Pet Sematary (2019)
Blu-ray Combo Pack | 4K Ultra HD | DVD | Digital
Directors: Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Screenwriter: Jeff Buhler
Cast: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jeté Laurence
Distributor: Paramount Home Video
Release Date: July 9, 2019

In this year’s Pet Sematary, the filmmakers have created a new adaptation of Stephen King‘s best-selling supernatural horror novel of the same name and, once again, the point that “sometimes dead is better” is driven home.

As with King’s book and the 1989 feature he adapted for director by Mary Lambert, the story centers on Dr. Louis Creed, who moves his family from a big city to small town. Hoping his new home in the woods will give his family a more peaceful existence, their lives become anything but after he discovers a mysterious burial ground on his new property.

Pet Sematary (2019)
4K Ultra HD Combo Pack | Blu-ray Combo Pack | DVD | Digital
Directors: Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Screenwriter: Jeff Buhler
Cast: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jeté Laurence
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Rated R | 101 Minutes
Release Date: July 9, 2019

“The soil of a man’s heart is stonier; a man grows what he can and tends it.”

Directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes), Pet Sematary is the second film adaptation of the 1983 Stephen King novel, after Mary Lambert’s 1989 movie. Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow, the story follows a family that discovers a mysterious graveyard in the woods behind their new home.

So far, 2019 has already been a good year for cats in film. Last month’s Captain Marvel, the latest release for Marvel Studios, had an orange tabby named Goose play a major role in the superhero film, and in this weekend’s Pet Sematary, a Maine Coon cat named Church was front and center.

In the new Pet Sematary, a Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) moves his family, including their beloved cat, Winston “Church” Churchill, from Boston to a small town in Maine so they can live a quieter life. Unbeknownst to them, on their property is a pet cemetery, as well as a mysterious ancient burial ground. After the sweet and friendly Church is run over by a truck, Louis, under the guidance of his friendly elderly neighbor Jud (John Lithgow), buries the cat in the burial ground, a place where the dead rise. But when Church returns, he’s not the lovable lap cat he used to be, much to the family’s horror.

Pet Sematary
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Screen Story written by Mark Greenberg
Screenplay by Jeff Buhler
Directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer
Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jeté Laurence
Di Bonaventura Pictures | Paramount Pictures
101 minutes | Rated R
Release date: April 5, 2019

Nostalgia is a powerful drug. I saw Mary Lambert’s 1989 big-screen interpretation of Stephen King‘s novel Pet Sematary as a child and it was one of the first films to truly horrify me. I will forever be haunted by the ghastly performance of Andrew Hubatsek as the spinal meningitis-stricten Zelda. And the achilles tendon scene made me wear high-top sneakers throughout middle school. Having recently rewatched it as an adult, it’s a very flawed film. The 2019 remake/reimagining directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes) is a much better overall film, although one that will likely not leave the lasting impression of the original.

The first look at an all-new Pet Sematary dropped at SXSW last month, where it was met with rave reviews. Since then, Paramount has been pushing hard to make sure that you will see it by showing us some pretty terrifying trailers. Now, just before its release later this weekend, the studio has put out one final trailer, that should, hopefully, convince you to see what everyone has been talking about. Check out the newest trailer for Pet Sematary here below.