Pet Sematary
Movie, 2019, Pet Sematary, Set in The Creeds, retold
Pet Sematary is #31 of 42 in release order and #40 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, move from Boston to Ludlow, in rural Maine, with their two young children. Hidden in the woods near the new family home, Ellie, their eldest daughter, discovers a mysterious cemetery where the pets of community members are buried.
Pet Sematary recap
Pet Sematary (2019) retells the Creed family's move to Ludlow, Maine, but this time it is the daughter, not the son, who dies and comes back. Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer direct Jason Clarke as Louis Creed, Amy Seimetz as his wife Rachel and John Lithgow as neighbour Jud Crandall. Children in animal masks hold a procession through the woods to the pet cemetery behind the house. When the cat Church is killed, Jud shows Louis a burial ground beyond it, and the cat returns aggressive. Rachel is haunted by her sister Zelda, who died of spinal meningitis when Rachel was a child. At Ellie's (Jete Laurence) ninth birthday party, a tanker truck hits her as she saves her toddler brother Gage. Louis buries her in the cursed ground, and Ellie comes home cold and changed, aware of her own death.
Pet Sematary ending explained
Pet Sematary ends with the whole family undead except Gage. Ellie kills Jud and stabs Rachel, then buries her mother in the ground. Louis tries to end it, but the returned Rachel stabs him, and he is buried there too. Louis rises, and the three walk towards the car where Gage is locked in, as Ellie unlocks the door. The film's switch from Gage to Ellie is its biggest change from both the novel and the 1989 film.
Post-credits scenes
No. Pet Sematary has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary is streaming on Paramount+, Kanopy, and Hoopla in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 5.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 58%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Doctor Sleep, before The Outsider.
- Chronological order: after Pet Sematary, before The Stand.
What to watch before Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary (1989), which Pet Sematary (2019) continues.
Cast
- Jason Clarke as Louis Creed
- Amy Seimetz as Rachel Creed
- John Lithgow as Jud Crandall
- Jeté Laurence as Ellie Creed
- Hugo Lavoie as Gage Creed
- Lucas Lavoie as Gage Creed
- Obssa Ahmed as Victor Pascow
- Sonia Maria Chirila as Young Rachel
- Alyssa Brooke Levine as Zelda Goldman
- Maria Herrera as Marcella
- Jacob Lemieux as Mouse Face
- Maverick Fortin as Dog Face
Directed by Dennis Widmyer, Kevin Kölsch.