BURY A FRIEND

“Pet Sematary” is the newest Stephen King adaptation following several new films based off King’s properties including 2017’s “It,” “The Dark Tower,” and the upcoming “Doctor Sleep” which is to be released later this year. “Pet Sematary,” much like “It,” is an adaptation of a novel that already had an original film come out in the late ‘80s-early ‘90s. This remake boasts several big name talent including Jason Clarke (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Dawn of The Planet of The Apes”) and John Lithgow (“The Accountant,” “Interstellar”). “Pet Sematary” follows a grieving father, following the loss of his daughter, learn of a supernatural burial ground where anything that is buried comes to life overnight. The catch is that whatever is buried comes back more violent than it originally was before.

“Pet Sematary,” like “The Dark Tower,” seems to have so much potential for becoming a blockbuster. Unfortunately, just like “The Dark Tower,” “Pet Sematary” seems to crumble under its own weight with schlocky dialogue, an obtuse amount of exposition, and some mediocre performances. John Lithgow is easily the best part . . . when he’s not needlessly explaining how the cemetary works. Jason Clarke is wasted here. It seems like he tried at first but gave up halfway during the movie after realizing how bad the script was. The downfall for “Pet Sematary” is it’s lack of scares until the last 15 minutes when the daughter goes on a killing spree. While the first hour-and-a-half has some “scares” they’re the jump-scare kind that people seem to hate and have become commonplace in many horror movies today. Loud noises blast at the most obvious times, giant 18-wheelers somehow sneak up on the characters, and grotesque people will stand in front of the camera and then furiously charge at it. Outside of this, 80% of the movie feels like a sparknotes video of the original book than an actual film adaptation.

Because of my qualms with the movie, “Pet Sematary” earns two-and-a-half dead cats out of five.