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[SXSW Review] ‘Pet Sematary’ Will Grasp Even the Stonier of Horror Fan Hearts
The adaptation of Stephen King’s terrifying novel, Pet Sematary first made its way onto screens in 89 with Mary Lambert’s moody, and terrifying vision. And guys, that adaptation absolutely scared the hell out of in my youth. Zelda was a big reason for many sleep deprived nights. It was effective, and while it didn’t tackle a lot of stuff from the book it painted the broad strokes effectively well.
But we aren’t here to talk about that, I just mention it in contrast to our current adaptation of Pet Sematary from Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widyer, the guys behind the wonderfully, creative and terrifying, Starry Eyes.
There is a lot to dig into here but for those who are unfamiliar, Pet Sematary centers around the Creed family as they relocate to Maine. Upon arrival they discover that a burial ground on their land is the source of a great darkness with the power to reanimate whatever is buried there.
The Creed family and their neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) are all superb and really live and breathe in their portrayal. Jason Clarke in particular effectually emotes many choices that would have played out in Louis Creed’s head in terms of the book. Amy Seimetz is an anchor for so many of the big emotional turns and absolutely nails each turn in her haunted depiction. But it has to be Jeté Laurence’s enormously haunting duality that really seals the deal on how great this cast is as an ensemble.
For those familiar with 89’s Pet Sematary, the first half of this new adaptation is pretty on the nose with those scenes. Which I can totally get behind, but there is some kind of rushed force behind the pacing of the scenes. Something that makes it feel a little bit less authentic rather than allowing itself to play around in King’s world.
At it’s midpoint the film, leaves behind the 89 adaptation and stretches its legs beginning with a major change from both the book and the pervious adaptation. I won’t spoil that here, but if you haven’t had it spoiled yet, I implore you not to watch the second trailer.
From the big change at its center, Pet Sematary becomes a mixed bag, partly exploring elements of King’s book that weren’t explored in Lambert’s film, and a twist that leaves us with something that feels all too familiar from films like The Ring, The Grudge and assorted possession films.
There are also moments of the film that feel as though the edges were padded in order to not get too dark and to not entirely go there. Some of the handling of Church the cat, Gage and especially Zelda are not fully taken to the dark levels that Lambert’s adaptation traveled. The choices for Zelda especially leave a lot to be wanted.
That isn’t too say those elements are totally done wrong because some of the scenes that are mixed in are positively haunting. I.e. a father sleeping next to a dead child or a recently reanimated child dancing in the family living room. There definitely is something that feels part familiar in a safe studio vein and then part creative Kölsch and Widmyer.
Laurie Rose (Kill List, Free Fire, Overlord) is one of my favorite cinematographers working today and his work is again freaking mind blowing. He understands a haunting composition and offers them throughout creating menace in subtext while allowing enough room in the frame for the audience’s imagination to explore. His work here is again perfect.
Added to Rose’s work Christopher Young scores the whole affair. That came as a complete and welcome surprise as the dude has done everything from Hellraiser to Drag Me to Hell. Entirely iconic, and proves that his genre soundscape sensibilities are still very much intact.
As we all know at this point from King’s material “They don’t come back the same,” and well they don’t get remade the same either. Kölsch and Widmyer partly take things in a new direction and while there is that onemajor change, the reward is getting to explore elements of the book we hadn’t seen on screen before. Their vision is very much executed through their use of dark comedy, seething drama and and the ability to create fear without relying on cheap jump scares.
Pet Sematary gets to the root of King and then slowly turns the screw. Despite some of its genre trope familiarities, it travels enough sour ground to successfully reach the stoniest horror fan hearts. It is entertaining from frame one and does a great job of creating an ending that is worth the entire price of admission alone.
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Movies
Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed
The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.
Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.
The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.
Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”
Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.
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News
Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.
The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.
“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.
Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.
The prize also includes:
An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings
A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear
A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room
A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course
The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II
Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two
“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”
Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.
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Movies
’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power
Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.
Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.
Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.
There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.
The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.
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