After IT proved to be a force at the box office last year, Hollywood seemingly came down with another case of what we’ll call “Stephen King Fever” (no relation to Disco Fever or Hulkamania), as various other adaptations of the legendary author’s works were put into production.
Personally, I was hoping that a modern director would be able to put their own spin on The Shining (the 1997 TV miniseries was indeed faithful to the source material, but it had to adhere to certain standards and practices), though I guess green-lighting its sequel, Doctor Sleep, makes just as much sense.
So, taking into account that Carrie has already been granted a sequel of its own – not to mention two remakes – it seems natural that Pet Sematary, another of King’s quintessential stories, be next on the docket.
Previously, this tale had been adapted to celluloid in 1989, with a followup, Pet Sematary Two, arriving in 1992. And though both have their place in the annals of horror movie history, the delightfully creepy trailer promoting the remake certainly made a believer out of me. And if that weren’t enough, Fandango has now revealed a new photo of John Lithgow as Jud Crandall, which can be viewed below.
If anything, this latest crack at the bat looks to include the creepy atmosphere needed to enthrall modern audiences, while also paying tribute to the novel which spawned it. In my opinion, not every translation of King’s work has been what I’d consider to be remotely watchable, but this one certainly shows promise.
For more, be sure to check out the official synopsis:
Based on the seminal horror novel by Stephen King, Pet Sematary follows Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.
Pet Sematary arrives in theaters on April 5, 2019.
