Spooky season isn’t just reserved for October

Before “Pet Semetary,” people weren’t afraid of cats.

While this may not be entirely true, it has to be at least partially true.

Recently, a remake of the 1989 film adaptation of the book by Stephen King hit the big screens.

Without previous biases from the book (because I haven’t read it yet), I was able to watch “Pet Semetary” without knowing what was going to happen.

Needless to say, I was horrified and surprised.

The 2019 version of the film was produced by Di Bonaventura Pictures, and they did a spectacular job with the cinematography.

The opening credits feature drone footage above thick forestry where the haunted Pet Semetary lays hidden, waiting for Dr. Louis Creed (played by Jason Clarke) and his family to discover it.

The movie begins like any other horror flick where the family packs up and leaves the big city life to slow down in a rural town.

Through their hardships, Louis and his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) comfort each other on the first night in their new house with the cliché, “We needed this,” as they hold each other and reassure themselves they made the right choice to uproot their lives.

Unfortunately for the Creeds, they made the wrong choice.

Tragedy strikes on the eve of their daughter Ellie’s (Jeté Laurence) ninth birthday.

Ellie spots her beloved cat Church in the middle of the road who had been missing for days.

Church hasn’t been the same since he went missing. That’s because Louis buried him in the Pet Semetary where he was reincarnated at the instruction of their neighbor Jud (John Lithgow).

Ellie runs to the rescue of her pal, but she dies at the hands of a reckless semi-truck driver.

Rachel takes their son Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie) to stay at her parents’ house for a few days following the burial of Ellie, but Louis isn’t ready to say goodbye.

Despite the warnings from Jud, Louis unearths his daughter and brings her to the Pet Semetary, where eventually the whole family will live on together forever.

Without knowing if this remake follows the Stephen King’s storyline exactly, the film adaptation was chilling. There were several times where I felt the need to look away, but I couldn’t, drawn in by the thrill.

Being one to appreciate a good horror film, this movie didn’t disappoint. Was it exceptional? No. Did it knock my socks off? No.

But it was as enjoyable as a it can be to sit through a horror film without the storyline being entirely predictable like some scary movies can be.