(intense creepy music)
(bone cracking)
- We have a second chance.
- Sometimes dead is better.
(funky surfer music)
- We are living in the golden age
of Stephen King adaptations.
Yeah, there were some beauties in the 80s and 90s,
but let's face it, we have reached a point
where sensibilities and effects are ready
for King's twisted mind like never before
and we are reaping the benefits.
Which is why it's so exciting to be staring down
new adaptations of some of his best work, like Pet Sematary.
The story follows the Creed family
transplanted from the bustle of Boston to rural Maine
where Louis has accepted a position
with the university's health service
and find themselves living on a road
that's been known to use up animals.
Forming fast friends with their neighbor Jud Crandall
who introduces with to a pet cemetery
that lurks in the woods behind their home.
When tragedy strikes the Creed family,
Jud presents a solution that unleashes an unfathomable evil.
Now, most of us are familiar with the story
and are following along, but it's at this point
the new adaptation takes a major pivot
from what we all know.
It's in the trailer, so if you've seen that
you know what's coming, but I'm gonna say
spoiler alert anyway just to be safe.
So, yeah, spoiler alert!
Okay, are we good, is it safe?
All right, here we go.
In this version of the story,
it's not Gage, the Creed's toddler, who was killed
and brought back by the powers of the cemetery,
it's their daughter Ellie.
This has stirred up a lot of debate and chatter online.
Yeah, it's a big departure as far as fans are concerned,
but the filmmakers had reasons for their choice.
There's stuff in the book that you just can't get
out of a three-year-old, both in terms of performance
but also as a reaction when you see a kid that small do it.
And the big thing is, even though she's older than Gage,
Ellie is still a child, and making it the older child
works for a number of reasons and also gives the ability
to build story and relationships in ways
that you just couldn't get out of such a young actor.
Having it happen to Ellie allows the character
to develop in ways you just can't have happen
in a film with Gage, a toddler,
which makes the consequences have more weight.
And beyond the character development and interactions,
it also saves the audiences from seeing
an animatronic doll or CGI toddler running around
which, let's face it, grounds the story a bit
and ramps up the scare factor.
All in all, I am firmly rooted in the camp
who is on board for this change
and think it allows us to get more scares
and visceral reactions that King's book carries.
This brings us back to being in the golden age of King.
The adaptations we got of King's works
in the 80s were great, but a lot of them
were practically run off an assembly line.
Here we're seeing filmmakers adapt the work to their medium
and find ways to present the story
while still maintaining King's intentions.
From what I've seen so far,
this new adaptation of Pet Sematary will deliver
a frightening film that lives up to the belief
that it's some of King's scariest work.
You can decide for yourself this week.
Pet Sematary is in theaters on April 5th.
So what do you think of the big change?
What King film do you wanna see readapted?
Let us know in the comments and remember,
Fright Hype and Crypt TV are all over the internet.
Until next time,
keep the horror on the screen and off the streets.
I'll see you then!