Pet Sematary Documentary: Unearthed & Untold The Path To Pet Sematary

photo credit  HERE

Are you a fan of the Mary Lambert Pet Sematary adaptation?  I am!  And I'm not alone.  The above picture comes from Michael Shapcott, who explains that this is a picture of Gage and Church. . . as zombies.   Nice!

It seems Pet Sematary has made a lasting impression on American culture.

If you're a fan of the Lambert film, GOOD NEWS! Chris Alexander at Fangoria has posted news that John Campopiano is making a documentary about the movie titled "UNEARTHED & UNTOLD: THE PATH TO PET SEMATARY."

Calling it the "most in-depth and comprehensive documentary on the making of Pet Sematary," Campopiano has already conducted over 24 interviews with cast, crew and Maine locals.  Alexander notes in the Fangoria article that the majority of these people have not been previously interviewed on camera about their role.

Campopiano says, 

“What we’re attempting to do is take a deeper look at the making of PET SEMATARY. What stories and memories do local Maine residents have of the production? How was the production documented in the local media (television, magazine, and newspaper stories)? What did the production do for Hancock County and the greater Maine communities? Our goal is to show the unique bridging of a relatively small Hollywood production with a small Maine community who continue to think highly of its involvement in the film. In addition to cast and crew memories, the local experiences of those in Maine, and the film’s portrayal in the local media, we’re also seeking to explore the legacy the film has established and how its core themes are being taught and explored in the film and academic worlds.”

The full Fangoria article is HERE

Mary Lambert and The Feminine Side of Fear.

Mary Parker at examiner.com has a great article titled, "Female-Directed Horror: Pet Sematary (1989)."  (HERE)

The director of Pet Sematary was Mary Lambert, and she offered up one scary movie!

Parker writes, "Of all the Stephen King adaptations, this. . . seems to be the one that no one talks about."  Isn't that the truth?  Parker offers some reasons why she thinks this is less discussed than other King movies, including it's focus on bad things happening to children.  "one thing is for sure: this film is scary."  OH YEAH!

I think Pet Sematary is a great movie.  I am glad to see it getting some credit as a first rate horror movie.  And, I also find it faithful to the tone of the novel.  It is unrelentingly dark.  In fact, think about it, it takes the deepest hope of Christianity -- resurrection -- and gives it a dark twist.  What if coming back wasn't such a great thing! 

Parker says,

"Many people thought the film wouldn’t be as hard-hitting as the novel because it was directed by a woman, but, as Stephen King said, “I can’t imagine it being any more horrific than it already is.”

Wait, one more quote. . . because it's just that good!  Parker is so enthusiastic about Pet Sematary, and Lambert's direction, she says,

"what makes Lambert such a great director for horror: she doesn’t flinch. Even when someone is getting a scalpel to the eye, she doesn’t cut away." 

Ahhh, I love it!

The Stephen King Collection

One of my favorite purchaces this summer was the Stpehen King Collection. It is a set of four DVD's. For the price, this a great set. Two of the films are collectors editions, meaning that they have special stuff on the DVD.
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Favorite Movie in the set: Pet Sematary. This ia great movie! Fantastically dark --it is an unapologitica horror film. Don't you hate to watch a horror film that feels like it really needs to be a morality tale, or give us something good. This is just a straight forward dark story.
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The DVD includes a commentary by Mary Lambert, who would later direct Pet Sematary 2. Her commetnary is interesting and she remains enthusiastic about the project.
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Also included are: "tephen King Territory" , "The Characters" and "Filming the Horror." These three are realy just one documentary, behind the scenes stuff, that have been broken up for easier access. (Or to make it look like there's ore special features)
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Actually, I bought the entire set for this one movie. (It cost the same on Amazon at the time).
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The Dead Zone is also a collectors edition. Special features include: Memories from the Dead Zone, The Look of the Dead Zone, Visions and HOrror from the Dead Zone, the Politics o the Dead Zone and the theatrical trailer.
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Graveyard Shift is the clunker in the set. A real dud in my opinion. This movie, unlike the short story in Night Shift, is not at all scary. It does not have intereting characters. Come on, another story about a drifter -- one more David Banner. Most of all, the movie isn't intersting. Honestly, rats getting bigger and bigger fails to be interesting because size isn't what makes a rat scary. I know, the same idea was present in the original story, but it was scarier on paper. A thousand rats are scary -- one big rat, not so much.
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Silver Bullet surprised me. I liked this movie a lot! It's not scary, but who can expect the adaptation of a calander to be scary? But it is good story telling. The chracters are interesting and I was surprised by how good the special effects were. At times the movie is touching, if not a little bit sappy.