So the last actual movie I saw in a theater was a while ago. It was the new Pet Sematary that came out in April 2019. I was hyping up this movie so much in my head, because Pet Sematary the novel and Pet Sematary (1989) are my favorite book and movie of all time. This movie had no shot of beating out those two versions of the story. All I kept doing throughout the movie was I kept comparing its pros and cons to the original 1989 film. First of all that's a bad idea from the start as the original Pet Sematary barring a couple missing characters is one of the most faithful adaptations to a King book.
This is how my checklist went:
Was the opening credit scene better than the original? Hell fucking no. The original let you know right from the get go that you were in a nightmarish horror movie. Pet Sematary 2019 started the way a Lifetime movie would.
Was the musical score better? Again, hell fucking no. The original's score was haunting, creepy, foreboding, sad, depressing and disturbing. This new score did jack shit for me.
Were certain characters better this time. Honestly, I think only Jason Clark as Louis Creed and Jete Lawrence as Ellie Creed were an improvement. Every other character in the new film felt hollow.
Was the blood and gore better? Nope.
Was it more disturbing? It's no contest. The original legitimately leaves you disturbed and unnerved. This remake only annoyed.
Was the area beyond the Pet Sematary better? That is only one bright spot where I can say yes, it was much closer to the book.
How did I feel about the change in Children being killed off in this movie? It only showed that A. Paramount was never ever going to find a 2 year old that could play Gage like Miko Hughes and come off convincing. Also them killing off Ellie, a much older child showed how pussified theyve become that they wouldn't attempt to show the death of a 2 year old to an eighteen wheeler. Total cop out.
Zelda. Which version was better? The Zelda from the 1989 film was nightmare fuel and so disturbing. There was no way in hell they were ever going to come close to that effect, and they failed miserably.
Victor Pascow: This is supposed to be the ghost that comes back from beyond the dead to try and warn Louis. The guy they used in the remake barely had any screentime. Where as Brad Greenquist in the original was disgusting to look at, scary but had a sense of humor to him. Almost like the Jack character in An American Werewolf In London.
Lastly the ending. I wont give anything away major, but it was a HUGE departure from the source material. Infuriatingly so. The original followed the ending down word for printed word.
Overall, I hated this movie. I still hate it with a passion. The people who did the IT movies should have been in charge of this project. This film was rushed, and lacked everything possitive the book and original movie had. I dont recommend it to anyone, In fact i would go as far as to say Pet Sematary 2 (1992) was a far more entertaining movie, even with lame ass Edward Furlong.
