Review of Pet Sematary (1989) by Johnny T — 26 Apr 2011

"Pet Sematary" is as creepy as it is without bogging down in genre trappings is a rare miracle in horror circles. Director Mary Lambert trusts in the universality of her characters, their tightly drawn relationships with each other, and the insurmountable conflicts they face to carry the story forward. Pet Sematary delivers great scares, some pretty good acting, first rate plot, and mesmerizing make-up. Haunting, sorrowful and reverberatingly eerie. Haunting, sorrowful and reverberatingly eerie. Above all, Pet Sematary is a remarkably mature and thought-provoking look at the mysterious nature of death and the complexity of the grieving process. A true-blue bruise of a horror flick, packed with unsettling images, shocking demises, and a wonderfully apt sense of macabre humor. A ghost, a zombie cat, a murderous toddler, and Herman Munster... What's not to love?

VERDICT: "Full Price" - Second highest rating in the system (Positive to Mixed reaction). This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theater to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent...