Pet Sematary (2019)

“Sometimes death is better, but Hollywood likes playing necromancy”

Lets start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

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🧾 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

This film is divisive. I like it, but compared to the original Pet Sematary (1989), a lot of fans rank this as the weaker one. The story is more modern, the themes are heavier, and the atmosphere is depressing. It’s an R-rated horror film with some gore and some really unsettling imagery, though it’s not a gore-fest.

The Creed family — dad Louis, mom Rachel, daughter Ellie, and baby Gage — move into a house in the woods. Nearby is the “Pet Sematary” (yes, spelled that way), a creepy burial ground where the neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) warns them about local legends.

The film plays a lot with grief, trauma, and the cost of not letting go. Louis is a skeptic, Rachel hates talking about death because of her traumatic past, and Ellie is a curious kid who ends up in the crosshairs of it all.

Overall: it’s creepy, moody, and bleak. Not perfect, but worth a watch.


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👥 Character Rundown

Louis Creed (Jason Clarke): The dad, a doctor, skeptic, trying to protect his daughter from death… and making the worst choices imaginable.

Rachel Creed (Amy Seimetz): The mom, haunted by her sister’s gruesome death as a child. She avoids all conversations about God and mortality.

Ellie Creed (Jeté Laurence): The daughter, curious, sweet, then resurrected as something unrecognizable.

Gage Creed (the baby): Minor role, but his fate is left chillingly ambiguous.

Jud Crandall (John Lithgow): The neighbor who knows too much about the cemetery but still helps Louis anyway.



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⏱️ Pacing / Flow

The movie moves in slow burns. It sets up Rachel’s trauma, the family dynamic, the neighbor’s warnings, then escalates with the death of the cat and eventually Ellie. From there it shifts into full-blown grief horror with Louis’ decisions unraveling everything. The third act is where it goes fully unhinged.


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✅ Pros

Creepy atmosphere and tone.

Jeté Laurence as Ellie is great both as an innocent child and a chilling undead monster.

John Lithgow’s Jud is a strong presence.

The ending is brutal and uncompromising.



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❌ Cons

Pacing is uneven. Slow first half, then rushed final act.

Doesn’t always land the emotional beats compared to the book or 1989 version.

Some of the Wendigo mythology feels shoehorned in.

Gore is lighter than it could be for an R rating.

💭 Final Thoughts

This version of Pet Sematary doesn’t hold back on the bleakness. It leans into trauma, grief, and inevitability. It’s not perfect — pacing is off, mythology is muddled — but it nails the sheer horror of refusing to let go. The ending sticks with you.

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⭐ Rating

8/10. Creepy, unsettling, and worth a watch if you’re into bleak horror, but flawed in execution.


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⚠️ Spoiler Warning

Alright, here’s where we dig into the meat of it. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and want to, back out now. Full spoilers ahead.


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🩸 Spoilers (Full In-Depth Breakdown)

Rachel’s Past:
We learn early that Rachel hates talking about death. Flashbacks show why: her sister Zelda had a degenerative spinal disease. It twisted her body to the point her spine stuck out grotesquely, leaving her bedridden. Rachel was terrified of Zelda’s room. One night, her parents told her to bring food to Zelda — but not to use the dumbwaiter (because it was broken). She disobeyed, put the tray inside anyway. Zelda tried to get the food herself, and the dumbwaiter crashed down. Rachel opened the door and saw her sister’s crushed, half-mangled corpse. Since then, she’s lived with survivor’s guilt.

The Hospital Warning:
Louis works at a hospital. A patient comes in mangled from a car accident, skull cracked open, part of his brain exposed. He dies… but wakes up briefly to warn Louis about the “Pet Sematary.” It’s the first big red flag.

Church the Cat:
When Ellie’s beloved cat Church dies, Louis can’t bear to tell her. Jud takes him to the burial ground beyond the Pet Sematary — “the ground is sour.” They bury Church, and the cat returns the next day. Only he’s different. Matted fur, dull eyes, violent. It’s no longer “their” cat. It’s something else.

The Wendigo Myth:
Jud explains (sort of) that the cursed burial ground is linked to a Wendigo spirit. The forest itself possesses him to tell Louis things he shouldn’t, then Jud doesn’t remember saying it. Creepy detail: the Wendigo’s influence isn’t direct, but it’s there, manipulating grief.

Ellie’s Death:
At Ellie’s birthday party, she sees Church in the road. She runs after him. A speeding truck barrels down the highway. Louis and Rachel scream, but it’s too late. Ellie is struck and killed. It’s brutal, sudden, and devastating.

Louis’ Choice:
Rachel leaves to grieve with her family, taking Gage with her. Louis, wrecked with grief, does the unthinkable. He exhumes Ellie’s body, takes it to the burial ground, and buries her.

Ellie Returns:
Ellie comes back — but not as herself. Her skin is pale, greyish, her eyes cold. She moves differently, speaks with a dead monotone, and her demeanor is terrifying. It’s still Ellie’s body, but the soul is gone.

Jud’s Death:
Jud realizes what Louis did. He tries to stop Ellie, but she brutally murders him in his own house. One of the film’s most violent kills.

Rachel’s Death:
Rachel comes back home, only to discover her daughter “alive.” She’s horrified. Ellie kills her too, stabbing her viciously.

Louis’ Death:
Louis finally faces what he’s done — but it’s too late. Ellie kills him as well.

The Baby’s Fate:
The family’s youngest, Gage, is locked in the car during the massacre. The final shot strongly hints that undead Ellie (now reunited with undead Mom and Dad) is going to kill him too. The family is wiped out.

The Ending:
The movie closes on the bleakest note possible: the family, once alive and whole, is now united only in death and undeath. Sometimes dead is better.