The Stephen King adaptation craze continues. This morning, the latest trailer for Pet Sematary arrived–with fresh chills right alongside. Pet Sematary is based on King’s 1983 novel, which he has claimed is the book that scared him the most over the years. With its themes of death, grief, and trauma, Pet Sematary is some of King’s best writing, plumbing deep emotional stakes to bend a very real experience into a surreal nightmare.
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And the latest adaptation of his novel, due out in April, seems poised to follow in those nightmarish footsteps. In the second official trailer for the film, we get a glimpse past the mood-setting of the first trailer. Although the general plot is well-known by any horror geek at this point (cat dies, comes back to life but worse; child dies, comes back to life but worse), this trailer makes it clear that we’re not just getting another zombie-like remake. No, nothing comes back the same.
And in 2019, it’s not little Gage who comes back differently. Older sister Ellie will be the demonic child returned from the grave in this take on the modern classic. Hopefully, this change signals a willingness to rework King’s iconic tale into something new, something terrifying, and something shocking. With a stellar cast supporting the film, including John Lithgow as Jud Crandall, the neighbor who warns the Creed family about the dangers of their backyard cemetery ("Sometimes, dead is better"), and Jason Clarke, who has been making his mark in horror films, including last year’s Winchester, this King adaptation is certain to become one of the most terrifying yet.
Based on the trailer, John Lithgow’s gravitas, Jason Clarke’s traumatized face, and the eerie tone of nearly every single shot, we’re certain that Pet Sematary will leave us deeply unsettled. Check it out below.
Pet Sematary will reanimate in theaters on April 5, 2019.
Feature still from 'Pet Sematary' via Alphaville Films
