Stephen King says Pet Sematary: Bloodlines takes liberties

Last Updated on September 29, 2023

It’s not only children that tell the truth after all…Author Stephen King has taken to social media to let people know that the upcoming prequel film Pet Sematary: Bloodlines isn’t entirely faithful to his original vision, as the scripts takes some “liberties” with the story.

Posting to X/Twitter this week, Stephen King gave a brief rundown of the upcoming Pet Sematary prequel: “BLOODLINES: In the book, this is the story Jud Crandall tells Louis Creed to try and dissuade him from using the Pet Sematary. The screenplay takes a few liberties, but it’s a fine story. David Duchovny is excellent. The secret, as always, is caring about the characters.” Preach it, Stevie!

Bloodlines follows “a young Jud Crandall in 1969, who has dreams of leaving his hometown behind but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history that will forever keep him connected to the town. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding and, once unearthed, has the power to destroy everything in its path.” Crandall was played by the great Fred Gwynne in the original Pet Sematary and later by John Lithgow in the 2019 adaptation.

It’s this version that Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is more closely linked to, as it’s specifically set 50 years before those events. Stephen King had no direct involvement with the 2019 film but turned out to be totally fine with some of the changes made from his 1983 novel, warning fans that it was indeed a “scary movie”. While we don’t know everything King thinks about Bloodlines, that he’s merely calling it “fine” might cause some to have suspicions on his true feelings. One thing is for sure, though: fans will be getting the blood that comes along with the story.

The first Pet Sematary, which Stephen King actually adapted himself, was released in 1989. He wisely avoided the 1992 sequel.

This month’s Fantastic Fest will host the premiere of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines before it hits Paramount+ just in time for Halloween on October 6th.