The official press screening of Pet Sematary hasn’t taken place yet, but the early social media reactions and reviews from those who were lucky enough to attend South by Southwest 2019 are in and they’re nothing if not unequivocally positive. The film has been called “vicious” “brutal” and “one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date.”
Look, I’ve been pretty vocal in the past about my general disinterest of the horror genre. But over the past couple of years, that has slowly started to change all thanks to films like Get Out, A Quiet Place, Gerald’s Game as well as the thoroughly binge-worthy series The Haunting of Hill House. And these positive early critical reactions toward Pet Sematary only furthers my interest. I can’t wait to check this movie out during the press screening!
Here are some of the first reactions by critics who attended this year’s South by Southwest:
#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
#PetSematary is a fucking BLAST. Holy shit! I’m giddy right now. One of the best King adaptations to date!
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) March 17, 2019
#PetSematary (2019). Holy hell! Not only does it greatly improve upon the original film, but it manages to reach Kubrick/SHINING level heights! I was terrified, blown away and impressed. #SXSW
— Preston Barta @ SXSW (@PrestonBarta) March 17, 2019
#PetSematary got me. it’s scary as shit, it’s having tons of fun, it doesn’t skimp on gore, and it’s somehow even darker than the book. really impressed and satisfied. #SXSW19
— lindsey romain (@lindseyromain) March 17, 2019
#PetSematary hits you like a terrifying and emotional brick. The film manipulates the source material to its own morbid delight. The “big” change is just as effective and menacing as you’d expect it to me. This film is DARK. #SXSW
— Zomboy Productionz @ SXSW (@ZProductionz) March 17, 2019
Apart from these early Twitter reactions, some critics have also published their detailed reviews. As of right now, Pet Sematary has an 86% ‘fresh’ score (average rating: 7.9/10) on Rotten Tomatoes, with a total of 14 reviews counted.
Pet Sematary synopsis:
Dr Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his neighbour Jud Crandall, setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unspeakable evil with horrific consequences.
