Pet Sematary

1989, Horror/Mystery & thriller, 1h 39m

35 Reviews 50,000+ Ratings

critics consensus

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

You might also like

Kiss of the Dragon

Night of the Living Dead

In Theaters

Rent/buy

Subscription

Subscription

Rent/buy

Rate And Review

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified.
Fandango

AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

Enter your Ticket Confirmation# located in your email.More Info

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
- Fandango
- AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
  
  Enter your Ticket Confirmation# located in your email.More Info
- Cinemark Coming Soon
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Regal Coming Soon
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You haven’t finished your review yet, want to submit as-is?

You can always edit your review after.
Are you sure?

Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers.
Want to submit changes to your review before closing?

Pet Sematary Videos

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Deadly Warning

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

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Killing Gage

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

Pet Sematary (1989): Official Clip - Killing Church

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

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

Pet Sematary: Trailer 1

View All Videos (8)

Pet Sematary Photos

Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary (1989)

View All Photos (19)

Movie Info

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.

Rating:

R
Genre:

Horror, Mystery & thriller
Original Language:

English
Director:

Mary Lambert
Producer:

Richard P. Rubinstein
Writer:

Stephen King
Release Date (Theaters):

Apr 21, 1989 original
Release Date (Streaming):

Sep 26, 2006
Runtime:

1h 39m
Distributor:

Paramount Pictures
Sound Mix:

Surround
Aspect Ratio:

Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Dale Midkiff
Louis Creed

Fred Gwynne
Jud Crandall

Denise Crosby
Rachel Creed

Brad Greenquist
Victor Pascow

Michael Lombard
Irwin Goldman

Blaze Berdahl
Ellie Creed

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Pet Sematary

All Critics (35) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (17)

Full Review… Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune

Full Review… Anne Cohen Refinery29

Full Review… Ed Gonzalez Apollo Guide

Full Review… Bill Chambers Film Freak Central

Full Review… Sezín Koehler Black Girl Nerds

Full Review… C.H. Newell Father Son Holy Gore

Full Review… Shaun Munro Flickering Myth

Full Review… Matt Brunson Film Frenzy

Full Review… Andrew Pollard Starburst

Full Review… Michelle Kisner The Movie Sleuth

Full Review… Sean Fennessey The Ringer

Full Review… David Nusair Reel Film Reviews

View All Critic Reviews (35)

Audience Reviews for Pet Sematary

Sep 11, 2018

Even if it wasn't any good, Pet Sematary's sort of a must watch given how heavily it's been referenced in the film and television industries since. But it is good, so there's that too.

Gimly M Super Reviewer
Nov 02, 2013

"Sometimes dead is better." Based on the bestselling Stephen King novel, Pet Sematary is a frightening horror film. The story follows a family that discovers a Pet Cemetery behind their back yard that has mystical properties, which if used, comes with a terrible price. The directing is especially good and brings an impressive amount of tension and suspense to the film. However, there are a few storytelling issues and some of the acting is weak. A faithful adaptation of Stephen King's terrifying thriller, Pet Sematary delivers some chilling scares.

Dann M Super Reviewer
Mar 25, 2013

[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

Directors C Super Reviewer
Mar 07, 2013

There was a trend for the longest time that connected bad films with Stephen King's best work. Carrie was the exception but most of the King inspired films were crap. Outside of some interesting work by Fred Gwynne, the rest of it is garbage.

John B Super Reviewer

See All Audience reviews