Review of Pet Sematary II (1992) by Thequietgamer — 03 Oct 2017

The first Pet Sematary was a good adaptation in that it followed the plot of the book very closely. Where it stumbled was in it's execution. Bad acting, poor direction, and some obviously terrible special effects plagued the experience. The results were a movie that could really only hold a place in the hearts of fans of the novel or the most forgiving of horror fans. This sequel sees Mary Lambert returning in the director's seat to revisit the concept. Only this time with an original plot that Stephen King didn't create. This time around what we get is far superior.

Lambert shows more talent behind the camera. The improved visual effects make the action much more believable. The original story isn't half-bad. It's a little darker and a little meaner than it's predecessor, while still carrying the same morbid tone. The biggest and most important improvement to be found in this sequel is the acting. The cast this time around proves much more talented than the last bunch. There's not a wooden performance among them. It's this kind of stuff that makes for a more respectable movie. One that has the potential to do more than just satisfy those who read the source material. It's a dark, harsh tale that may even be a little mean-spirited here and there. Yet the concept is still appealing and with Lambert stepping up her game as a director it's hard to not be pulled in. If you can get past the overall morbidity that was inherent in the book that lead to this movie's creation, there's a pretty great horror film to be found here. One with a solid story and characters you can actually care about. So in a sense it captures the spirit of the book better than the first movie did despite it being an actual direct adaptation of it. It feels more like an adaptation of a Stephen King story than most of the actual adaptations do.