Supernatural/Occult

Midsommar

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Dani has experienced recent emotional trauma. When her boyfriend invites her on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a solstice festival in Sweden, she thinks it is just what she needs. The sunny, idyllic location is the perfect setting for the festivities. Yet the rituals become increasingly bizarre and violent, threatening the lives of Dani and her friends.

Writer and director Ari Aster (Hereditary) has created another work of art with his sophomore feature film, Midsommar. This film takes on a different kind of cult that focuses more on the pastoral horror seen in films like The Wicker Man. The audience is first introduced to Dani as she is going through a very traumatic time in her life. She gets roped into what was supposed to be a guys’ trip to Sweden for a festival that only happens every 90 years in a remote village. The insanity that ensues is beautiful, disturbing, sometimes humorous, and everything in-between. Aster clearly has an affinity for paganism and cults and he takes great care in creating an intricate mythology.

There are two aspects of the film that give it quite a bit of intensity. The first is Dani’s emotional issues, which are exacerbated by the tension in her relationship with her boyfriend and the events of the festival. She is constantly at odds with her own emotions. Even when everything is falling apart around Dani, she tries her best to hold herself and her relationship together. The second is with the festival itself. While the events become increasingly horrific, there is an even deeper dilemma that arises with the rituals. Many of the outsiders who are in Sweden for the festival are anthropology students. They show how there is a delicate balance when observing different cultures. Sometimes what you see is horrifying to you, but from that culture’s perspective it is normal. I studied anthropology in college, so I can understand the moral quandary that comes from wanting to be respectful of different customs and cultures, even when faced with something shocking. The way the rituals in Midsommar gradually become more strange and violent allows for tension to build while also conveying the increasing difficulty the outsiders have in deciding when things have gone too far.

One of the most surprising plot points of Midsommar is the underlying theme of home and family. Home can mean different things to different people, but the common thread is usually having a place to belong and being around people who care about you. Much of Dani’s journey relates to family and the need to feel as if she’s at home. The character arc Aster creates in relation to Dani’s quest for that feeling of home is compelling and ends in an entirely satisfying way.

On top of the intricate and suspenseful story, Midsommar also has powerful performances. Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth, Malevolent) stars as Dani. Pugh makes Dani a fascinating and sympathetic character. Her portrayal especially shines when she conveys Dani’s emotional trauma in a way that is absolutely gut-wrenching. Jack Reynor (Free Fire, Sing Street) plays Dani’s boyfriend, Christian. In many ways Christian is the polar opposite of Dani. Reynor manages to make Christian a very unlikeable character, especially when he is gaslighting Dani and just generally being a terrible person. Normally it is important for couples in film to have great on-screen chemistry. That isn’t the case for Pugh and Reynor as their lack of chemistry only helps to tell the story of their unfortunate relationship.

After only two films, Aster has managed to create a signature style for his films. His films always have gorgeous production design, unique transitions between scenes, and he always has a simple signature sound used throughout the film. Most horror films are shrouded in darkness, yet Midsommar takes the opposite approach. Almost the entire film is drenched in sunlight and has vibrant colors. Not only does the outdoor setting have this appearance, but the various buildings in the Swedish village have this same quality. This is a bold choice that pays off because of how well Aster makes even the most cheery-looking place seem sinister. The cinematography helps to make the production design and the transitions even more eye-catching. In Hereditary, Aster used a slight clucking noise made by one of the stars to build tension throughout the film. Aster repeated this method in Midsommar, only this time it is with a strange, quick breath out and in. This sound is haunting and memorable. It takes the most innocuous sound and gives it an edge that can insight terror.

Midsommar brings terror into the light in this shocking pastoral horror film. Aster perfectly exemplifies his talents as both a director and a screenwriter, making it clear that he is a true master of horror. The film creates a fascinating pagan mythology set in a remote village, then builds on that mythology in disturbing ways. As if that isn’t compelling enough, Aster also uses Dani’s character to convey trauma and the human need for home. Pugh’s portrayal of Dani is haunting and will stick with audiences. There will likely be audience members who don’t like this film because it isn’t scary enough for them, because of the brightly lit setting, or because of some of the more strange rituals. I believe the film is a work of art and I can’t wait to see what Aster comes up with next.

OVERALL RATING: 9.5/10

The Funeral

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Zhong Tonghiu, a young model with a tragic past, receives an invitation to her aunt’s funeral. Even though this aunt isn’t a blood relative, and she hasn’t seen her in years, Tonghiu still decides to go. When she arrives at her aunt’s remote mansion, strange things begin to happen. Something sinister is happening and time is running out for Tonghiu.

The Portland Horror Film Festival was lucky enough to get The Funeral for its world premiere. The film comes all the way from China and was written and directed by Yujie Qiu in her directorial debut. With an atmospheric slow-burn style, The Funeral builds suspense as a strange mystery is unraveled. When we first meet Tonghiu it is when she experiences her mother’s suicide as a child. This leads to a lifetime of nightmares that only become worse when she goes to her late aunt’s mansion. Everyone in the remote mansion seems to have some sinister motive. The tension gradually grows until the climax of the film as Tonghiu tries to discover the truth.

While The Funeral tells a compelling story, the ending takes away from the overall impact of the film. I won’t go into too much detail of the actual ending, but I will say the ending makes sense after hearing the star of the film discuss it at PHFF. Leading lady Kunjue Li traveled all the way from London to be at the world premiere of The Funeral. The way she explained it to the audience after the film, there were multiple different endings filmed and she wasn’t aware of which one was chosen until she watched it with the rest of us. The ending chosen isn’t necessarily the best option to serve the plot, but Kunjue described the many rules and regulations involved in Chinese film. There is so much censorship that it is difficult to make any film, let alone a horror film. With this in mind the end of the film makes sense, but I can’t help but wonder how different the film would have turned out if it had been filmed in a country with less censorship.

Aside from the eerie story being told, The Funeral also has fantastic performances from the small cast. Everyone does a great job adding to the tension of the film, but there is one performance that truly makes this film stand out. Leading actress, Kunjue Li (Peaky Blinders, One Child) is completely entrancing as Tonghiu. She has a gentle innocence about her, but there is strength deep within that comes out as Tonghiu’s life is threatened. Kunjue even won the “Masque Rouge Award” at this year’s PHFF, which is given to the actor or actress the festival directors believe delivered the best performance.

Much of the eeriness of this film comes not only from the plot, but from the look of the film. The film is primarily set in a gorgeous yet dark mansion secluded in the countryside. What is especially impressive about the set design is that, whether in darkness or in bright light, there is an edge that implies something is wrong. There are also lovely visuals for the various dream sequences. Many of these scenes are filmed with a very soft focus, making it simple to determine what is reality and what is a dream.

The Funeral manages to be a compelling and chilling film, despite the lengths it has to go through to get through censorship regulations. The backflips Yuje clearly went through to make this film in China only proves her talent as a writer and director. She created a film that is fascinating, has great performances, and is beautiful to look at. Unfortunately the ending of the film suffers from having to follow China’s film censorship. Without the context of that censorship, I might not have appreciated the film quite as much. I would be curious to know what some of the other endings were and I hope audiences outside of China will get the opportunity to see them.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

Nightmare Cinema

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One by one, people are drawn to a seemingly abandoned movie theater. As they take a seat in the empty rows the lights go down and the projectors starts up. What these people see on screen is their worst nightmares. Each person must face their fears. Then they must face the projectionist.

Horror fan-favorite Mick Garris (Hocus Pocus, Sleepwalkers) brought his latest Masters of Horror-like film, Nightmare Cinema, to the Portland Horror Film Festival. In this film, Garris brought together other well-known horror directors to create an anthology that touches on many different subgenres. The connecting plot is by Garris himself and revolves around characters from each segment being drawn to the old movie theater. Once inside, a creepy projectionist shows them their greatest fears on the big screen. From there the film goes into different segments, each with a very different look, feel, and tone.

The first is written and directed by Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead, ABCs of Death) that starts out as an 80’s style slasher, but quickly turns into something else. Then the audience is shown the more horrific, if not darkly funny, side of plastic surgery directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling). From there we get a more traditional demonic possession segment directed by Ryûhei Kitamura (Midnight Meat Train, Versus) that has an epic climax. Writer and director David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) takes on the fourth segment with a black and white Twilight Zone-like story about a woman who is struggling to keep hold of her sanity as she sees monsters all around her. Finally, Garris returns in the last segment in his heartwarming supernatural thriller about a boy in a hospital who can see the dead.

What makes this anthology work so well is that each chapter feels entirely unique and independent from one another. Yet, at the same time, the overarching story of the projectionist and his empty theater acts as a fantastic connector between each segment. The film also delivers a little something that every horror fan can enjoy. There are parts that are in the realm of horror-comedy, some of it is supernatural and eerie, and there are even some aspects that venture into the sci-fi side of things. I personally enjoyed each chapter of the film, but even if others don’t, there will at least be one segment that tickles their fancy.

There are a wide array of acting styles in Nightmare Cinema, and each of them is incredibly entertaining. Each actor does a great job of molding their performances to fit with the tone of the segment they are acting in. There are a few select performances that stand out. One of the most powerful performances comes from Elizabeth Reaser (The Haunting of Hill House, Ouija: Origin of Evil) in Slade’s chapter, “This Way to Egress.” Reaser plays Helen, a mother struggling to determine if the world she sees around her is real or all in her mind. She acts with her entire body, showing the depth of her tension and anxiety in a powerful way. A surprise performance can be seen in Brugués’ segment, “The Thing in the Woods,” in the form of Sarah Elizabeth Withers in her first feature film role as Samantha. What I love about Withers’ performance is how she perfectly captures the acting style of classic 80’s slasher final girls. While these two performances are my favorite, it is a difficult decision to make because everyone truly does a wonderful job.

With each segment of Nightmare Cinema being completely different, there is a wide variety of effects used. For the most part the various chapters utilize practical effects. This can be seen in everything from corpses, extreme plastic surgery, people with monstrous faces, and more. All of it is beautifully done and enhances the stories being told. CGI effects are used a bit more sparingly, aside from certain scenes in “The Thing in the Woods” segment. The CGI in that story can look a bit cheesy, but it is in keeping with the classic 80’s theme. It is clear that a lot of thought was put into each effect and how they could be used to add visual interest to each chapter.

Nightmare Cinema brings together horror greats to create a variety of chilling tales to appeal to every kind of horror fan. Each chapter is completely unique when compared to the others and each one is highly entertaining. There are shocks, laughs, scares, and everything in between. The various segments are filled with fantastic performances and amazing effects that only help to make each story all the more fun to watch. Mick Garris clearly knows how to gather the best directors to create brilliant works of horror. I hope Nightmare Cinema is just the first in what has the potential to be a fantastic anthology franchise.

OVERALL RATING: 9/10

Satanic Panic

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Sam is strapped for cash, so she takes a job delivering pizzas. After a terrible first day, she makes one last delivery to a rich part of town. After the customer stiffs her on the tip, she finds her way into the house and in the middle of a Satanic cult. Now they want her for their virgin sacrifice.

One of the most anticipated films of this year’s Portland Horror Film Festival is Satanic Panic. The film is directed by Chelsea Stardust (All That We Destroy, Seeing Green), who has been making quite a splash in the horror industry this year. The story came from both Ted Geoghegan (Mohawk, We Are Still Here) and Grady Hendrix (Mohawk), with Hendrix helming the script. I went into the film blind to the plot and actors, but it was impossible to escape all the buzz around this film. I had heard so many great things, and luckily the film did not disappoint.

Satanic Panic takes on a classic 80’s feel. The idea of “satanic panic” was prevalent in the 80’s, plus the film is equal parts gore and laughs. It plays perfectly into the idea that people are rich got that way by making a deal with the devil. The plot follows Sam, who is the sweetest, kindest, most innocent young woman without being annoying. The audience watches as her first day as a pizza delivery girl goes from bad, to worse, to deadly. The resulting chaos is a perfect mix of gore and humor as Sam tries to avoid becoming a virgin sacrifice. Despite her innocent nature, Sam has a knack for getting herself into trouble and then accidentally getting out of trouble in unexpected ways. Her interactions with the cult members are hilarious and the dynamics within the cult are even more hilarious. Watching as Sam tries to stay alive is highly entertaining and takes the audience down some unexpected paths.

I mentioned before that I went into this film blind, so I was shocked at the star power behind Satanic Panic. The film stars relative newcomer Hayley Griffith (Drew, All My Children) as Sam. She is probably the most sweet and innocent character I have ever seen in a horror film. Yet Griffith does a great job of showing Sam’s inner demons and her surprising ability to get out of dangerous situations. One of the most surprising appearances and performances in the film is from Rebecca Romijn (X-Men, Femme Fatale) as the cult leader, Danica. It’s great to see a female leading the cult, and Romijn is both fierce and hilarious in her role. In a smaller role as Danica’s husband, Jerry O’Connell (Piranha 3D, Stand By Me) makes an appearance as Samuel. His role may be smaller, but O’Connell’s performance is still memorable and brings the laughs. Finally, there is Ruby Modine (Shameless, Happy Death Day) as Danica and Samuel’s daughter, Judy. Judy probably has some of the best lines, and Modine’s deadpan delivery of her outrageous dialogue is sure to make her a crowd favorite. All of the strong female leads give the film a welcomed feminist edge. The entire cast from top to bottom is truly hysterical and had many opportunities to go over the top with their performances, but they straddled the line perfectly.

The film utilizes some fantastic visual effects that also feel reminiscent of the 80’s. Satanic Panic delivers quite a bit of carnage as the cult hunts down their virgin. It’s all very well done, although I wouldn’t necessarily say the guts and gore are realistic. Instead the filmmakers opted to stay with the 80’s feel and make the gore a bit more campy and bright red, which only adds to the humor of the film. There is even a running theme with the use of vibrant red between the gore and the outfits worn by the cult. It is a simple identifier to show the audience who is evil that packs a visual punch. On top of that the film has some gorgeous set design and even a bit of creepy creature design, making the film as stunning as it is funny.

Satanic Panic is a delightful gore-fest that delivers side-splitting laughs horror fans will absolutely adore. It further proves 2019 is becoming the year of Chelsea Stardust. The characters, the humor, the blood and guts, and the various twists and turns are perfectly balanced in this crowd-pleasing film. It is also the kind of film that is best seen on the big screen where you can laugh out loud along with the audience. You can still catch it on the big screen while Satanic Panic is still on it’s festival run, then it will be released in theaters and VOD on September 6th.

OVERALL RATING: 9.5/10

Stay Out Stay Alive

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A group of friends goes on a camping trip. While on a nighttime stroll through the woods, one of the friends falls into an old mine shaft. When the rest of the group finds her, they also discover gold in the mine. They decide to mine what gold they can, but as each of them feels the power of greed and paranoia, it soon becomes clear something supernatural is at work.

Stay Out Stay Alive had it’s world premier at the Portland Horror Film Festival. While he is known for his visual effects work in films such as Iron Man and Star Trek, this is Dean Yurke’s feature film debut as writer and director. Stay Out Stay Alive is noted as being based on a true story. I was lucky enough to hear Yurke speak about his film at the festival (and he is an absolutely delightful human). He explained the true aspects of the film are almost split into two parts; half of the truth is a true Native American curse, the other half is people often disappear or die in caves and mines. This inspiration lead to a tension filled slow-burn with some great frights thrown in the mix.

The plot follows a group of five friends. When they stumble upon the mine, the girl who has fallen in is trapped under a rock, but they all choose to dig for the gold before finding help since what they are doing is illegal. What starts out innocently enough quickly escalates as the group becomes paranoid, greedy, and deadly. One of the things I really love about the plot in Stay Out Stay Alive is that there is a supernatural element, but it isn’t the true threat. The curse is only really a punishment rather than a murderous force. It is the friends who end up being the true danger as their lust for gold grows exponentially. This aspect of Stay Out Stay Alive is vital because it makes it clear the Native Americans are not the villains of the film. The film ultimately becomes a commentary on things like greed, the destruction of sacred land, and the murder of Native Americans.

Often times, smaller budget indie horror films are hit or miss when it comes to the acting. The performances across the board in Stay Out Stay Alive are fantastic. One stand out is Brandon Wardle (Frisky, Bumblebee) as Reese. Wardle’s portrayal of Reese is truly disturbing as he goes from a typical jock to completely paranoid as his greed takes over. The change can be seen through both his performance and also in his body language and facial expressions. Another strong performance comes from Brie Mattson (Eastwick, D-Railed) as Bridget. Similar to Wardle’s performance, Mattson shows Bridget as she goes from the stereotype of a ditzy blonde to the surprising voice of reason in the group. Equally entertaining to watch are Sage Mears (Half-Dragon Sanchez), Christina July Kim (Dropping the S Bomb), William Romano-Pugh (January Jaguar), and the ever-amazing Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator) as Ranger Susanna. The way all the actors play off of each other helps to build the tension throughout the film.

With Yurke’s background in visual effect, it’s no wonder Stay Out Stay Alive has some stunning visual aspects. The first thing audiences will notice is the interesting camera work and cinematography. Yurke works in some unique angles and framing that is unlike what I have seen in other films. He perfectly uses nature as a mechanism to build suspense without the need for elaborate effects. The CGI effects Yurke does use are subtle. It allows for the supernatural elements to enhance the tension from the friends’ strained relationships rather than being the focus. There is one bigger effect saved for the climax of the film. It is still somewhat subtle, but it creates a compelling image for the audience that is spine-chilling.

Stay Out Stay Alive is a suspenseful descent into the power of greed that shows Yurke’s potential as a filmmaker. Not only is the film bubbling with tension, but it also sends a powerful underlying moral and social message to the audience. Yurke smartly opted for more subtle effect, despite his visual background, which allowed the characters and the suspense to carry the plot. The film also boasts a terrific ensemble cast, as well as the star-power of Barbara Crampton. This was not a film I went to the Portland Horror Film Festival knowing anything about, but it is definitely one I recommend horror fans seek out.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

The Nightshifter

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Stênio works the night shift at a morgue in Brazil. While his life seems fairly mundane, there is one thing that makes Stênio unique; he can speak to the dead. Each night he communicates with the dead who end up on his slab. When Stênio messes with forces more powerful than he understands, he unwittingly unleashes his own hell on Earth.

This frightening Brazilian film is an adaptation of the novel by Marco de Castro. Cláudia Jouvin (Alone Man) co-wrote the adaptation with director Dennison Ramalho (ABC’s of Death 2). What makes The Nightshifter so fascinating is the unique mythology it creates. The film quickly established Stênio’s ability to speak with the dead and that he has always had this ability. Yet he keeps it a secret and it is not revealed why he has this strange gift. For the most part all the dead can do is talk. That is, until Stênio breaks the rules of the dead and unleashes an evil that is dedicated to ruining his life. Unfortunately, this is also where the mythology gets a little foggy. The rules are not well established and result in a bit of confusion as to what the dead are capable of doing.

One thing the filmmakers of The Nightshifter are very skilled at is the building of tension. Even when the dead are not a threat, there is something absolutely disturbing about them. As things get more intense, the suspense becomes palpable. Some of the most tense scenes involve an evil entity attempting to make Stênio appear as though he’s insane. Many of the scares are also quite effective. I watched the film on a computer during the day and certain scenes still managed to make my hair stand on end. I can only imagine how terrifying the film would be on a bigger screen in the dark. While for the most part the film has great intensity, the pacing is a bit off in certain areas. It leads to strange lulls interspersed throughout the tension and makes the film seem like it goes on longer than it truly does.

The performances in The Night Shifter are all fantastic, even if some of the characters aren’t that well written. Daniel de Oliveira (Liquid Truth, Boca) is a delight to watch as Stênio. He may not be perfect, but Stênio is dedicated to his work and clearly loves his children. When his children are in danger, he does his best to protect them. Oliveira commands attention every time he’s on screen. While the female leads are written as unfortunate stereotypes, the performances are fantastic. Fabiula Nascimento (492, A Wolf at the Door) plays Stênio’s wife, Odete. She is the stereotype of the bitchy, unfaithful wife who seems to hate her husband. Bianca Comparato (3%, In Treatment) plays the virginal, sweet, and helpful Lara. Both Nascimento and Comparato play their characters well despite the archetypes they represent. I can only imagine these are how the women were written in the book, but I wish the filmmakers had made these women a bit more complex.

There are some really great effects used in the film. The Nightshifter utilizes a combination of CGI and practical effects in order to achieve gorgeous imagery and spine-chilling frights. For the most part, the bodies in the morgue are made to look gruesome through practical effects. It is nearly impossible to tell these are not real bodies, even during the autopsy scenes. The CGI comes in when the dead talk to Stênio. There appears to be CGI layered over the face of the cadavers to create a truly eery and disturbing appearance. The filmmakers also smartly utilize lighting in their favor, illuminating scenes in a way that draws focus to a specific area while also making the film beautiful to look at.

The Nightshifter is a spine-chilling tale that shows one should never meddle with the dead. While I’m not familiar with the source material, Ramalho and Jouvin clearly delivered an effective adaptation. It brings plenty of tension and scares, along with fantastic performances. There are some areas where the pacing falters a bit and the female characters leave something to be desired. Despite that, the film is still an achievement in Brazilian filmmaking. Horror fans, be sure to thank Shudder for bringing such a beautiful film to the states.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

Pet Sematary (2019)

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The Creeds move to a rural farmhouse in Maine to live a simpler life away from the city. They soon discover that a burial ground sits in the woods on their property where children bury their beloved pets. Yet it’s what lies beyond the little pet cemetery they should be worried about.

Depending on how you look at the film, it is both an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel and a remake of the 1989 film of the same name. This latest iteration is written by Jeff Buhler (The Prodigy, Midnight Meat Train) and directed by duo Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer of Starry Eyes fame. While the film is based on Stephen King’s book, it took some liberties in the plot to create something a bit new for audiences. One thing this film did a great job of is capturing the mysticism of the Micmac burial ground beyond the pet cemetery. This is done by including a lot of the mythology from the book that was lost in the 1989 film such as the history of the land, the eeriness of the journey to the burial ground, and the legend of the wendigo. The filmmakers also emphasized the eeriness of this place through atmosphere and tension. It captures this aspect of the book very well while also conveying the grief the Creed family experiences after losing a child. Fans of Stephen King will notice a few cleverly placed Easter eggs along the way as well. These nods to the original literature, and to King himself, show the audience the filmmakers are doing their best to honor the source material, even though there are a few major changes to the plot.

Another successful aspect is the terror the film brings. Most of this is achieved through artistic means. The strange atmosphere of the swamp and the burial ground often is shrouded in darkness and made eerie with fog and strange noises. This is thanks primarily to fantastic set design and beautiful cinematography. From the pet cemetery itself to the Micmac burial ground, it is quite haunting to look at and only gets more eerie as the film progresses. The practical effects of the film are also absolutely stunning. The makeup effects for the living dead characters, even Church the cat, are perfectly done and utterly frightening. While I believe the daughter would be very disfigured after the crash we see on screen, I do still love how they were able to make her skin look gaunt and translucent with blue veins showing through the skin. The makeup effects on Zelda, who fans of the book and 1989 film will no doubt remember, are especially grotesque. They managed to not only make Zelda one of the most terrifying aspects of the film, but they did it both with amazing prosthetics and simply through the sounds she makes. It all combines to make a nightmarish film.

While I believe Pet Sematary does a great job of creating a dark and frightening film focusing on the burial ground, there are certain aspects of the plot that don’t work as well for me. One of the biggest issues is simply poor advertising. While I know this isn’t necessarily the fault of the filmmakers, it is still enough of a problem to be worth mentioning. In the film there are two parts where there is great effort and time put into building up certain scenes. This build up is always a reference to the 1989 film, leading the audience to expect one thing to happen, before suddenly having something unexpected happen. This is a brilliant tactic, yet the advertising ruined it. In both of these instances the “big twists” were already revealed in the trailer. I can only imagine the shock audiences would have experienced if these aspects had been kept under wraps. It ends up taking all the tension out of the scenes because we already know the scenes aren’t going to end up the way they appear. Another problem I have with the film is simply how it ended. I won’t get into specifics, but I will say not only did the film just end on an odd note, but I also feel like it completely negates the mythology created by King. This mythology is even referenced towards the beginning of the film, making the ending fall flat.

It is difficult not to compare the 1989 film to the 2019 Pet Sematary, especially when it comes to the acting. The 1989 film is great, don’t get me wrong, but there are some highly overacted moments. Luckily, this film has outstanding performances. Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Everest) plays Dr. Louis Creed. The emotion behind Clarke’s performance is heartbreaking to watch. Louis is such an endearing, although misguided character, and Clarke portrays him very well. The true breakout star of the film is Jeté Laurence (The Snowman, The Ranger) as Ellie Creed. The change in Laurence’s performance between when Ellie is alive vs undead is absolutely shocking and breathtaking. It is almost as if it is two different people playing the same character. More fantastic performances come from John Lithgow (Interstellar, Twilight Zone: The Movie) as the kindly old neighbor Jud and Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant, You’re Next) as the death-fearing wife Rachel Creed.

Pet Sematary manages to breath some new life into a story horror fans know and love. Kölsch and Widmyer’s directing skills perfectly capture the mystical elements present in King’s book, as well as the grief of losing a loved one. The film fell prey to some very poor advertising choices, revealing the secrets of the updated plot all too soon. On top of that, the ending is a very odd choice that will most likely polarize many lovers of the book and original film. I for one, thought the ending was a bizarre choice that didn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the film. Luckily, the amazing scares, gorgeous practical effects, and superb performances are incredibly enjoyable to watch. These successful elements make Pet Sematary a must-watch film.

OVERALL RATING: 7.5/10