eerily beautiful about all of his films. I'm still disappointed that he left The Hobbit, but hugely excited for At the Mountains of Madness.

Del Toro would definitely be the best choice to direct IT. The whole idea of the children growing up and losing their innocence is a theme which recurs again and again throughout del Toro's films. He's huge fan of Lovecraft, and It is a very Lovecraftean creature. I think Del Toro is the best creature-designer and set-decorator in the filmmaking business – he would have a great time designing all the dark recesses of Derry and bringing Its different forms to life. He's also a big fan of Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and we know It takes on both of those forms. Hah, I'd love if there was a scene where It transformed into the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth...

Roland of Gilead 33

02-06-2011, 09:32 PM

well on both accounts i don't expect they'd be 100% faithful. i've read "IT" a few times. throught the years. & i agree they NEED to make a version that is long enough to have MORE than was put in the (1990) version. but it's a film i actually do enjoy to watch despite all that was cut. i loved "Insomnia"

& "Rose Madder" i think cause at the time it was something really different than he normally wrote. & his style is soo well OUT of there if that makes any kind of sense. in those 2 books. i do agree that "GTD" would be perfect for those 2 books as films i mean. one book that i do enjoy & to

be honest i can't say if i remember if posted this or not? but if i have sorry for my repeating was the book "Dolores Clairborne" it took me ages it feels like to read that book. not that i thought it was bad. it's just on how he wrote that one. the film i think is better. plus i've loved "Kathy Bates" since she did "Misery" over 20 years ago now. hard to believe it's been that long but it has.

Blaine Is A Pain

02-14-2011, 09:44 AM

I actually hope Pet Sematary gets remade. That original TV IMO was horrendous!!! It was painful to watch. I don't mean the subject matter either.

Jean

02-14-2011, 10:08 AM

the only two King movies that didn't make me want to put the director out of his misery right away by way of radical bearmauling were Shawshank and Secret Window. I very much hope del Toro can add a third

Brainslinger

02-14-2011, 11:49 AM

I thought The Green Mile was very good too.

I liked The Shining too, although it was quite a departure from the book.

Jean

02-14-2011, 11:53 AM

I never said bears had impeccable taste, Brain...

pathoftheturtle

02-14-2011, 12:05 PM

... I liked The Shining too, although it was quite a departure from the book.Whereas The Green Mile film was quite faithful to the book that it was based on. Indisputably good filmmaking, and a real boost to SK's reputation with the mainstream public. I think the only grounds for seriously criticizing it would be if someone doesn't like the original story. There are some valid points that could be raised against it, I reckon. But at least that movie definitely did not fail out of someone bastardizing King's vision, or his sad habit of doing it to himself as in (for example) Pet Semetary.

Jean

02-14-2011, 12:11 PM

right - I didn't really like the original story... but there were other things I hated about the movie (the disney-ish stardust coming from mouth is only one of them, though probably the worst).

Brainslinger

02-14-2011, 12:26 PM

right - I didn't really like the original story... but there were other things I hated about the movie (the disney-ish stardust coming from mouth is only one of them, though probably the worst).

I got the impression it was more like a swarm of bugs and that happened in the book too. Still I guess we have our own imagination as to how that looked.. which is fair enough.

Whereas The Green Mile film was quite faithful to the book that it was based on.
Absolutely. There's no reason The Shining couldn't have gone that route of course and still worked. For one thing the main character's downward story arc seemed much larger in the book. He starts off quite a normal bloke, (albeit one with a dark history, but he basically just wants to get on with life) and ends up a monster. Jack Nicholson on the other hand seemed edgey from the start, so his downward journey seemed a lot less effective.

As a straight up horror, I felt it worked very well though. I've never seen the Shining mini-series all the way through but I think the depiction of Jack fitted the book better.

pathoftheturtle

02-14-2011, 01:52 PM

As a straight up horror, I felt it worked very well though. I've never seen the Shining mini-series all the way through but I think the depiction of Jack fitted the book better.I have, and you're right, it did, but Kubrick's version still worked better as a straight up horror.

Jean

02-14-2011, 02:31 PM

I got the impression it was more like a swarm of bugs and that happened in the book too. Still I guess we have our own imagination as to how that looked.. which is fair enough. Yes, but to me it just illustrates how tricky it is to adapt books, and how what is "true" to the text may prove quite wrong visually - stricktly in my personal opinion, of course. It's like with Macbeth: the remark goes, "Witches vanish", but when they do actually vanish before our very eyes, it could so easily look ridiculous, break the fabric of the narrative and plunge us into the realm of quite different associations (say-hey-abracadabra, they do it with mirrors, and of course a thousand cheap horror/mystery flicks, let alone fairy tales adaptations) that the director really really has to think of something if he wants to avoid falling into this trap.

pathoftheturtle

02-14-2011, 03:24 PM

:orely: That makes a lot of sense. You're making me want to watch it again with more scrutiny! :lol:

mae

02-14-2011, 05:46 PM

Speaking of Del Toro, here's a nice article: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/07/110207fa_fact_zalewski?currentPage=all

Empath of the White

02-21-2011, 12:28 PM

Hellboy 3, Del Toro...then you can move on.

KindredAutmn

03-08-2011, 01:06 PM

After watching Pan's Labyrinth i have high hopes for the remakes :D

mae

08-02-2011, 02:03 PM

http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/alexandre-aja-being-pursued-for-paramounts-pet-sematary-remake/

Another day, another remake. We've known for a while that Paramount has been planning a new take on Stephen King's Pet Sematary, a remake or re-adaptation or whatever you want to call it. Our last update in February said it was definitely "coming together" and Paramount was looking at "high-level directors" for the gig. Well it sounds like they found one they want - Alexandre Aja, the French filmmaker most recently behind Piranha 3D. Twitch is reporting that Paramount is "actively trying to sign him up", so it sounds like he's being offered the job. But alas, that's all they mention, so barely another update on this project again.

The original Pet Sematary movie, directed by Mary Lambert and starring Fred Gwynne, told the story of a family that moves to rural Maine and discovers a pet cemetery nearby that lies on an ancient burial ground. Our guess, given the trends in Hollywood nowadays, is that this new take will stick to the original Stephen King novel and be a bit more gritty and edgy, as always. Aja is a good director, but his films have never been my favorites. He's also attached to make the sci-fi epic Cobra: The Space Pirate next, which even has promo art, but Twitch says since that's "not scheduled to shoot until 2013 there's no reason at all he couldn't fit [Pet Sematary] in first." We'll be waiting to hear if Aja takes it, or if Paramount looks for someone else.

JameseyLefebure

08-24-2011, 03:18 AM

I think I can pretty much mirror what everyone else is saying and go OMG BDT wants to adapt IT because I could imagine that he would do a pretty good job of it! His imagery alone would fit in perfectly with the creepy tones of Derry, and I think that as much as I would love a new (true) version of IT on film, he should do Rose Madder instead! I have to admit that in terms of SK books Rose Madder ranks quite highly up there.
Although another of Stephen's less talked about books like Geralds Game I think he could work absolute wonders with, because ultimately not a lot happens in the book but it requires a lot of tension building which I think Del Torro could really really work some absolute magic with!!

Although if they did do a remake of either Pet Sematary or IT any idea casting for them?

james

BROWNINGS CHILDE

08-24-2011, 05:16 PM

Merlin1958

08-24-2011, 06:51 PM

pathoftheturtle

08-25-2011, 04:46 AM

I have to say, in all honesty, that Pet Semetary is one of my least favorite King books. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the read, but the whole it screamed "Monkey's Paw" to me. I just think King is better than such an obvious thematic rip-off.

Of course, I love just about everything else he has written with the possible exception of "Lisey's Story". That one was "meh" for me. I get that King is about the journey, so his endings can be so-so, but to blatantly grab a concept like that.......IDKOh, come on; his whole career has blatantly employed old concepts. Ghosts, psychics, vampires, werewolves... The devil in Needful Things...
When it comes to least favorites, Pet Semetary has more original quality than the flying saucer in The Tommyknockers.
I think I can pretty much mirror what everyone else is saying and go OMG BDT wants to adapt IT because I could imagine that he would do a pretty good job of it! His imagery alone would fit in perfectly with the creepy tones of Derry...Yes, well, when you think about it, it might be pretty volatile should this highly creative director go to work with that big, strong novel.

Merlin1958

08-25-2011, 06:06 AM

Employing old concepts is one thing, regurgitating the basic plot of another story, is another IMHO

pathoftheturtle

08-25-2011, 06:28 AM

You mean like "Children of the Corn" ?

Seneschal

08-30-2011, 09:55 AM

Yes, but to me it just illustrates how tricky it is to adapt books, and how what is "true" to the text may prove quite wrong visually - stricktly in my personal opinion, of course. It's like with Macbeth: the remark goes, "Witches vanish", but when they do actually vanish before our very eyes, it could so easily look ridiculous, break the fabric of the narrative and plunge us into the realm of quite different associations

not only do i agree with you on this point, i think this is the MAJOR reason why a lot of King adaptations fail. let's face it, a lot of things King writes about would be incredibly hard to bring to life on the screen and still keep the air of creepiness and horror. some plot elements, if you were to describe them aloud to someone not reading the book, sound downright dumb (for example, taheen come to mind). the reading of the book allows your imagination to "run" a little more, keeping that creepy or scary feeling alive. it's almost as if not actually seeing these things is what makes them all the more terrifying. for me, once a "monster" is on screen, it is seldom scary and often ridiculous, CGI or otherwise.

Ari_Racing

10-31-2013, 12:40 PM

For years now, we’ve heard rumblings of a Pet Sematary remake moving forward, but nothing has materialized. However, Stephen King adaptations really seem to be gaining momentum once again and a new report reveals that a horror director is planning to take on a new version of Pet Sematary.

http://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/juan-carlos-fresnadillo-pet-cemetary.jpg?w=490&h=276&crop=1

According to Variety, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is in talks to direct the movie for Paramount, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Steven Schneider producing. Previously, Fresnadillo directed 28 Weeks Later and Intruders. The original movie, released in 1989, was based on the Stephen King novel published in 1983. There are no details on how closely the new movie would stick to the original material, but we do know that Matt Greenberg and David Kajganich wrote the script.

This is another early report, so we have very little details to provide at this time. However, we thought this would be of interest to our readers and we’ll update this story when more information becomes available.

Source: Variety (http://variety.com/2013/film/news/juan-carlos-fresnadillo-pet-sematary-paramount-1200782223/)

Jean

10-31-2013, 12:47 PM

I loved Intruders and hated the original Pet Sematary, so for me it sounds like good news

Jon

10-31-2013, 01:55 PM

Agreed. The original "Pet" left much to be desired. I welcome the remake.

BROWNINGS CHILDE

10-31-2013, 02:21 PM

I for one loved the original movie.

Ben Staad

10-31-2013, 04:00 PM

Me too. When comparing to the book...not so much, but as a movie, for entertainments sake, yes.

I for one loved the original movie.

mae

11-01-2013, 05:57 AM

Del Toro wanted to remake it: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?11220

Odetta

11-02-2013, 04:25 PM

I look forward to a remake

Mattrick

11-03-2013, 01:51 AM

"It's a good walk, a good story, I'll take yuh up there sometime."

Joka42

11-03-2013, 12:55 PM

there is an estimated date for the remake?

mae

07-22-2015, 05:33 AM

http://www.latinpost.com/articles/67374/20150721/stephen-kings-pet-sematary-gets-a-film-remake.htm

News of the imminent remake of Stephen King's 1983 horror novel "Pet Sematary" has been circulating now for nearly two years since Variety first reported on it back in 2013. Back then, it was reported that director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was attached to helm the project, but the reboot gained renewed life with the addition of writer Jeff Buhler in 2014.

According to an exclusive interview with Buhler by online horror news site Dread Central, the film has been kicked into high gear and the film will be taking off soon.

Buhler said he has spent the last three months fine tuning the script with Fresnadillo, who is perhaps best known for his film "28 Weeks Later," a follow up to the zombie film "28 Days Later." "Pet Sematary," which also boasts producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Steven Schneider, is in the early stages of planning for pre-production.

"The characters in this script make some tragic decisions, and the horror is about the ramifications of those decisions," Buhler told Dread Central. "There are still the supernatural aspects of the book, with the pet cemetery and the burial ground from which things come back from the dead."

Buhler also spoke about how the original 1989 film, which was directed by Mary Lambert, displayed certain classic horror tropes particular to its time. According to Buhler, the new script concentrates on the more emotional side of King's story, maintaining the horror elements, but dropping the cheesier aspects like Gage's post-resurrection catch phrases.

As for the anticipated start date for production, Buhler revealed that the team is still trying to nail down a budget with Paramount. Once approved, he said that the script will be ready to go upon Fresnadillo's return from New York in August.

mae

10-16-2015, 05:39 AM

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/guillermo-del-toro-would-kill-to-direct-stephen-kings-pet-sematary-20151016

With the TV series "11/22/63" now filming, and big adaptations of "The Stand" and "It" on the horizon, there may be some Stephen King fans longing for the days when movies based on his books were a bit more lo-fi, a little campy, and definitely nasty. 1989's "Pet Sematary" fits the bill, and Guillermo del Toro wouldn't mind taking his own stab at the material.

With the director's sumptuous and delightfully old-fashioned horror flick "Crimson Peak" opening this weekend, he's finally putting his feet up with a good book. This morning, del Toro tweeted that "Pet Sematary" was "compulsive reading" and that he "would kill to make it on film." Truth be told, it's actually not that far out a possibility.

A few years ago, there was a remake in the works with Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later") attached to direct, with a script from Matt Greenberg ("1408," "Reign Of Fire") and David Kajganich ("The Invasion," "Blood Creek"). Nothing really happened with it, but maybe whichever producers have the rights should give del Toro a call. I'd be curious to see his take on the material.

For now, del Toro is still trying to get the green light on "Pacific Rim 2," and he'll shoot a smaller scale movie next year that he's keeping under wraps. "Crimson Peak" opens today.

Book of the Day: PET SEMATARY by Stephen King. Unrelentingly dark and emotional. Compulsive reading. Would kill to make it on film.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 16, 2015

sgc1999

10-17-2015, 05:30 PM

Pet Cematary was one of the movies that really freaked me out. Of course i was a teenager and me and my friends took mushrooms 2 hours before the movie. Pascow nearly gave me a heart attack when he came to life. And no BS my friends and i driving home passed a little blonde boy holding a black cat. we all freaked out and turned around and he was gone. Didn't sleep well that night to say the least. Found out later it was one of my friends little brother whos cat got out and he chased it into the woods. But that night could not have been set up worse for a total Pet Cematary mind F.

mae

08-05-2017, 02:11 PM

http://movieweb.com/pet-sematary-movie-remake-director-director-andres-muschietti/

Director Andrés Muschietti's IT remake hasn't even debuted in theaters yet and the director has already been talking about a second installment to properly adapt Stephen King's original novel. If that wasn't enough, Muschietti and his sister, producer Barbara Muschietti are setting their sights on adapting King's Pet Sematary next. The news comes after the house that King wrote Pet Sematary in went up for sale in Orrington, Maine. The 113-year old house is being sold for $255,000 and includes the pet cemetery in the backyard.

While promoting the upcoming remake of IT, Andrés Muschietti spoke to the Toronto Sun about adapting such a large book into a feature length movie. The director mentioned that it wasn't that hard to split up between three screenwriters to come up with something that they all felt fans would enjoy. Plus, the addition of a second movie will help to bring back scenes that had to be cut and properly represent Stephen King's vision on the big screen. The director said that they have zero interest in just adapting a Stephen King book for the title alone, stating that, "we are true fans of his work." The Muschiettis also have the rights to King's science fiction horror short story Jaunt, which they hope to adapt as well, but they also have their eyes on another King novel.

The Muschiettis really want to dig into Stephen King's 1983 book Pet Sematary next. The early buzz for IT has been absolutely off the charts, so it would be pretty interesting to see what the Muschiettis could bring to the table for a fresh take on Pet Sematary. Andrés Muschietti mentioned that if they could get it right, that Pet Sematary could possibly be up next. The director explains.

"We're huge fans of Pet Sematary. If we can get our hands on that and do the Pet Sematary we want to do, that will be something. One day, maybe."

Stephen King's Pet Sematary was originally adapted for the big screen in 1989 and has gone on to cult status despite mixed reviews upon its release. A sequel followed in 1992 to worse reviews and also went on to gain a cult audience over the years since its initial release. King has said in the past that the book is "terrible" for the way that it just "spirals into darkness." Remakes have been rumored for years, but the Muschiettis might be just the team to pull off a fresh take on the 1983 novel and now is the perfect time as Stephen King is pretty much everywhere these days.

As with any big screen adaptations of books, the pressure is on, especially when dealing with Stephen King's stories. Let's just hope that the Muschiettis are able to pull of their adaptations better than the recently released Dark Tower, which has been getting torn apart by critics and will more than likely be out of theaters soon. In the meantime, we still have IT coming out in a few weeks to hold us over while we wait for more news on a possible Pet Sematary remake.

mae

10-31-2017, 02:52 AM

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/pet-sematary-directors-paramount-1202603011/

Following the huge success of summer blockbuster “It,” Paramount is ready to get the gears moving on another Stephen King classic.

“Starry Eyes” helmers Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer have been tapped to direct a “Pet Sematary” remake at the studio.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing the remake to the 1989 horror classic, which was directed by Mary Lambert and written by King, along with Steven Schneider. Jeff Buhler and David Kajganich wrote the script, and Alexandra Loewy is executive producing for Paramount.

The original “Pet Sematary” was based on the King novel, which follows the travails of a family who moves into a new home next to a cemetery endowed with powers that allow the creatures buried in it to come back from the dead.

The original brought in $57 million on an $11 million budget, which led to a less commercially successful 1992 sequel starring Edward Furlong and Anthony Edwards.

Paramount had been ramping up its director search since the success of “It,” with directors like Sean Carter and “47 Meters Down” helmer Johannes Roberts also meeting to possibly take on the role.

Kolsch and Widmyer first gained notoriety with their 2014 indie horror pic “Starry Eyes,” which caught the eyes of various studio execs and was partly funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign.

The duo is repped by WME.

CyberGhostface

11-02-2017, 10:40 AM

I know Muschietti wanted to do this but IDK if he'd have been right for something as dark as this. Hope the new guys do a good job.

To be honest aside from a few elements I think the first movie is vastly overrated. I was surprised at how much King seemed to be playing it for laughs. The ending of the book is genuinely scary and the movie plays it out like something from 'Tales from the Crypt' for example.

mae

12-07-2017, 06:18 PM

http://ew.com/movies/2017/12/07/pet-sematary-remake-release-date-2019/

Pet Sematary will rise again in 2019.

Paramount Pictures announced Thursday that its new adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 horror novel about an ancient burial ground where the dead don’t rest in peace will arrive in theaters April 19, 2019.

As reported in October, Starry Eyes filmmakers Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer are directing the project, working from a script by Jeff Buhler.

Pet Sematary was previously brought to the big screen in 1989 by director Mary Lambert and King himself, who wrote the screenplay. A sequel followed in 1992 but was a critical and commercial dud. King stories have been enjoying a resurgence of late in theaters and on TV, with recent adaptations including The Dark Tower, It, Gerald’s Game, 1922, and Mr. Mercedes.

Pet Sematary currently has its 2019 release date to itself.

mae

04-16-2018, 12:09 PM

https://www.empireonline.com/people/stephen-king/jason-clarke-pet-sematary-remake/

Last October – fittingly, on Halloween, in fact – we learned that the push to make a new film based on Stephen King's spell check enemy novel Pet Sematary had scored Starry Eyes directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer. Now it might also have a star, with Jason Clarke in talks to star.

Assuming he actually joins the film, which will once again draw from the 1983 novel, Clarke will play Louis Creed, a doctor who moves his family to the country, seemingly away from danger. But when they arrive, they realise they'll be living next to a busy highway. Oh, and also near a spooky cemetery where people bury their pets and whose misspelled sign gives the story its name. When their cat is killed, they bury the animal, only for it to return. Which might be why Creed decides that, when his son Gage similarly dies in a road accident, maybe they can repeat the trick. Bad idea!

Jeff Buhler wrote the most recent script for the film, which doesn't yet have a release date. Clarke is on screens in the States in historical drama Chappaquiddick (which doesn't yet have a UK date) and will next show up on our screens in Steven Knight's Serenity and First Man.

Bev Vincent

05-04-2018, 08:31 AM

John Lithgow will play Jud. http://ew.com/movies/2018/05/04/john-lithgow-jud-crandall-stephen-king-pet-sematary-remake/

herbertwest

05-04-2018, 10:42 AM

He is very good actor. I like that choice. More than the rumor for the main role...

TravelinJack

05-04-2018, 01:28 PM

Excellent choice with Lithgow.

Ricky

05-04-2018, 02:15 PM

I agree. Wonder if they'll have him use the thick Maine accent?

mae

05-05-2018, 08:11 AM

http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/pet-sematary-scribe-says-itll-one-scariest-stephen-king-adaptations-ever/

Stephen King’s Pet Sematary was already adapted in 1989 by Mary Lambert to moderate critical and financial success, but that’s not to say it can’t use a fresh coat of paint, right? In fact, that’s what the folks at Paramount Pictures are thinking, as they’ve now begun to put together a remake of the pic, with Jason Clarke in the lead role.

For those unfamiliar with Pet Sematary, the story follows the Creed family as they move to a small town in the Northeast which borders a cemetery enabling the buried to return. Head of the family, Louis Creed thinks it’s far better to bring his loved ones back from the dead as murderous simulacra than let them rest in peace – but don’t worry, there’s plenty of interfering supporting characters to impart wisdom.

While specifics on the production are scarce at the moment, admirers of Stephen King’s oeuvre must be concerned that the remake is seemingly being rushed in front of the cameras. True, jumping to conclusions at such an early stage would be a tad premature, but the rebirthing of yet another horror classic once again provokes the question whether any piece of cinema history is sacred these days.

That being said, there might be reason to have hope for this one, as writer Jeff Buhler has shed some light on the project today, telling Dread Central this particular adaptation will be bringing the story back to the source material.

“When we first started our conversations, the director and I really connected around the idea of bringing the story back to the source material, to find a modern telling of the book that really spoke to some of the big scenes and big moments that Stephen King had originally written.

And as much as all of us are huge fans of the original film, there are moments that are larger than life and feel borderline campy. Our desire was to tell a really grounded, character driven and psychologically horrific version of Pet Sematary, which in my belief, is the scariest book that King ever wrote.

Continuing on, he said:

“It fucked me when I read it in high school and I always remember hearing that it was the one book King chucked in the garbage, because it was too scary and dark, and it was his wife and his friend Peter Straub who were like, ‘You have to publish this.’

Now, as a father of a five year old and a nine year old, I really connected to this story of grief and loss and what it could do to a family in a different way, in that, how far would a parent go to return to their life prior to a tragic event? All of that feels so poignant and universal. It’s our desire to really reconnect to those elements of the story and bring them into a world that speaks to the modern horror audience.”

Finally, he promised that fans of the novel will love what they’ve got planned, before teasing that it might just be the scariest Stephen King adaptation, ever.

I will say this, if you love the book, you’ll love this movie. (Directors) Dennis and Kevin are both such visionaries in terms of how they’ve approached it, from not only a horror standpoint but also a character standpoint, and it’s been really gratifying to work with those guys. I think we’re on track to it make one of the scariest Stephen King adaptations ever! That’s our goal anyway.”

Though Mary Lambert helmed a pretty decent adaptation (at least, Church the cat was awesome) of the novel back in ’89, it did ultimately fail to properly convey the creeping dread of King’s prose. So, we’re willing to watch some fresh talent take another stab at Pet Sematary and after hearing what Buhler had to say, are definitely excited to see how things continue to develop ahead of the film’s April 19, 2019 release.

Jon

05-06-2018, 07:30 PM

"a modern telling"

Gage will be named Aden and be on ADHD meds.

LOL

TravelinJack

05-07-2018, 03:02 AM

Looking forward to this adaptation. Actually re-reading Pet Semetery now. There is a Gunslinger reference in Chapter 19.

CyberGhostface

05-07-2018, 02:46 PM

there are moments that are larger than life and feel borderline campy.

Yep. So much of the original film seemed to be playing the material for laughs; the ending scene was straight out of 'Tales from the Crypt'.

Sai Sheb

05-08-2018, 04:19 AM

Not sure about the "modern telling" bit... but still cant wait to see it. First introduction to SK and the scariest...

mae

05-08-2018, 11:43 AM

I think all that means is that it’s not a period piece, it won’t be set in the ‘80s.

Sai Sheb

05-16-2018, 01:09 AM

I think all that means is that it’s not a period piece, it won’t be set in the ‘80s.

But the 80's are in now...

St. Troy

05-16-2018, 05:28 AM

I think all that means is that it’s not a period piece, it won’t be set in the ‘80s.

But the 80's are in now...

Stranger Sematary...

WeDealInLead

05-16-2018, 06:24 AM

I had just finished re-watching Pet Sematary and I'm a little puzzled as to why this needs a remake?

I get really irritated at the notion of a (whatever piece of) art being dated. It's not dated, it's of its time, dammit. If shoulder pads, big hair and obsolete cars are why the movie's dated, then we'll be getting another remake in another 20 years.

I'd be OK with the remake if its purpose was to tell a story that follows the book more closely, but after the recent adaptations I don't think that's going to happen. Im also curious about the "modern telling" bit. Will the characters be using I-phones and riding Uber? Exactly how will modernfying PS improve the story is puzzling to me; I remember the grumbles from the fans when King modernized The Stand.

St. Troy

05-16-2018, 06:35 AM

Really, nothing actually gets made for any reason other than that someone believes it will open a new vein of cash (how about the repeated attempts to reboot Spiderman) or capitalize on an existing vein (the current enthusiasm for all things King).

As for the artists (script writer, director, actors) who want to make it, they may have artistic aims. Consider that, even working in the same time period, four different writers/directors could well come up with four very different versions of the same source novel; certainly, if you wait 30 years, a film adaptation is not only different from what a current filmmaker would make, it has aged, and films generally show their wrinkles more readily than novels. I can easily imagine a film creative type reading PS, viewing the film, and saying "I know what this needs" (in some cases, it might even make a good film).

As for PS specifically, some of it strikes some of us as a bit hokey, although some of it was good. One thing that (IMO) was an utter failure was post-death and disinterment Gage, which looked so goofy it was ridiculous.

How to realistically depict something so profoundly sad and disturbing? I don't know; I just know the 1989 PS film didn't come close to it.

As a King fan, I just sit back and enjoy adaptations the best I can. If it's good - great! If not, well, I'm used to that.

WeDealInLead

05-16-2018, 08:04 AM

As a King fan, I just sit back and enjoy adaptations the best I can. If it's good - great! If not, well, I'm used to that.

Agreed.

I hope the remake ends exactly how the book ends, no more and no less. That one word and then fade to black and roll credits.

St. Troy

05-24-2018, 07:45 AM

Release date moved to April 5 2019:

http://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3500564/next-years-pet-sematary-gets-minor-release-date-change/

patrickwilliams

05-29-2018, 01:25 AM

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mae

06-01-2018, 04:50 PM

http://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3502023/alien-covenant-star-amy-seimetz-lands-female-lead-pet-sematary/

Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, the writing/directing duo behind Starry Eyes, have been tasked with bringing Stephen King’s Pet Sematary back to the screen, and Jason Clarke (Winchester) is on board to star as Louis Creed. More recently cast, John Lithgow will be playing the new Jud Crandall, Creed’s kindly neighbor.

More casting news tonight, as Variety reports that Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant) is in talks to play the re-adaptation’s female lead.

Paramount originally dated the new adaptation for release on April 19, 2019, but we learned recently that it’s been slightly bumped up to April 5, 2019.

In Pet Sematary, published in 1983 and re-adapted by Jeff Buhler…

“Louis Creed and his wife Rachel move their two children into a home and soon learn there is a creepy Pet Sematary near their property, where legend has it that animals buried there come back to life. It starts with their cat being run over, and brought back, and it gets much worse when the reanimation attempt turns to humans, who don’t come back exactly as they were before.”

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Steven Schneider are producing.

mae

06-18-2018, 06:30 PM

https://twitter.com/denniswidmyer/status/1008729676536152064

Day one. #PetSematary

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Df-6RjmUcAANs0v.jpg:large

mae

06-21-2018, 10:56 AM

http://ew.com/movies/2018/06/21/pet-sematary-film-kids-cast/

The new adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary has cast its big sister and little brother from the Creed family.

The horror film, which just began shooting this week in Montreal, stars Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz as a couple who move their young family to the Maine countryside. They discover a bizarre burial ground for beloved pets in the woods behind their property, and it turns out to be the gateway to something else … unspeakable.

Ten-year-old Jeté Laurence will play Ellie, a sweet and sensitive young girl who adores her cat Winston Churchill, or “Church” for short, and wins over the heart of the old-timer who lives next door (played by John Lithgow.) Three-year-old twins Hugo Lavoie and Lucas Lavoie will play Gage, her toddler little brother — who is prone to wandering into trouble.

The film, directed by Starry Eyes filmmakers Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, will be a first for the Lavoie brothers, whose parents auditioned them after seeing a casting notice on Facebook, but Laurence already has a long career at a young age.

She co-starred with Michael Fassbender in last year’s thriller The Snowman, and she has had roles on Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Sneaky Pete, Friends From College and played the childhood version of Paige onThe Americans. She is represented by CESD, Zoom Talent Management, and Peikoff/Mahan.

Paramount Pictures also released this official synopsis: “Based on the seminal horror novel by Stephen King, Pet Sematary follows Dr. Louis Creed (Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Seimetz) and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.”

The producers are Lorenzo di Bonaventura, whose credits include the Transformers movies and the 2007 King adaptation 1408; Mark Vahradian, another veteran of the Transformers series, and Steven Schneider, best known for the Insidious movies.

The script has been adapted by by Jeff Buhler, showrunner of Syfy’s George R.R. Martin space series Nightflyers.

Pet Sematary is scheduled to open on April 5, 2019.

https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fewedit.files.wordpress.com %2F2018%2F06%2F3way6.jpg%3Fw%3D2000&w=800&q=85

Ricky

06-21-2018, 03:36 PM

I like the casting for the kids!

mae

08-16-2018, 03:02 PM

https://movieweb.com/pet-sematary-remake-wraps-production/

Expect the Stephen King Renaissance of 2017 to resurge with a vengeance in 2019 with IT: Chapter Two and a new remake of Pet Sematary already considered 2 of next year's most hotly-anticipated horror movies. The later has just wrapped filming outside of Montreal; the news was announced by Pet Sematary's assistant director Beau Ferris on Instagram and circulated by CinePhellas on Twitter, along with a photo of John Lithgow.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dkl4hQpWsAI4lwG.jpg:large

georgiesarm

08-17-2018, 06:33 AM

Really stoked for this one. Fred Gwynne's Jud Crandall was very amusing - and my favorite South Park character - but John Lithgow elevates about anything he's in.

mae

08-29-2018, 03:07 PM

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3517766/terrifying-zelda-will-return-pet-sematary-re-adaptation-alyssa-brooke-levine-cast-role/

One of the most nightmarish movie characters of all time is no doubt Zelda from Pet Sematary, the deathly ill sister of Rachel Creed who was actually played by male actor Andrew Hubatsek in the ’89 big screen adaptation. Zelda, who suffers from spinal meningitis, makes a brief but unforgettable appearance in the film, and she’s coming back for the re-adaptation.

Young actress Alyssa Brooke Levine (below) has been cast as our new Zelda.

Three-year-old twins Hugo Lavoie and Lucas Lavoie will play Gage Creed, with Jeté Laurence taking on the role of Ellie Creed. Jason Clarke (Winchester) and Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant) are our new Louis and Rachel Creed. John Lithgow is Jud Crandall.

Paramount originally dated the new adaptation for release on April 19, 2019, but we learned recently that it’s been slightly bumped up to April 5, 2019.

In Pet Sematary, adapted by Jeff Buhler…

“Based on the seminal horror novel by Stephen King, Pet Sematary follows Dr. Louis Creed (Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Seimetz) and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.”

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Steven Schneider are producing.

https://i0.wp.com/bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/zelda-pet-sematary.png?w=583&ssl=1

georgiesarm

09-13-2018, 11:26 PM

https://www.ihorror.com/pet-sematary-producer-says-new-film-isnt-a-remake/

How similar is the upcoming Pet Sematary film to the 1989 film? While it’s been widely-reported that the new film is a remake of the 1989 film, the new film’s producer says that this is not the case.

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura says that the new Pet Sematary film has much more in common with Stephen King’s 1983 novel than with the 1989 film. “We’re not remaking the first film,” says di Bonaventura. “This film represents a much deeper exploration of the book’s themes. Our storytelling approach differs greatly from that of the original film.”

The new Pet Sematary film, according to di Bonaventura, is focused on the relationship between family and death. “We’re more insulated to death today than we were in the 1980s,” says di Bonaventura. “We hide from death, and when people in our lives get sick and are near death, we hide from them or send them away. How far are you willing to go, as a parent, to protect your family from death, to prevent it from happening, to fight it?”

Comparing the two films, di Bonaventura says that the new Pet Sematary film is much more psychologically-based than its predecessor. “This film is about psychological terror,” says di Bonaventura. “The story is emotional and feels very real. We embraced the surreal aspect of Stephen King’s novel, which is something that’s been overlooked in previous King adaptations.”

The filming of Pet Sematary was completed in June of 2018. The new film was directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, while the screenplay was written by Jeff Buhler. “When I mention the emotional aspect of the film, a lot of that comes from the three wonderful actors we have in this film,” says di Bonaventura, referring to Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz, who play husband and wife Louis and Rachel Creed, and John Lithgow, who plays Jud Crandall. “They brought so much drama and emotion to their characters and the film, and I know that audiences are going to be very impressed. The filming went very well.”

The 1989 film version of Pet Sematary was a commercial success but a critical failure. “I look at the 1989 film somewhat critically,” says di Bonaventura. “The reaction to that film tends to depend on the age of the viewer. The younger generation tends to revere the original film, while the older generation looks at the film with skepticism, and I put myself in that category. We have a great script and phenomenal actors.”

Speaking of the new film’s script, di Bonaventura says that he was shocked by the reaction he received in Hollywood when the script was sent out to talent agencies for casting. “The feedback we got was that this was a great script, and our reaction was, ‘Yes. We think it’s good,’” says di Bonaventura. “The agencies told us that most of the horror scripts they received were really bad.”

Hinting at a possible sequel, di Bonaventura says that the new film doesn’t contain all of the events of King’s novel. “The entire book isn’t represented in the film,” says di Bonaventura. “I think it would have been a mistake to try and cover the entire book in one film. It’s the drama and themes of the book that were most important to us when we made the film.”

The new Pet Sematary film is scheduled to open in theaters on April 5

St. Troy

09-14-2018, 06:13 AM

Hinting at a possible sequel, di Bonaventura says that the new film doesn’t contain all of the events of King’s novel. “The entire book isn’t represented in the film,” says di Bonaventura. “I think it would have been a mistake to try and cover the entire book in one film...”

This is interesting; I wonder what he means by "the entire book isn't represented." Normally no book is fully represented in an adaptation, but that wouldn't suggest a sequel unless they actually stopped prior to the culmination of events. Still, I am intrigued.

CyberGhostface

09-14-2018, 06:18 AM

Oh for the love of...

Pet Sematary is the LAST book that needs to be made into two films. This isn't 'It'. I just finished listening to the audiobook and it's a fairly slow book with most of the action occurring at the final third. This is just asking for a disaster.

St. Troy

09-14-2018, 06:21 AM

If it were a cable adaptation, sure, the story could be stretched over 4 hours or so, but as actual movies, I agree that it may not make the most sense.

georgiesarm

09-14-2018, 08:28 AM

CyberGhostface

09-14-2018, 09:01 AM

Yeah looking at it again that's probably what he was trying to say.

herbertwest

09-14-2018, 09:05 AM

Something bugs me into this. He says that the shooting was finished in june... but i thought that it finished in august, no?

georgiesarm

09-14-2018, 10:32 AM

Ayuh, and they started filming on June 18. Looks like the writer of the article is a little sloppy :)

mae

10-04-2018, 08:11 AM

https://ew.com/movies/2018/10/04/first-look-new-movie-stephen-king-pet-sematary/

Curiosity lures the little girl down the old path behind her house — a feeling that only deepens along with the surrounding woods.

She ends up in a clearing, staring at what looks like a scattering of junk and litter. There’s a sideways fishbowl. Moldy stuffed animals stare from the weeds. Boards, pipes, and beaten tin jut from the ground. Photographs and drawings that weep with dried rainwater are tacked to the occasional tree.

Then she notices the debris is arrayed in concentric circles. These are markers. “Smucky the Cat,” one of them reads. “He was obedient.” At the entrance to the clearing stands a weatherworn piece of scrapwood with another misspelling: Pet Sematary.

That’s the familiar title of this new film version of Stephen King’s 1983 novel, a tragic story of a young family, a lonely old man, and a cat with more than nine lives.

Directed by Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kölsch, best known for the 2014 Hollywood horror-satire Starry Eyes, this April 5 film is the latest in a resurgence of King adaptations to follow the monstrous success of last year’s It. Like that tale of Pennywise and the Losers, Pet Sematary is not just based on a best-selling novel but also has an earlier screen adaptation, from 1989, that still leaves a cold spot in the hearts of fans.

“One of the things about doing a new version now is our understanding of life and death has progressed,” says producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. “But are we more sophisticated about it or less?”

Parents today, he notes, are definitely more fearful and protective than they were in the ’80s. “One of the most interesting themes in the book, the original movie, and this one is, ‘How far would you go to see someone again?’” he says. “But another thing we’re exploring is how you can’t run” from the things that scare you.

You can only face them, live with them — or be destroyed by them.

This scene being shot in the woods of Ontario, Canada, is how Ellie Creed (played by 11-year-old Jeté Laurence) discovers the pet graveyard that other children in the town of Ludlow, Maine, have maintained for generations. But her attention is quickly drawn to the jagged barricade of fallen trees that wall off the rest of the forest.

She doesn’t know it, but there’s another, more sinister burial ground further beyond it.

Ellie is just beginning to climb the deadfall when she feels a sharp pain in her leg and hears a roaring, gravelly voice — “Hey! You get down from there now!” — before losing her footing and plunging to the ground with a cry.

An old man in dirty jeans and a flannel shirt rushes to her aid. His white beard is stained with nicotine, making his mouth a little yellow circle of worry. His name is Jud Crandall (played in the original by Fred Gwynne and now by John Lithgow).

Jud, as King readers remember, is a lighthouse keeper, of sorts. He is one of the last living people who knows what lies beyond the deadfall — and how things buried there don’t lie still for very long.

“He is a good man, but he is a good man with troubles in his life,” Lithgow tells EW during our set visit this summer. “And he’s grown up with some real demons.”

Jud helps Ellie to her feet, then investigates the sharp pain in her leg. He plucks a bee stinger from her calf with his big, grimy hands. “That’s a big ’un,” he says. “No prize winner, but good enough for a ribbon.”

More alarming to the little girl are the macabre graves surrounding them. “What is this place?” she asks.

Jud tries to comfort her, but his emotions are a little clumsier than his hands. He glances back to the entrance. “Uhh, didn’t you see the sign?”

That’s a moment of lightheartedness in a story that otherwise descends steeply into despair.

This novel about an ancient burial ground that can resurrect the dead — with malevolent consequences — is the one King himself famously had reservations about sharing with readers. “I found the result so startling and gruesome that I put the book in a drawer, thinking it would never be published. Not in my lifetime, anyway.” King wrote in a 2000 introduction for the paperback. His wife, Tabitha, and editor convinced him otherwise, but the uncertainty has lingered, even though the book is sacred to many of King’s readers.

“I’m particularly uneasy about the book’s most resonant line… ‘Sometimes, dead is better,’” King wrote. “I hope with all my heart that that is not true, but in the nightmarish context of Pet Sematary, it seems to be. And it may be okay. Perhaps ‘sometimes dead is better’ is grief’s last lesson.”

It’s a lesson that Ellie’s father, Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) doesn’t care to learn. As a physician, defying death is his trade. And when he learns of a burial ground that can reverse things even after it’s too late, he becomes intoxicated by it.

“That’s what makes it more than a horror movie,” says Clarke. “I was like, ‘Where’s the horror? I’m disturbed.’ That was it for me, I found it insanely disturbing. [King] reaches inside you in some way, he always does. There is great intellect and great subconscious and subtext and thought and reason behind it.”

Widmyer describes Louis as “a guy who thinks he has death figured out. ‘I see death every day, I work in an ER. Don’t tell me about death, I understand death.’ But he doesn’t understand death when it’s dropped onto his lap. He’ll do whatever he can to undo it. It’s sort of like the science world meets the supernatural world.”

Grief is the element that makes King’s story so terrifying. It’s not just an eerie, supernatural story, but a terribly sad one. Ellie shows us that through a child’s eyes, worrying about the well-being of her own cat.

“This book is about death and talking about death and grief, and the pet cemetery is the first stage of that,” says Widmyer. “It’s almost like by not communicating about death, the chain reaction of the entire movie happens.”

“Having a pet die is a way that a lot of kids learn about death, and how to deal with death for the first time,” adds Kölsch. “It kind of helps you accept death as a natural part of life.”

Pet Sematary examines what happens when a person refuses to accept that, choosing not to say goodbye, but clinging instead to the agony of the loss until the survivor’s life essentially ends, too.

Kölsch and Widmyer compare the rejuvenating burial ground to a gambling addiction for some of the characters. “Whenever you’re down, it’s kind of like, ‘If I go one more time I can just break even!’” Kölsch says. “That happens a lot in Pet Sematary. Instead of just accepting the loss, they’re always trying to double down — and it just keeps costing more life.”

No one imagines the loss that awaits this family, which includes mom Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and toddler brother Gage (played by twins Hugo and Lucas Lavoie), who has a habit of wandering too close to the busy country road outside their new home.

The sweetness of the Creeds is one thing that makes King’s story so unsettling.

“To understand why loss is so tragic, you have to understand why life is so beautiful,” Seimetz tells EW.

After discovering this ramshackle burial ground behind her family’s red-paneled colonial home, all Ellie can foresee is a day when she has to say goodbye to her own pet, Winston Churchill — or “Church” for short.

Jud tries to show her that the Pet Sematary is not a sad or angry place. It’s a place to remember happy memories. “I carved this myself,” he says, guiding her to the marker for his dog, “Biffer — A Helluva Sniffer,” written on two boards near the center of the circles.

“He could talk, you know,” Jud tells her. She wrinkles her face in doubt, and the old man leans his head back and howls, “Rooo Rooo ROOOOOW!” Suddenly, she’s smiling. For the first time.

It’s not much of a spoiler to say that the day of Church’s demise comes sooner than she thinks, and Jud’s affection for her and her family is what motivates him to show Louis the Mi’kmaq burial ground beyond the deadfall, where things that are gone can sometimes come back.

Below is an image of the resurrected Church, stinking of the grave, making Grumpy Cat look upbeat, and more closely resembling the hissing Maine coon originally depicted on King’s novel cover than the gray British shorthair who prowled the ’89 film.

“He really cares about this little girl,” Lithgow says. “That’s what this scene is about, the beginning of a connection. He can delight a child, and it’s a very interesting color to this dark man.… It gives a very genuine and human motivation to everything that happens in this genre horror film. And when that happens, when you really care about these people and you really believe in what motivates them, then the stakes go way, way up.”

While Gwynne’s Jud was a folksy old-timer, Lithgow’s is more isolated, unwanted, and unloved, yearning to find a place to belong again. In King’s novel, Dr. Creed comes to see his elderly neighbor as the father figure he never had. In this film, Jud is the damaged one healed by the embrace of a new family.

“He’s a loner, and he’s chosen to be alone,” Lithgow says. “His life changed. He was a man whose entire life was wrapped up with his marriage, his wife. And they didn’t have children, but they wanted children. In the script there’s this very simple and sweet line, ‘It didn’t work out for Norma and me. We wanted to keep ourselves to ourselves.’ You just know that was a really, really deep relationship. And the loss of that relationship has defined his life ever since.”

This is when Rachel, the frantic mom searching for her wandering daughter, turns up in the forest scene. She’s dismayed to discover not just this makeshift boneyard, but her daughter standing there with a grubby-looking stranger.

This is a departure from King’s book, which opens with Jud crossing the road to meet his big-city neighbors within minutes of their arrival at their new country home. In the novel, he also later leads the whole family on a hike to the Pet Sematary, where things turn sour with the mom — unexpectedly and quickly.

The arrangement is slightly different, but the result is the same. Her husband may form a familial bond with this man, but she is mistrustful from the start. The little graveyard has a lot to do with that.

“Rachel went through something extremely traumatic when she was younger with her sister, and she freezes up when death is talked about,” Seimetz says. “She doesn’t want to face it and doesn’t want her daughter to go through the same thing.

“Rachel wants her kid to have a childhood and not have to think about death like she did,” Seimetz adds. “It’s a hard topic for her to discuss. Not just because she wants to protect her kid, but also because she’s protecting some part of herself as well.”

Fans of the book and earlier movie will remember this sister well: Zelda, the twisted, agonized figure whose emaciated body was corkscrewed with spinal meningitis. The flashback to her grim, short life scarred readers and moviegoers almost as much as it did Rachel.

The filmmakers aren’t ready to reveal Zelda yet, but they give EW a hint of what’s to come. “It’s more accurate to the book, I’ll just say that,” Widmyer reveals. “In the original movie, it’s a 21-year-old guy in drag playing it, and in the book, as you recall, it’s a 10-year-old girl.”

Neither filmmaker is trying to demean the original movie. Zelda, as played by Andrew Hubatsek in director Mary Lambert’s earlier film, was one of the most chilling and memorable parts of that adaptation.

“You go, ‘How do you top Zelda?’” Widmyer says. “It was big and scary and awesome, but if you think about the reality of the Zelda situation, what that would do to a family, with her wasting away in this bedroom, and a younger sister being frightened of her older sister’s debilitating illness, that on its own is pretty scary.”

They are hoping “the grounded nature of that horror would actually be scarier than a supernatural version of it,” he adds. “The nurse, the medical equipment, what that room would feel like as a layer of dust went on everything.” He says their film will show “how that would seem from the perspective of an 8-year-old, going into that room to bring food to her, and how scary that would be.”

The filmmakers, pictured above in the living room set of Jud’s house, say Pet Sematary will also introduce a new take on Victor Pascow (played by Obssa Ahmed), a college kid struck by a car who dies in Dr. Creed’s care in the emergency room. Since the doctor tried valiantly to save him, the spirit of Pascow appears repeatedly to be a kind of supernatural conscience.

“We have this very normal student, but the voice that’s speaking through him is an ancient voice trying to warn him,” WIdmyer says.

The voice that ultimately pulls the doctor toward the resurrection ground is Jud himself, who thinks he will be helping the family alleviate their pain after the untimely death of their cat. He has no idea he will end up creating more anguish.

When Rachel leads her daughter away from the cemetery in a huff, Ellie cheerfully tells her mother, “He pulled the bee stinger out. It was a big ‘un!”

Her mom barely looks back as they hurry away. They leave Jud in the Pet Sematary. Alone again. But their mutual paths have already been set.

Once they’re gone, the old man looks back to the deadfall, as if he hears a voice calling to him.

He’s thinking about second chances. And the kind that shouldn’t be.

https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fewedit.files.wordpress.com %2F2018%2F09%2Fpsm-02206ra.jpg&w=1100&c=sc&poi=face&q=85

https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fewedit.files.wordpress.com %2F2018%2F09%2Fpsm-09913r.jpg&w=1100&c=sc&poi=face&q=85

Brian861

10-04-2018, 09:00 AM

This looks like it's going to be well done.

CyberGhostface

10-04-2018, 10:24 AM

I'm sure Clarke will do fine but listening to the audiobook made me think Michael C. Hall would have killed it.

Brian861

10-04-2018, 10:31 AM

I'm sure Clarke will do fine but listening to the audiobook made me think Michael C. Hall would have killed it.

I'm sure he would have. I still need to pick this audiobook up.

herbertwest

10-05-2018, 06:58 AM

It wont be long now before the trailer arrives ;)

mae

10-09-2018, 05:47 AM

IMDB has this as the poster. Looks official:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA2NDc1NDc1Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDMzNjA1NjM@.j pg

herbertwest

10-10-2018, 04:26 AM

And the trailer will be available VERY VERY SOON now ;)

mae

10-10-2018, 04:44 AM

Well, the poster is official, and I like how they're using the title font from the hardcover.

herbertwest

10-10-2018, 05:09 AM

Here is the traiiler
> https://bloody-disgusting.com/videos/3525153/trailer-new-nightmares-emerge-sour-ground-next-years-re-adaptation-stephen-kings-pet-sematary/

mae

10-10-2018, 05:09 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VllcgXSIJkE

webstar1000

10-10-2018, 05:11 AM

Meh...

mikeC

10-10-2018, 05:33 AM

I got bored halfway through, how is that possible?

webstar1000

10-10-2018, 05:38 AM

I got bored halfway through, how is that possible?

Me too. When I seen IT's first trailer last year... GOOSEBUMPS. This? Eye rolls.

St. Troy

10-10-2018, 05:54 AM

I liked it, I thought it built the atmosphere well.

Earl of Popkin

10-10-2018, 06:21 AM

Poster and trailer both were a bit uninspiring for me, but no matter as I’m already all in for this. Agree with St Troy that I was definitely feeling the “woods in Maine” vibe...but felt little else.

Earl of Popkin

10-10-2018, 06:30 AM

UK poster:

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3526315/id-rather-buried-uks-pet-sematary-poster/

Iwritecode

10-10-2018, 07:36 AM

I'm actually finding myself looking forward to this movie. The book and original movie were always sort of middle of the road for me. I don't love them, but I don't hate them either. I've always thought that the movie was one of the better adaptations of his books, compared to some of the other clunkers that exist.

CyberGhostface

10-10-2018, 03:18 PM

I'm already tired with the whole "creepy kids wearing masks" schtick they felt the need to add.

webstar1000

10-10-2018, 03:44 PM

I'm already tired with the whole "creepy kids wearing masks" schtick they felt the need to add.

100%

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

dnemec

10-10-2018, 06:46 PM

I'm already tired with the whole "creepy kids wearing masks" schtick they felt the need to add.

100%

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was trying to remember that from the book, but kept coming up empty. Why must they ruin everything?!

Brian861

10-10-2018, 09:13 PM

Realizing I'm in the minority that is looking forward to this. I really enjoyed the book and the original movie.

St. Troy

10-11-2018, 07:55 AM

I wonder if the masked children could be from a flashback about those who'd used the pet cemetery before (I'd prefer this to some half-assed Children Of The Corn thing).

Earl of Popkin

10-11-2018, 08:02 AM

I wonder if the masked children could be from a flashback about those who'd used the pet cemetery before (I'd prefer this to some half-assed Children Of The Corn thing).

Maybe they’ll go full Justice League and this scene will be a trailer only scene?? I thought it was weird, but I found the drums to be more off putting. I don’t have a good reason for this, I just wasn’t into that sound

Still all in for the movie though

Merlin1958

10-11-2018, 03:06 PM

NoAttitudeThisTime

10-12-2018, 02:33 AM

I understand how these kids with masks might put some off, but I'm fine with them as long as they have something to do with the past, as in flashbacks...but then again, they might turn up as ghosts or something, which would be weird. For me, the trailer looks good and I'm all in, but I don't wish to see those kids being part of the present fear and danger. It would be like having Michael Myers roaming the Marsten House if another remake of 'Salem's Lot should ever happen. But Jason Clarke and John Lithgow are both great, and that girl Jeté Campbell seems to be more talented than the girl who played the original Ellie, so who knows...

mae

11-13-2018, 08:40 AM

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/original-pet-sematary-director-mary-lambert-helping-restore-1989-stephen-king-adaptation

While a new film of Pet Sematary is set to hit theatres next year, director Mary Lambert has been restoring and remastering her original film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. The filmmaker behind the first film adaptation announced via social media that she’s been hard at work with the studio to create a high-definition version of Pet Sematary.

“Working with Paramount to create HDR version of original Pet Sematary. It looks amazing,” Lambert wrote on Instagram (and Twitter) along with a video of the Achilles tendon-slicing scene from the 1989 film.

A few days later, the filmmaker went on Twitter to provide an updated progress report. “I spent #FemaleFilmakerFriday working at @ParamountPics on the restoration of Pet Sematary,” tweeted Lambert. “HDR Color Grading & Dolby Vision. Looks gorgeous!! Their team is amazing! I'd love to direct another project for Paramount one day. Xo”

Lambert’s film adaptation of Pet Sematary was written by King himself and filmed in part in Maine (King wanted to bring some of that Hollywood movie money to his home state). It starred Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby and Brad Greenquist.

Pet Sematary centers on the Creed family who moves to a house in Maine near a road where pets are known to get run over by careening trucks and a cemetery that children have built (hence the misspelling of the word “cemetery”) for said mowed-down pets. But when tragedy strikes the Creeds, patriarch Louis Creed learns of the cemetery’s unnatural powers of resurrection and (mis)uses it in a fit of grief. It doesn’t go well.

Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch are directing this new version of Pet Sematary, based off a script by Jeff Buhler (showrunner of SYFY's George R.R. Martin series Nightflyers). It stars John Lithgow and Jason Clarke.

No word on when fans can expect to see this new high-definition version of the original movie, but the new Pet Sematary film is set to hit theatres in April 19, 2019.

mae

01-17-2019, 04:54 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJxkdY4DyFo

Bev Vincent

02-06-2019, 12:03 PM

A new trailer drops tomorrow (probably at ew.com) and the film will premiere at SXSW.

Horror at the beginning, horror at the end: After SXSW Film (March 8-17) announced that Jordan Peele's eagerly awaited doppelganger chiller Us will be this year's opening night movie, today the festival confirmed it will close with the new adaptation of Stephen King's Pet Sematary.

>>> Source (https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/screens/2019-02-06/pet-sematary-remake-to-close-sxsw-film/)

herbertwest

02-06-2019, 01:55 PM

It will actually be dropped there :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK0LNzU2TQI

It should arrive by 3pm, Paris time

georgiesarm

02-07-2019, 06:10 AM

Warning: the trailer gives away A LOT, and it looks like the film does things plenty different from the book. So don't watch if you want to be surprised in the theatre. I definitely have reservations towards this after seeing it, but at the same time, it intrigues me as well.

St. Troy

02-07-2019, 06:14 AM

I definitely have reservations towards this after seeing it, but at the same time, it intrigues me as well.

My feelings as well.

webstar1000

02-07-2019, 06:18 AM

I am fully expecting a POOR King adaptation this time round.... :(

georgiesarm

02-07-2019, 06:22 AM

EW has an article of the filmmakers explaining their choices (https://ew.com/movies/2019/02/07/pet-sematary-change/2/). I'll put it in a spoiler for those who want to be surprised.

If you’re here, you’ve watched the new Pet Sematary trailer and learned where it deviates from King’s original narrative: this time, it’s not the Creed family’s toddler son Gage who dies and comes back to life in that otherworldly burial ground in the woods.

It’s his big sister Ellie — played by Jeté Laurence, who (based on early footage EW has previewed) is staggeringly good in both the living and undead parts of the role.

Still, this is certain to be controversial among King’s Constant Readers as well as fans of the 1989 film adaptation.

“Trust me, we were nervous about it,” says producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. “I feel this way about anything that you remake or update. If we gave you what you had before, we didn’t do the subject matter much good. I’m very protective of movies too, but I want a new experience each time, and feel like filmmakers have really thought about the choice. That was one, we thought, ‘All right, let’s make this choice.’”

Directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes) hope fans will hear them out about why they felt the alteration in Jeff Buhler’s screenplay was necessary.

A Bigger Threat

Paramount Pictures
For one, what readers can imagine in King’s book is harder to accept when presented literally onscreen. The resurrected child who returns with a voracious bloodlust is more physically intimidating in the shape of an 8-year-old girl than a 3-year-old boy.

“Much of how they shot the first [movie] was a doll,” Widmyer says. “It’s creepy and it’s effective. But we’ve now seen Child’s Play and we’ve seen the little kid trying to kill, and it’s effective when done right, but …” They felt it had been done already, and this was a chance to try something fresh.

The Mind Games

In King’s novel, the resurrected child doesn’t just physically attack the people who love and miss him — he plays savage psychological games and brutally taunts them about their fears and weaknesses.

He is not, after all, really Gage Creed but a malevolent, angry spirit that the burial grounds allow to inhabit that broken little body.

You can’t physically have that with Gage in a movie, Kölsch says.

“There are things that we put back in that, if people didn’t read the book, they’re going to think they are things that we’ve changed [from the 1989 film],” he says. “‘Why’d they make her say these lines?’ But if you read the book, these are things that are taken right out of it that just didn’t make it into the original movie because they probably couldn’t have a 3-year-old do it.”

The Ethics

Paramount Pictures
Not only is it difficult to get a 3-year-old performer to do those things, but it’s also probably not right to try. A toddler can easily confuse fantasy and reality, while Laurence, who turned 11 during the filming last summer, was fully aware that the gruesome parts were make-believe.

“Gage is so young, you can’t really do that much with him,” di Bonaventura says. “So this way, we’re able to really get underneath our affected child. We’re able to get into the psychological horror of a child [coming back] because of her age.”

No offense to 3-year-old twins Hugo Lavoie and Lucas Lavoie, who alternate playing Gage, but in this version, they get to play sweet, sometimes scared, and sometimes sad, but they are kept away from both the road and scalpels.

The Quiet Moments

Kerry Hayes/Paramount Pictures
The filmmakers felt the change would strengthen the story partly because Ellie’s sweet relationship with aging neighbor Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) was such an important part of the book.

Before the unthinkable strikes the Creed family, Laurence and Lithgow share funny, caring moments, which ultimately add depth to her untimely end (orchestrated in the trailer by her resurrected cat Church.)

Another powerful moment from Laurence is hinted at in the trailer: the hug she gives her shellshocked mother Rachel (Amy Seimetz) while her father Louis (Jason Clarke) tries to explain the unfathomable to his wife.

Laurence was able to play the hushed scenes, before Ellie’s darker side emerges, when she appears to be a scared child who doesn’t understand any of this either. Is this the real Ellie, struggling to speak around the sinister presence animating her? Or is it a calculated performance to lower their guard?

Either way, it’s not something the filmmakers felt audiences could easily believe from a toddler.

“There was something about an 8-year-old and the psychology that she would have,” Widmyer says. “She would understand what happened to her on the road. She would understand that she’s dead. She would know how to not only physically kill a person, but psychologically destroy them as well. It just gave another layer to it.”

While the debate over this change is bound to be intense, it’s also going to lead to another nervewracking moment…

Waiting to hear what Stephen King says about it.

Iwritecode

02-07-2019, 06:24 AM

WTF?

spoiler from the trailer:
They switched it so that it's Ellie that dies instead of Gage?

Jean

02-07-2019, 06:34 AM

WTF?my question, verbatim http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_whistle.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bear_whistle.gif.html)

Iwritecode

02-07-2019, 06:36 AM

I was honestly looking forward to this movie. But them making a completely unnecessary change that big has me worried.

Jean

02-07-2019, 06:40 AM

I'll put it in a spoiler for those who want to be surprised.
if they seriously think that
"The resurrected child who returns with a voracious bloodlust is more physically intimidating in the shape of an 8-year-old girl than a 3-year-old boy"i am afraid they miss what TPS is about. I suggest
they kill and ressurect a local lumberjack. He is bigger, stronger and definitely even more physically intimidating than a 8-year-old girl

Heather19

02-07-2019, 07:03 AM

I think I'm going to hold off on watching the new trailer. I was just reading online that it gave away a major spoiler (which I absolutely hate spoilers). So I came here to see if it was something from the book, but I'm guessing it's not. Now I'm worried based on everyone's reaction that they're going to mess with the story. I guess I need to stay away from anything concerning the film until it's released, and lower my expectations so that I'm not too annoyed by them changing the story around.

CyberGhostface

02-07-2019, 07:04 AM

So much for this being more faithful to the book.

Bev Vincent

02-07-2019, 07:05 AM

CyberGhostface

02-07-2019, 07:27 AM

Poster. Hints at the aforementioned spoiler so putting it under a cut.

https://abload.de/img/petsemataryposter2cijb1.jpg

Iwritecode

02-07-2019, 08:24 AM

CyberGhostface

02-07-2019, 08:41 AM

I was honestly looking forward to this movie. But them making a completely unnecessary change that big has me worried.

I like their explanation for why they did it. It makes sense to me, and it gives me a reason to want to see this film instead of just recycling what has already been done.

What was the explanation?

https://ew.com/movies/2019/02/07/pet-sematary-change/2/

Basically it was more practical and more effective in terms of characterization for them to have an older kid as opposed to a toddler doing everything. But IDK, I doubt as much people would cry foul if they had someone older but still a young kid like Jackson Robert Scott play him.

webstar1000

02-07-2019, 08:43 AM

THIS WILL SUCK. 100%

Earl of Popkin

02-07-2019, 09:00 AM

Definitely still going to see this, but this trailer really dampened the excitement. And I feel like they gave away some major moments (besides the switcheroo) that we’re totally unnecessary. There’s no way some of those spoilers would enhance excitement for the film to the unitiated; the only thing it’ll do is bum out people like us that really know the source materials

Also I’m starting a gofundme page to reboot dead zone. Except Martin Sheen will be in the coma instead and all of the characters will wear bunny masks the whole movie

St. Troy

02-07-2019, 09:11 AM

I'm a sucker for fidelity to the source, but I understand the logic stated. I'm still looking forward to this.

To me, it was a bigger deal that Mike Hanlon lost his role of Derry historian to Ben in the recent It movie (and I certainly didn't hate that movie).

Bev Vincent

02-07-2019, 09:19 AM

What was the explanation?

Pet Sematary directors explain their startling change to Stephen King's story (https://ew.com/movies/2019/02/07/pet-sematary-change/)

Brian861

02-07-2019, 09:58 AM

I'm currently re-listening to PS read by Michael C. Hall who is killing it! (That's a good thing). It's been years since I've read it and I forgot how the book differs from the first movie. I'll avoid all spoilers as well as I'm gonna see it regardless. Surely it's not TDT bad.

CyberGhostface

02-07-2019, 10:40 AM

Hall was great. His Jud was uncanny.

herbertwest

02-07-2019, 10:54 AM

What was the explanation?

Pet Sematary directors explain their startling change to Stephen King's story (https://ew.com/movies/2019/02/07/pet-sematary-change/)

Is this spoilery?
Cause if it is I will bookmark it and read it after seeing the movie...

Bev Vincent

02-07-2019, 11:03 AM

Brian861

02-07-2019, 11:35 AM

Hall was great. His Jud was uncanny.

Agreed! Sounds like a completely different person.

CyberGhostface

02-07-2019, 03:01 PM

Just watched the trailer... even ignoring the twist damn they really spoiled like 99% of the film lol.

Feels really different from the book. Reminds me of how 'It' was touted as being truer to book King wrote and then it ends up being even less faithful than the miniseries was.

Ricky

02-07-2019, 04:46 PM

I'm gonna hold off on watching the new trailer after hearing that it's spoilery. I didn't have high hopes for this one after seeing the first one but I'd still like to be surprised.

Heather19

02-08-2019, 06:39 AM

Damn FB! Someone just spoiled the spoiler for me :pullhair: Although I already had a huge suspicion just based on everyone's reaction.

So I guess my question is why put so much info in a trailer? I always prefer teasers over actual trailers because I don't want to know all the twists and scares before I go see a movie. Do you think this trailer will hurt the movie and less people might see it now? Or do you think it's beneficial for a film to release a trailer with so much information?

Note, I still haven't watched the trailer yet, trying to stay away from it. This question is just based off of everyone reaction to it.

webstar1000

02-08-2019, 06:54 AM

Brian861

02-08-2019, 10:53 AM

webstar1000

02-08-2019, 05:45 PM

Lol

Damn FB! Someone just spoiled the spoiler for me :pullhair: Although I already had a huge suspicion just based on everyone's reaction.

So I guess my question is why put so much info in a trailer? I always prefer teasers over actual trailers because I don't want to know all the twists and scares before I go see a movie. Do you think this trailer will hurt the movie and less people might see it now? Or do you think it's beneficial for a film to release a trailer with so much information?

Note, I still haven't watched the trailer yet, trying to stay away from it. This question is just based off of everyone reaction to it.

I WILL NOT spend my money on this. Not a chance. I CANNOT stand kids in masks.. I mean how many times has this been done??????? Just silly and campy. THEN the changes?????? #PASS

Kris. Lie back on the couch and tell me about these issues with kids in masks :orely:
LOL

Garrell

02-08-2019, 07:55 PM

Been watching good and bad SK movies since Carrie. I am not watching trailers or reading on it because I will go and see it and form my own opinion on it. TDT was not horrible to me, I took it for what it was. They changed the Mist a little and I loved it. So I give them all a chance and am just happy to see that SK is relevant enough as always to be on the screens. Firestarter...oh well. Bad things happen to good stories all the time.

mae

03-14-2019, 01:07 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivvHLJaRnQU

herbertwest

03-14-2019, 02:56 PM

Those were shot at the same time than the "Master of horror" documentary :D

mae

03-17-2019, 11:44 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpTHRfPZQzE

Ricky

03-17-2019, 12:38 PM

Can someone watch that and tell me if there are spoilers?

Randall Flagg

03-17-2019, 02:40 PM

Can someone watch that and tell me if there are spoilers?
They do their best to avoid spoilers, even mentioning the trailer (which I haven't viewed) was a spoiler. I aborted the video after ~1 minute. I suppose someone else will have to answer the question.

Ricky

03-17-2019, 03:08 PM

Yeah, I heard about the trailer being super spoilery (thankfully I've managed to avoid it), so I was wondering about their review being spoilery too. I don't think I'll risk it.

Brian861

03-17-2019, 05:31 PM

Yeah, I heard about the trailer being super spoilery (thankfully I've managed to avoid it), so I was wondering about their review being spoilery too. I don't think I'll risk it.

I accidentally walked in on the trailer playing after I had gone to the bathroom during the break of the show I was watching. Pretty much no point in seeing the movie after that. I'll say I'm not a fan of what I saw but it could work I guess.

Kongo

03-17-2019, 05:33 PM

All the good word of mouth has me really excited for the film again. Here's IGN's early review for anyone interested. No spoilers for the film, other than a change that was revealed in the latest trailer

https://m.ign.com/articles/2019/03/17/pet-sematary-review

CyberGhostface

03-19-2019, 06:28 AM

Relieved to hear the good reviews. Hope the film does well if only for the continued success of King films. I still remember how the trailers for 'Secret Window' and 'Hearts in Atlantis' almost felt ashamed at King's involvement and now he's huge again (outside of books, obviously).

Spoiler changes aside the whole 'kids with masks banging drums' seen on all the trailers and promo material got old really fast. It just feels so manufactured and self-aware.

St. Troy

03-19-2019, 07:11 AM

...the whole 'kids with masks banging drums' seen on all the trailers and promo material got old really fast. It just feels so manufactured and self-aware.

Almost like the idea was that these kids had seen the first Pet Sematary movie.

mae

03-26-2019, 03:15 PM

https://www.slashfilm.com/pet-sematary-prequel/

Pet Sematary isn’t out in theaters yet, but people are already asking about sequels. While author Stephen King never wrote a follow-up to this terrifying book, there was a sequel film made to the original 1989 film adaptation – 1992’s Pet Sematary Two. According to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, this new adaptation likely won’t follow in its predecessors footsteps and make a sequel. But there is room for a potential Pet Sematary prequel.

The new adaptation of Pet Sematary is great, and likely on its way towards box office success. Could a sequel be far behind? Not exactly. Speaking with Consequence of Sound, Pet Sematary producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said he has ideas for a follow-up film – if it’s a prequel:

“I think if there’s anything here, there’s a prequel. I think if you look at the book, we didn’t cover all that stuff that happens before the Creed family moves in. So, I think there’s a movie there, and I think I’d be particularly interested in doing that, because, again, it’s the source material and you are going toward something that also has a lot of crazy, creepy feelings about it.”

In King’s novel, and the new film, the Creed family moves to the town of Ludlow Maine, and learn of a burial ground deep in the woods that has the power to raise the dead. King’s book has a lot of backstory about the burial ground, most of it recounted by the Creed’s new neighbor, Jud Crandall. Things don’t play out exactly the same way in the new movie, though.

Throughout the bulk of King’s book (and spoilers for the book but not the new movie follow), Jud claims that only animals were buried and brought back to life. Near the end, however, the old man breaks down and tells the story about a young man named Timmy Baterman, killed during action in World War II. When Baterman’s body was shipped home, his father buried him in the cursed burial ground, at which point Timmy rose from the dead as a ghoulish zombie-like creature with an alarming amount of knowledge about the people of the town.

This story was filmed for the 1989 film adaptation, but is completely glossed over in the 2019 movie – the only mention of Timmy is a quick blink-and-you’ll-miss-it newspaper headline. It stands to reason that if someone wanted to make a prequel to the 2019 Pet Sematary, they could go back and expand the Timmy Baterman story into a feature, complete with a younger version of Jud as one of the characters.

That’s just speculation, though. A prequel could also create its own brand-new story, completely separate from anything King wrote. In any case, I’m perfectly fine with the new Pet Sematary standing on its own, without prequel or sequel following.

Pet Sematary opens April 5.

Earl of Popkin

03-26-2019, 03:43 PM

Would much rather see this as a Castle Rock episode instead of a full Jud origin movie

Heather19

03-27-2019, 07:07 AM

Yeah, I heard about the trailer being super spoilery (thankfully I've managed to avoid it), so I was wondering about their review being spoilery too. I don't think I'll risk it.

I avoided the second trailer because it contained spoilers, but then people on social media spoiled it for me. And now every time I turn on the tv, they're showing a commercial for the movie which contains said spoiler, so just be aware if any commercials come on you might not want to watch.

I'm glad to hear it's getting early positive reviews, but I'm still unsure about it. Hopefully it really is a decent movie.

Brian861

03-27-2019, 07:53 AM

Pretty easy quiz. I scored 100%

Pet Sematary Quiz (https://getliterary.com/quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-stephen-king-pet-sematary/?cp_type=end&utm_source=email&utm_medium=sands_email&utm_campaign=20190327_StephenKing_March&rmid=20190327_StephenKing_March&rrid=3153006)

Ricky

03-27-2019, 09:16 AM

Heather19

03-29-2019, 07:27 AM

You're lucky, every time I turn on the tv they're showing a commercial for it.

Brian861

03-29-2019, 07:43 AM

You're lucky, every time I turn on the tv they're showing a commercial for it.

No doubt!

Brian861

03-30-2019, 08:40 AM

If you need a date for opening night.

Victor Pascow Action Figure (https://www.ebay.com/itm/163623596963?ul_noapp=true)

mae

04-01-2019, 07:52 AM

A silly cat video for April Fools:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XakmsXltPkA

CyberGhostface

04-02-2019, 06:58 AM

‘Pet Sematary’ Directors on Why the Trailers Spoiled One of the Movie’s Big Twists

http://collider.com/pet-sematary-trailer-spoilers-explained/

Bev Vincent

04-02-2019, 07:44 AM

The untold story of the artist who created the shrieking Pet Sematary book cover (https://ew.com/movies/2019/04/02/pet-sematary-cover-linda-fennimore/)

herbertwest

04-02-2019, 01:16 PM

I have seen the movie just now at a french premiere.
And even though it's not flawless, I thought that it was quite good.

Despite the major changes compared to the book, the movie is actually quite loyal to the book in many ways and details....

Ari_Racing

04-04-2019, 06:18 AM

I saw it yesterday during Argentinean's premiere and I liked it quite a bit. I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of haters though, because of the changes.

St. Troy

04-04-2019, 06:51 AM

The consensus seems to be "changes, but a very good movie."

Heather19

04-04-2019, 02:08 PM

I've got my tickets for Sat night. Hopefully I enjoy it, but I am a bit skeptical about it still.

mae

04-04-2019, 02:37 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbPoWHV8paU

Ricky

04-04-2019, 02:47 PM

I'm thinking I might go Saturday as well. It's getting some buzz, that's for sure. I'm more excited by it now than I was before, though I'm still trepidatious about it given I wasn't a fan of the last King adaptation (It) and Pet Sematary is one of my top King books. I'd hate to get hyped up for it and then be disappointed. It does make me a little concerned that the running time, before credits, is about 1 hr. 35 mins. Either it's going to be incredibly tight and well done, or rushed and leaving out a lot of the book.

Also, had the Big Change spoiled for me in an EW article about the film. Weirdly enough, I wasn't as angry with it as I thought I'd be. When people kept mentioning a big change, I figured that might be something they played with. But really, I don't think it will change the story too much (well, I hope not).

CyberGhostface

04-05-2019, 05:56 AM

I'm seeing it tonight. Hope it's good. :panic:

Randall Flagg

04-05-2019, 07:01 AM

I see it in 2 hours.

Jon

04-05-2019, 11:42 AM

I have to wait until Saturday...but I have my tickets and beer mug for the show!!

Jon

04-05-2019, 11:53 AM

webstar1000

04-05-2019, 11:58 AM

I see it in 2 hours.

And?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jon

04-05-2019, 12:06 PM

He's busy burying his cat!