Stephen King is well known for mining the macabre for scenes of sheer terror while also finding moments of dark comedy to alleviate the tension. Walking into Pet Sematary, I wasn't expecting the opposite. Admittedly, having not read the source material or seen the original film, my impression was formed simply from the trailers which sold a dark, foreboding take on bringing the dead back to life.
I can report that Pet Sematary is best viewed as a dark comedy. With a threadbare story, most of which is already crammed into the film's second trailer (avoid it if you can), the film is not interested in offering any depth to its horror, instead relying on the audience to get on board with the idea of reanimated corpses at face value and it leads to some pretty silly, but still highly entertaining, moments.
That's not to say that the film doesn't play it completely straight. The acting across the board is strong, in particular Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz who convincingly play the part of grieving parents, and the atmosphere is effectively cold and unsettling. The scares on the other hand are fairly basic. Remember the truck jump scare in the trailer? Well get ready to see it used numerous times throughout the film. Also, it would make for a pretty short drinking game ticking off all of the horror tropes covered over the film's runtime. Creepy looking kids? Check. Loud noises at night? Check. Events set during Halloween? Check. It's familiar stuff but delivered in a consummate manner so it would be a lie to say that they don't still provide a kick.
The film doesn't want you to think, it just wants you to react, and with the right audience it's definitely a riot. Along with an ending that basically winks at the audience, Pet Sematary is pulpy fun but don't go expecting any genuine terror.
I can report that Pet Sematary is best viewed as a dark comedy. With a threadbare story, most of which is already crammed into the film's second trailer (avoid it if you can), the film is not interested in offering any depth to its horror, instead relying on the audience to get on board with the idea of reanimated corpses at face value and it leads to some pretty silly, but still highly entertaining, moments.
That's not to say that the film doesn't play it completely straight. The acting across the board is strong, in particular Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz who convincingly play the part of grieving parents, and the atmosphere is effectively cold and unsettling. The scares on the other hand are fairly basic. Remember the truck jump scare in the trailer? Well get ready to see it used numerous times throughout the film. Also, it would make for a pretty short drinking game ticking off all of the horror tropes covered over the film's runtime. Creepy looking kids? Check. Loud noises at night? Check. Events set during Halloween? Check. It's familiar stuff but delivered in a consummate manner so it would be a lie to say that they don't still provide a kick.
The film doesn't want you to think, it just wants you to react, and with the right audience it's definitely a riot. Along with an ending that basically winks at the audience, Pet Sematary is pulpy fun but don't go expecting any genuine terror.