Pet Sematary

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1:18

Pet Sematary

R

1989

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Doctor Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) moves his family to Maine, where he meets a friendly local named Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne). After the Creeds' cat is accidentally killed, Crandall advises Louis to bury it in the ground near the old pet cemetery. The cat returns to life, its personality changed for the worse. When Louis' son, Gage (Miko Hughes), dies tragically, Louis decides to bury the boy's body in the same ground despite the warnings of Crandall and Louis' visions of a deceased patient.

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Critics Consensus

Pet Sematary is a bruising horror flick that wears its quirks on its sleeves, to the detriment of its scare factor.

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Bruce Westbrook

Houston Chronicle

Jun 9

It's a wonderfully spooky premise, but King's sketch script, Lambert's ponderous direction and a lackluster cast don't make a strong case for it.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

10/04/2019

2/4

Reduced to its plot outlines, King`s work no longer functions; its meaning lies in the obscure tensions and anxieties that shape the fantasy, not in what happens, but why.

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Anne Cohen

Refinery29

04/08/2019

Overall, the acting in Pet Sematary is hit or miss. But when it hits, it's a bullseye.

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Peter McPhee

Winnipeg Sun

Jun 11

Bad script, bad acting and bad budget.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Aug 11

7/10

The film has equal parts dread, jump scares, and gore. All of which are very effective. The special effects are good, save for the fight with the Gage doll at the end of the film.

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KT Mahe

For Your Reference Podcast

08/27/2024

4.5/5

Pet Sematary works as a fun horror movie (including a little icon) but also is ambitious in it's willingness to explore the inevitability of death and the necessity of working through grief

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Ricardo D

@RT43154676 Jun 20

Um filme dos anos 80 que me assombrou muito. Reassistindo, posso ver as falhas hoje, no roteiro. continuidade, e atuações. Mas temos ainda momentos inesquecíveis que permanecem frescos como o atropelamento, o retorno da criança e o da esposa.

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David M.

@Dmesuda Jun 3

Still one of the most unique and well written of King’s vast library. The movie definitely did the book justice as I remember seeing this at the drive in movie back in ‘89. The bed ridden sister scene still gives chills.

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Matthew M.

@kittycatman6987 Apr 4

I love this movie my favorite movies are horror and this movie scared me more than any other movie ever has. I was a kid and some of the events and characters of this movie forever haunt my imagination.

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Madam D

@Madam1948 Mar 8

A solid version of the novel. Grief we suffer from the loss of dead loved ones is intense enough to have some understanding of why we might try to get them back.

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Chris T

@Chris651 Feb 28

It’s hard for a movie to outdo the book and this one does not outdo the novel. That being said, what I appreciated about this movie is that they did a good job of following the book, but there are just some things in the book that would be very difficult to duplicate in the movie unless they made a 4 hour film. The book scared the hell out of me. It was the 1st Stephen King book I ever read and I loved it! My favorite character is Pascow, the ghost, who tries to help and warn Lewis about the Pet Cemetery and it’s dreaded secret just beyond it. Again, the movie did a good job following the book. The acting was so, so but I love King’s cameo appearance as the minister at the funeral and what they did with the horrific truck accident (won’t say what happened for those who never saw or read) was terrifying. You should research what the producers did to recreate that unthinkable scene in the movie. Pretty genius imo. Worth a watch but book is better.

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Feb 19

Definitely one of my favorite Stephen King movies!

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Mary Lambert

Director

Dale Midkiff

Louis Creed

Fred Gwynne

Jud Crandall

Denise Crosby

Rachel Creed

Brad Greenquist

Victor Pascow

Michael Lombard

Irwin Goldman

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Gage's Death

2:07

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Deadly Warning

1:55

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Rachel Comes Home

1:31

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Killing Church

1:52

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Dead is Better

2:13

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Killing Gage

2:13

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - The Dying Sister

2:05

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - I Brought You Something Mommy

2:09

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Killing Jud

2:04

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - The Cat Comes Back

1:38

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Pet Sematary: Trailer 1

1:18

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Synopsis

Doctor Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) moves his family to Maine, where he meets a friendly local named Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne). After the Creeds' cat is accidentally killed, Crandall advises Louis to bury it in the ground near the old pet cemetery. The cat returns to life, its personality changed for the worse. When Louis' son, Gage (Miko Hughes), dies tragically, Louis decides to bury the boy's body in the same ground despite the warnings of Crandall and Louis' visions of a deceased patient.

Director: Mary Lambert
Producer: Richard P. Rubinstein
Screenwriter: Stephen King
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)