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Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary

1989
Horror
1h 43m
The Creeds have just moved to a new house in the countryside. Their house is perfect, except for two things: the semi-trailers that roar past on the narrow road, and the mysterious cemetary in the woods behind the house (imdb)
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Pet Sematary

1989
Horror
1h 43m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 41.01% from 3003 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(3003)
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Rated 26 May 2014
86
95th
Its faults are forgivable because the story is strong enough to warrant no possible alternatives. Having a child, it took but a second before I, along with the father in the film, was already premeditating digging up the grave. That's some dark stuff. Fred Gwynne is worth the price of admission. Tack on the worst spirit guide in film history and if Zelda doesn't haunt your dreams, I think you watched a different movie.
Rated 29 Mar 2019
70
53rd
Just watched the new remaster of Pet Sematary , they forgot to remaster Dale Midkiff’s acting holy moly. The guy has only one reaction: the wrong one.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
65
45th
So this is not a good movie but I actually really enjoyed it. Sure there is some wooden acting and cheesy effects but there is some honest to God creepy shit going on.
Rated 23 Oct 2011
78
26th
I liked it as a whole. It's cheesy and feels as old as it is, but it's a little chilling too. Church always scared the crap out of me as a kid and I still think he's the creepiest part of the film. I also liked Brad Greenquist's character. It also has one of the most upsetting movie deaths of all time (you know the one...). It's not in any way a great movie but it certainly isn't bad at all.
Rated 10 Sep 2017
52
7th
The problem with translating this book to the screen would and always will be this: how do you make an adorable toddler a scary zombie? The answer is: you don't. Instead you have an adorable zombie toddler making cute angry faces. Oh, hey, I have a question: who the fuck is Dale Midkiff and how did he ever become an actor? Because there have been few instances where I have seen such a spiritless, tone deaf performance from a lead. He alone ruins any atmosphere the film may cobble together.
Rated 05 Oct 2017
3
28th
This movie is just too much of a horror mythology mishmash, with Indian burial grounds and zombies (fair enough) but also chucking in ghosts and psychic dreams and rednecky horror family backstory for no reason. The final battle between a grown man and his super strong zombie baby son is also very hard to take seriously. Fred Gwynne somehow manages to slice through the silliness and put in a great performance though.
Rated 23 May 2007
39
17th
Poor horror that has a few effective moments and a very good performance by Gwynne, but is sunk by an awful script (ironically by King) and low rent production values. Some of the scenes are laugh out loud hilarious in their execution.
Rated 25 Jul 2009
27
16th
I wanted to give this a higher rating for the sole reason of the protagonist's protective ghostly follower. However I can't dismiss the fact that this movie is God damn ridiculous. It's literally jam-packed with the most cliche horror garbage ever. "That right there is a FORBIDDEN PLACE! DO NOT GO THERE!" And then he goes there. It's just laughably stupid. Yes Fred Gwynne but even though he's great in that type of character the decisions his character makes are just absolutely stupefying.
Rated 22 Jan 2010
70
56th
When I was a kid this movie scared me quite a bit. Re-watching this as an adult it didn't age as well as I would have hoped, but it still has enough creepy moments to make it a decent horror flick. Adaptation wise it was pretty accurate too, but that's probably because King wrote the screenplay as well.
Rated 26 Sep 2013
22
10th
People say that the sequel can't hold a candle to this one, but I wish someone could. I wish someone could just hold a candle to it, and burn the fuck out of it. Until there's nothing left.
Rated 02 Jul 2015
25
27th
lmfao
Rated 24 Sep 2015
68
52nd
If straight horror can be "feel good" then this is it. Gwynne is simply classic and i wish i had a neighbor like him and i aspire to be that neighbor when Im an old man. Good effects good pace a story that doesn't hold any surprises but in a comfort food kind of way. Plus plenty to enjoy laughing at such as midkiffs ATROCIOUS acting. Zombie toddler was nasty as hell
Rated 05 Oct 2019
75
69th
Good but I liked the remake better
Rated 24 Dec 2020
8
88th
Being that I watched the remake first, I felt a certain way about going back and seeing how it differs to the original material...and I really enjoy how these two adaptions are different. This original one is very goofy and a little dated, but that actually kinda works. Much like Evil Dead, this has a nice of mixture of horror and comedy. It's over the top, and a product of its time, but that's why I think it's a treasure. With the right expectations, this can be weirdly fun.
Rated 08 Oct 2021
77
48th
Compared to the many crappy to mediocre King adaptations this has a very low-key, hum-drum vibe (the leading man is far from charismatic & his waspy wife dresses & looks as if she wants to impress feminist teachers - thanks for nothing, female director!) The lead's final decision surprises & leads to a fun & gory bloody eyesocket climax, but the movie also has silly Chucky-like elements, albeit more disturbing. It's not great but for a King movie, it's mostly free of plotholes which is good.
Rated 30 Dec 2006
60
54th
Not bad at all if you're in the right mindset for it.
Rated 19 Mar 2007
65
37th
It has some generally creepy moments, but all-in-all it fails to hold up well today. For its time, it was surely a bit more.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
20
6th
Really truly awful, and the worst Stephen King adaptation.
Rated 11 Sep 2007
0
10th
Book was good but film is awful
Rated 08 Nov 2007
75
53rd
Pocorn horror from the 80's. One of the few good King adaptions.
Rated 08 Apr 2008
70
56th
I know. It's not a good movie, I agree. But it deserves some point for Zelda. She still gives me the creeps... and I almost shit my pants everytime my brother does his impression of her. And it gets some sentimental points since it was one of the first horror movies I watched when I was way too young to find most of it ridiculous :)
Rated 14 Jun 2008
25
6th
Poor.
Rated 25 Jun 2008
81
91st
Nice
Rated 10 Sep 2008
23
9th
I don't want to be buried in a Pet Sematary. I don't want to watch this shit again.
Rated 26 Oct 2008
39
22nd
Generally scary and creepy at moments, and at times it's fairly good. But, it fails to hold up well and it just falls apart towards the end. I have not read the novel, so I didn't know what to expect when I watched this. Safe to say, that I'll never be watching this again.
Rated 30 Jan 2009
65
38th
There's some really bad acting, and it's uneven in removing and adding things from the book, but some of the scenes are actually pretty scary, and it doesn't overly rely on gore. The book is better and you should probably read that instead, but this is an okay adaptation.
Rated 02 Mar 2009
57
46th
King's bleakest novel is adapted to the screen by the author himself with only middling results. Starts too slowly and ends too quickly to establish the proper balance between the workaday normality of its characters and their final descent into the supernatural. The actors fail to connect with their characters (apart from the delightful Gwynne), and the storyline takes every predictable turn possible (even for those who haven't read the book).
Rated 26 May 2009
75
63rd
Zelda was the cause of many a sleepless night for me as a kid. Still the scariest film character I can think of.
Rated 15 Nov 2009
50
43rd
The scariest movie I ever saw in my childhood. Uh... and then I grew up.
Rated 24 Aug 2010
95
79th
Fantastic Stephen King adaptation with some great direction by Mary Lambert. Dark, disturbing with plenty of great suspenseful and horrifying moments. Cast is fantastic, escpecially Fred Gwynne as the neighbor with secrets. This is a horror lover's must see!
Rated 01 Sep 2010
30
9th
The kid is really creepy and the adults are stupidity personified. A dumb, dumb movie with some stomach-curdling moments.
Rated 08 Apr 2012
34
19th
I liked this a lot more until I realized it was supposed to be taken seriously, and the director didn't intend for me to be laughing so hard. The ridiculous cliches and the overdone hammy acting convinced me that this was actually cleverly treading the line between horror genre and horror parody. Still, it provides a fun time along with genuine creepiness and proper gore, and I came quite close to rating this 30 points higher.
Rated 03 Jun 2012
70
45th
Campy fun.
Rated 06 Dec 2014
55
28th
Could've used an extra pass on the script, and an extra pass or two on the lead. But Fred Gwynne is great, and there are some genuinely disturbing moments. A smidge of gore doesn't hurt.
Rated 28 May 2015
65
22nd
Don't do it, he won't come back the same, yah heah. I warned yah, I warned yah all. - Man, I love that guy's accent.
Rated 05 Oct 2015
75
33rd
An excellent horror story transposed to film with all of the ham-fistedness and soap opera worthy acting one should expect of Stephen King films, with the added bonus of the signature tune by the Ramones of the same name.
Rated 16 Oct 2016
69
23rd
If you judge horror movies on how scary and creepy they are then this is a great one. It's not super gory but it does have its share of blood and mutilation and uses it to accentuate the already disturbing atmosphere. But I don't watch horror to be freaked out, so this fell a bit flat to me.
Rated 12 Mar 2017
34
14th
Todas essas adaptações que o King gosta são uma bosta mesmo.
Rated 11 Nov 2017
65
47th
A pretty well-made film for the time and budget. The plot and some of its elements are genuinely very scary, while the story itself is both fun and thrilling. The acting is more than a little off, but its honestly a pretty fun Stephen King thrill ride.
Rated 18 Apr 2019
45
40th
Despite some generally creepy moments and a handful of quality performances, Pet Sematary is mired by tonal inconsistencies, trite and cheap editing, and a complete inability to successfully integrate Pascow into the story. Worth a watch if only for Fred Gwynne, the final scene, and the best use of a cat in 80s cinema.
Rated 27 Apr 2019
53
32nd
Hokier than I remembered, P.S has serious pacing problems, and the acting varies wildly in quality. Gwynne is the clear standout as a wise salt-of-the-earth type, but Midkiff is regularly awful, which is a problem because his character's grief is the driving force of the narrative. Since his performance is distractingly bad in key moments, the emotional impact is thwarted, but Lambert provides at least two of late 80's horror's most chilling moments, and Zelda is still creepy.
Rated 29 Apr 2019
65
61st
Silly as hell -- Ramones song, Zelda appearing in flashbacks, Jud'd achilles heel being cut -- and way less chilling than the book -- such a powerful statement on grief and the consequences of NOT embracing it. Still fun for the amount of weird stuff -- Gage giggling before attacking -- and SK's straightforward approach to his book.
Rated 13 Jun 2019
35
9th
A lousy couple of parents (one, a doctor who takes his scalpel home with him; what was he going to do with it?) allow their toddler to walk into a main road, when they have already had a warning about how busy the traffic is. So I have no sympathy with them when (after more warnings that it wasnt the wisest thing to do,) the kid comes back from the grave (remarkably intact after being hit by a semi), takes the scalpel, and slashes everybody to pieces. I very much doubt the book is this bad.
Rated 29 Mar 2007
90
86th
Really scary. I distinctly remember covering my face at one point, and I almost never do that
Rated 26 May 2007
60
55th
Stephen King does it again.
Rated 27 Jul 2007
1
12th
Quite scary sometimes. Is a lot deeper than a bulk horror movie, but the wooden acting and low production values and plot that never really starts and goes nowhere makes it just an all right piece instead of great.
Rated 07 Aug 2007
80
59th
Still creepy as hell.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
62
44th
A fair-enough adaptation of the King story, but the performances seriously lacking, with the exception of Fred Gwynne (of course).
Rated 14 Aug 2007
81
46th
A pretty good horror flick based on a Stephen King novel in which things buried in an old indian burial ground do not stay dead.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
24th
I think I would have liked this more as a made for tv movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
45
22nd
It's kind of fun, for a horror film, but too much of it is just too damned corny. The little runty kid from Kindergarten Cop as a zombie, swinging a scalpel, laughing "HEH HEH HEH!" just came off as retarded. I still like it, though.
Rated 23 Aug 2007
37
38th
ok
Rated 29 Aug 2007
80
42nd
One of the better King adaptations, but I would still recommend the book.
Rated 30 Aug 2007
5
6th
Not worth the film it was printed on. Very weak.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
70
63rd
Creepy horror movie.
Rated 08 Oct 2007
80
80th
One of the best adaptations of Stephen King for films. This movie is great. Scary scenes, mixing horror and a true tragedy so well.
Rated 11 Oct 2007
92
81st
First gory movie I saw as a kid. Oh yeah, it scarred me. And I became a Stephen King fan for life.
Rated 21 Nov 2007
71
46th
Creepy as all hell.
Rated 13 Jan 2008
65
50th
Creepy kids AND creepy cats? Lotsa creepy to go 'round here.
Rated 26 Feb 2008
86
56th
Very scary.
Rated 07 Mar 2008
68
44th
I certainly don't want to be buried there.
Rated 24 Apr 2008
67
75th
+5 for the Ramones
Rated 07 May 2008
80
20th
Terrible, but it gets major points for hitting a toddler with a truck.
Rated 01 Jul 2008
80
63rd
The only movie that actually scared me.
Rated 11 Aug 2008
99
88th
Very good movie....the book was better but i the movie was super creepy....
Rated 15 Oct 2008
85
65th
Oh fuck, she's dead, and he's making out with her?!
Rated 17 Nov 2008
50
23rd
I hate movies where little kids dies.
Rated 21 Jan 2009
90
77th
Scariest movie I ever watched as a kid. Really creepy.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
35
37th
I had a pet fish that died...I flushed it so it wouldn't come back and try to kill me.
Rated 23 Mar 2009
50
7th
Emerges as a sick, tasteless, but not very successful attempt to exploit common familial fears. A few genuine shocks survive, and fans of King (who contributes his usual on-screen cameo, as a local minister) should find _Pet Sematary_ of at least passing interest.
Rated 26 Mar 2009
82
29th
Better than average horror flick.
Rated 07 Apr 2009
74
62nd
So friggin scary.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
77
41st
I thought the material would be hokey, but it was handled very well.
Rated 06 Aug 2009
90
28th
Ok.
Rated 20 Aug 2009
90
87th
One of the best movies based off a Stephen King novel
Rated 21 Aug 2009
75
40th
Not the greatest film, but it scared the crap out of me.....especially when the kid comes back.....whoops, *SPOILER ALERT*
Rated 12 Sep 2009
77
46th
It's a classic piece of cheese. An amusing enough watch once you get past the bad acting, plot holes and cliches.
Rated 23 Jan 2010
42
19th
Not scary at all. The book was what got me into horror though.
Rated 01 Feb 2010
55
56th
Pet Sematary is my favorite Stephen King book, but similar to It, I find it hard to believe any movie adaptation will ever live up to it. The 1989 film is alright, some good moments but lots of missed opportunities especially the old guy's zombie flashback.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
2
25th
You need to kill Miko Hughes when you have the chance.
Rated 26 Jul 2010
93
76th
I don't wanna be buried in a pet sematary. I don't want to live my life again.~ Still one of my favorites. Would've been better if there wasn't a second one.
Rated 10 Nov 2010
50
56th
Pet Sematary has enough creepiness to be worth adding to a Halloween playlist, but just feels too cheap and silly to stand on its own or qualify as a classic by any definition.
Rated 10 Mar 2011
78
45th
Subpar acting leading into subpar suspense and a demon who is not as evil as it was in the novel. Colour me disappointed (don't actually do this).
Rated 28 Jun 2011
90
80th
aguante king!! gran adaptación del libro... al que le gusta el genero que la vea, y al que no, que se joda..
Rated 17 Nov 2011
55
31st
Not a great adaptation, but Fred Gwynne and a decent script go a long way even when the lead actors seem more zombie-like before they come back from the dead.
Rated 04 Dec 2011
40
21st
There is no atmosphere in the film, the characters are ridiculous and the acting terrible. The novel is far from being King's best work, but it still had some creepy moments. I don't understand how they managed to screw the film up so bad.
Rated 17 Apr 2012
69
28th
Not a fan of horror movies, but I can see why this one is a classic.
Rated 03 Jul 2012
47
3rd
got a lot of cheese points, but not enough to warrant another watch.. favorite cheese: whenever the dad tries to act.. very scary part: spinal meningitis, but not so scary later on when meningitis lady seems to look like Iggy Pop.. But all in all it'd be pretty cool to be neighbors with herman munster.
Rated 30 Sep 2012
72
43rd
Ehhhh, I don't know. It sets off on the right path, but starts to lose its grip by the halfway mark. Particularly egregious Stephen King cameo. All that being said, the child turns in one of the strangest, most off-putting performances I've encountered.
Rated 25 Oct 2012
72
63rd
* Casting, Acting : 6.5 * Script : 8 * Directing, Aura : 7 * Ease of Viewing : 7.5 * Naked Eye : 7
Rated 31 Oct 2012
40
17th
A very silly movie, to put it mildly. All the characters just make such mind-blowingly dumb descisions all the way through the film, and the battle between Herman Munster and an evil zombie child is very hillarious. Fred Gwynne is really the only good thing about this, but even his character does bizarre things.
Rated 27 Feb 2013
60
25th
Look it has it's moments, although I believe the doctor is completely miscast. I got the impression he was supposed to be older? And possibly an actor? It's something I suppose, just don't go there too often. You know, that road down there. Don't you think about taking it to that place.
Rated 29 Jul 2013
30
30th
Very predictable and features some truly terrible acting. Some of the central scare scenes managed to be pretty effective but didn't make up for everything else being amateurish drivel.
Rated 25 Sep 2013
72
28th
Pascow is the best incompetent spirit guide, and the best part of this film.
Rated 20 Oct 2013
5
4th
This movie is the one I hold as the worst horror movie I ever, ever saw. Nothing in this scared me - even the obligatory jump scenes didn't make me jump. It was like watching a kid do magic.
Rated 24 Feb 2014
70
26th
It's absolutely a B-movie but Pet Sematary is effectively unsettling. I think the end would have been more creepier if it just ended with his animated, gross corpse wife saying "Darling" which is how I believe the book ends, rather than the cheap "gotcha!" ending, but it's an effective film nonetheless, with some interesting enough meditations on death and some fantastically memorable scare sequences.
Rated 11 Jun 2014
75
86th
Pet Sematarrrrr
Rated 11 Aug 2014
50
28th
It's honestly more comical than scary, the story probably functions better as a novel if it's trying to be "scary".
Rated 14 Aug 2014
4
91st
I read it as a pre-teen so the fact this -incredibly camp- film is almost exactly as I imagined it then tickles. I love that they didn't care you could see the kid was having a great time, that midkiff was so mis-cast and gwynne is such a lovely presence. Never got the dislike for the book either though, it's a cool mix of guilt, grief, war truma, business, growing up, growing old...
Rated 08 Sep 2014
60
44th
Jud.

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