First Pet Sematary reactions praise this twisted, vicious King adaptation

March 18th 2019, 9:53am

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Adapting Stephen King’s stories into movies and shows is nothing new in Hollywood, but we’ve been going through a bit of a renaissance as of late with PET SEMATARY the latest in a batch of new movies. But the question was for some time will it be more like 2017’s IT – a crowd-pleasing (and scaring) monster hit – or will it be more like that same year’s DARK TOWER – which is, what some might call, a movie. The new adaptation from Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (STARRY EYES) premiered at SXSW over the weekend to a theater full of eager viewers and reports out of the screening are that we should be looking forward to when this “twisted,” “vicious,” and “disturbing” movie finally hits theaters.

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PET SEMATARY was one of the last movies to screen at SXSW in Austin, Texas, a festival which also left critics and viewers buzzing about another major horror flick – Jordan Peele’s US. Those who left SEMATARY – including our own Jimmy O – were seemingly left completely jarred, the consensus being the directing duo had a clear, dark vision for what they wanted to achieve with the material and were unrelenting in their execution. Kind of makes you wonder just how terrifying Church the cat is this time around.

Here’s a selection of reactions, and be sure to stay tuned for our own review soon:

So @petsematarymov fucked me up pretty good. #SXSW19 @joblocom

— Jïmm¥†ð†hêð (@JimmytotheO) March 17, 2019

#PetSematary delivers a solid sense of dread from start to finish. It earns its well-timed jump scares, and terrific sound design and gnarly effects add extra layers of creepy. I think King fans will dig it.
Move over Goose, it’s Church’s turn.#sxsw pic.twitter.com/jqkuLKOfWq

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) March 17, 2019

#PetSematary has the kind of serious balls any good adaptation should have. The themes and encroaching dread of King’s novel are alive and well, but there are enough clever deviations to give diehard fans some welcome surprises. Big ups all around, but Seimetz is a legend. #SXSW

— Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch) March 17, 2019

#PetSematary is *vicious* and I LOVED it. Super brutal visuals and was thrilled to see Widmyer & Kölsch fully embrace the deeply unsettling themes of mortality from the book. And WOW Jeté Laurence. They really pushed it with this adaptation & it worked for me – big time. ???? #sxsw

— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) March 17, 2019

Lots (and lots) of thoughts on the new #PetSematary to come, but for now, what I will say is this: holy hell do I respect how bananas it gets in the third act. Absolutely not what I was expecting AT ALL.

— Heather Wixson (@thehorrorchick) March 17, 2019

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#PetSematary is a hoot and a half! Super dark, twisted, gory, and surprisingly funny! More of a dark comedy than the original movie, and it all works once the fucked up third act kicks in. The cast is fantastic. Jeté Laurence is a revelation! What a way to end #SXSW

— Rafael Motamayor @ SXSW (@GeekWithAnAfro) March 17, 2019

THEY DID IT. #PetSematary is a truly disturbing reimagining of @StephenKing’s most terrifying novel. THAT change makes so much sense now. #sxsw pic.twitter.com/lvCNuzoRAJ

— Bad Feeling Mag (@badfeelingmag) March 17, 2019

So, the new @petsematarymov is GREAT. A worthy adaptation of one of King’s darkest, most difficult books. Makes a few changes, some that work very well, but some small things I missed. However, some MAJOR beats really hit (including one I feared they wouldn’t do… BUT THEY DID!) pic.twitter.com/HEcBRcljkL

— Sean O'Connell (@Sean_OConnell) March 17, 2019

Like the best King adaptations, PET SEMATARY isn’t 100% faithful to the text, but the spirit. This movie is BLEAK (but also surprisingly funny at times). And yes, the Ramones song played over the credits and I CHEERED.

— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) March 17, 2019

There have been a lot of great Stephen King adaptations lately, but PET SEMATARY feels the most perfectly, specifically Stephen King. It’s just what I want out of this movie in every single way, and that includes SUPER scary. So crazy happy with it. #sxsw

— Meredith Borders (@xymarla) March 17, 2019

#PetSematary: It’s creepy! There’s a lot of creepy evil kiddo wickedness! I like the “flip!” I yelped in joy during the end credits because, well, yeah! A solid close to #SXSW.

— Howlin’ Matt Donato survived SXSW (@DoNatoBomb) March 17, 2019

PET SEMATARY hits theaters April 5.