Pet Sematary

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Pet Sematary

Released Apr 21, 1989

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

58%

Tomatometer

40 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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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

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.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 4, 2019

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Anne Cohen

Refinery29

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

Apr 8, 2019

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Ed Gonzalez

Apollo Guide

Aside from its blatant foreshadowing, the main problem with Pet Sematary is its hit-you-over-the-head approach to characters' inability to "let sleeping dogs lie."

Rated: 40/100

Jul 25, 2001

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KT Mahe

For Your Reference Podcast

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

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 27, 2024

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Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

While the acting and narrative structure in Pet Sematary leave something to be desired, the film’s third act delivers on its promising and horrifying premise with gory aplomb.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 3, 2024

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Kristy Strouse

Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying

Genuinely scary and uniquely odd, Pet Sematary shocks and awes with its no-holds-barred approach.

Dec 9, 2023

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Chas S

Likely better when it got realised but doesn't cut it any longer. Best bit was seeing Stephe Kings acting skills!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

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Nad B

My absolut favourite horror and King movie Loved the book And its the only King book Adaption im ok with It s great acting You will feal with everyone in it You feel Their pain and unvderstand every Action Its a Drama who turns into Real horror

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/13/24

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Catalin L

One of the best horror dramas in history. It deals with our deepest fears and what choices we would make facing those tragedies

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/18/24

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Sandra A

Absolutely amazing history! I loved kids' performance and the casting. I really enjoyed the end. Uff!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

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Stanny R

Not a bad movie but definitely slow. This film just slowly plods along for a good 30 mins before getting to more action. Great source material with Stephen King book but I don’t think it quite lived up to the devastating-amazing novel.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/05/24

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Michael P

One of the best movies based on Stephen king's works. Worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/27/24

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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

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