Back when the first trailer for Pet Sematary came out, I was intrigued but not particularly enthralled. The book by Stephen King is one of my favorites, and the original film is a classic (even if it’s a little cheesy). Well, if the first trailer hadn’t piqued my interest, this new one certainly has my attention:
Starring Jason Clarke, John Lithgow, and Amy Seimetz, the film follows the Creed family as they move to Maine but find that there are some dark secrets in their new neighborhood. But this trailer takes that subtle, creepy premise and decides to throw it out the window. There are kids in creepy masks, weird chants, and dark trees encroaching into the backyard. But I think the trailer gives a little too much away. For one, we learn that Ellie is the child that dies instead of the young Gage which is a big change. Maybe they thought that the older, more vocal child would be scarier? We also see that Zelda, Rachel’s sister, attack her in a way more intense way. We also see Judd’s death scene which, really, is a big spoiler. But if the idea was to show us how intense and potentially scary this movie is going to be, it could be worth the spoiling.
Now, there are some cool changes we can see in the trailer. It looks like they made Victor Pascow, the dead student who tries to save Louis Creed, into a person of color. Rachel is present for the return of Ellie, which means that she will likely have a bigger role to play in the story which is a plus. We also get a subtle nod to the Wendigo in the scene where Louis is looking through a book. In the novel, the Wendigo gets mentioned as Judd and Louis walk through the wood, while in the first adaptation, it’s more of an easter egg for King fans, as it makes a noise in the distance while they travel.
Pet Sematary will premiere in theaters on April 5, 2019.
Want to relive the horrifying magic of the original 1989 film? Listen to the Cine-Analyst episode on Pet Sematary!
