Monday, April 16, 2018

Sometimes Dead Is Better

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I don't re-watch the 1989 version of Pet Sematary all that often but when I do I'm always like, "Yeah, that's not a bad movie." There are all kinds of classic 80s horror moments contained therein - Zelda anyone? - that haunt anybody of the right age. So I don't know that it really needs a remake... but if they are gonna remake it they're making some smart choices. Like casting Jason Clarke in the lead, for one, which just happened today. And like hiring the duo behind 2014's super duper flick Starry Eyes for another. (Here's my review of Starry Eyes, which I sure hope you have seen by now.) Now that I think about it I don't think I've ever read Stephen King's book - have any of you? Is it worth it?  Is it very different from the film? Tell me about it in the comments and then hit the jump for a couple more pictures of Jason Clarke if you like...


5 comments:

Jim said...

I haven't read it since 198mumble, but my high school self remembers the book being one of King's best. I think that might be why I'm not as much of a fan of the film as others, because the tone of the book is a lot darker and I felt like Lambert et al. trivialized it with all the jokey stuff. They got Zelda right, though.

Adrian C said...

But doesn't like, puting Jason Clarke on it, guarantees the movie is gonna bomb?

Aquinas1220 said...

The book was great... the movie was just "okay"

Tracy said...

It's not terribly different from the film except that it more clearly conveys both the power of the burial ground to control people and the horrible depth of their grief, both of which add a lot more power to the story. That said, I have a lot of affection for the movie--Fred Gwynne is such perfect casting and the way they turned the Zelda piece of the book (which wasn't really intended to be scary) into something so terrifying remains incredibly impressive.

Anonymous said...

My interest in King's, to me, way overwritten books was starting to fade a bit when the book came out. But, I had read something about the fact that it was so disturbing to him that he kept it put away in his desk for a long time debating whether or not to finish or publish it. At least that's how I remember it. And so I bought the book in hardcover and found it to be one of the most disturbing books of King's I've ever read. And I'm an adult reading it well into my late 30's. The book haunted me and left me disturbed after putting it down on my night table. And it stayed with me long after I finished it. So by the time the film came out, while I was interested in seeing it, I felt no film could have the impact on me that the book had and I was right. There is a lot about the nature of grief in the book while more of the film is just plain shock and horror. I encourage you to read the book and if you do, you'll have more to say about the movie re-make when it arrives.