Alternate Ending Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary 2019

This is not a review.  It’s my discussion points on the movie Pet Sematary.

If you haven’t seen the movie – see the movie.  If you need to be told not to read spoilers before you see a movie, you’re seriously reading the wrong blog.  Everything here is about what’s on the screen.

The new Pet Sematary takes us down old familiar roads while offering generous doses of new scenery.  Or, so it would seem.  The movie begins with familiar setting, familiar family, familiar plot line.  A doctor and his family move into a small college town in Maine to get away from the busy life and have more time with their kids.

About the time the viewer thinks they know what is going to happen, the movie pulls the rug out from under you.

The changes are considerable, deep, and the results are an almost entirely new story.  A scarier story.  In fact, a much better story.

Here are a few very successful changes:

1. Ellie not Gage.
The most striking change is that it is Ellie who gets whacked by the truck.  This is the most important part of the rewrite because it changes the tone and direction of the entire movie.  In the original, Gage was so small, he couldn’t talk.  The result was, he simply became a killing machine.  It was fun, if not a little hollow.  In the new version, Ellie comes back aware that something has happened to her.  She is flat out creepy!  And evil – Very evil.

By replacing toddler Gage with 9 year old Ellie, the viewer is given something very important: Conversation.  Sweet moments with Luis after Ellie comes back.  She is more than a little aware that things are not right.  The story has the courage to take us where we’ve often wanted to go – but not one has really gone.  How do you handle your child coming back from the dead?  What do you tell the neighbors?  Or your spouse?  It’s Ellie who asks this question of Luis.  “What are you going to tell her, Daddy?” Ellie asks.

Ellie is old enough to dress herself.  This is important when she chooses to take off her clean clothes and opts instead to wear the dress she was buried in.  Again, creepy.

Ellie is also old enough to communicate where she went when she died.  And it wasn’t heaven.  This, of course, brings up all kinds of theological discussion points.  Do 9 year olds go to hell?  I think not.  But then again, mot 9 year old’s don’t get buried in an ancient burial ground and raised from the dead – so go with it.  She becomes a messenger of hell itself, ready to carry her entire family down into the grave with her.  Her murders are given motive beyond just the ground being “sour.”  By killing her family, she is actually reuniting them. Yeah – that’s a little twisted.

2. Pascow:
I never felt right about the ghost of Psacow in the original movie.  He was too present.  Too much – there.  The new movie makes him much more ghostly.  It worked far better making him appear, disappear and hang more at the edges of scenes instead of dominating the center stage.

3. Teasing.
The movie teases older viewers who remember well the final moments of Jud Crandall.  In the original, Gage slices his ankle.  Using almost the exact same camera angle as Jud walks through his house, the viewer prepares for the attack – which doesn’t come quite as expected. 

Here’s some stuff they could have just as well left alone:

1. Zelda -- The death of Rachel’s sister.  This storyline was way overplayed.  Dreams, visions and memories all surround the death of Rachel’s sister.  And the story-line gets played over and over.  It becomes like a broken record.  What is supposed to feel deep with each callback really becomes tiresome.  Give it up and get back to the main story.

Rachel comes across kind of like Jack in the Shining -- a little crazy from the get go.  Not just broken or grieving; she's nuts.  Rachel suffers from visions that take her out of reality. 

2. The end.  The ways things finally play out, make the movie more of a zombie flick than – well, whatever Pet Sematary originally was.  It ends by taunting the viewer, but not really providing any answers.  The movie loses its depth by being a little silly with its ending.  Really, no one is taking this too serious, anyway, right?  But, the fright is lost in the absurdity of the final frames as the dead family members approach the car Gage is locked in.  Will they get him?  Of course they will.  And then what?  They storm the country killing people and burying them in the ancient burial ground?  It just becomes Night of the Living Dead.

3. The funeral.  A major cut in the film was Rachel's parents.  In both the book and the movie, the tension between Luis and his inlaws is an important emotional subtheme.  I thought the original funeral scene, where Luis and his father in law go after each other, only to knock the coffin over and the body come spilling out was brilliant.  That all goes away here for a much more subdued funeral scene.  (I would say: Give us the fighting funeral back at the expense of the corny ending.)

My final grade: A-

(I enjoyed THIS article on the major differences between the two movies)

Pet Sematary 2019

This looks great.  I read Pet Sematary this past Spring and was once again blown away with the novel.  It is dark - like Bachman dark.  

The new movie will be in theatres April 5, 2019.

Pet Sematary takes a few steps forward

Sean Decker at dreadcentral.com reported that writer Jeff Buhler had shared news that he was coming aboard Paramount's the new Pet Sematary movie.  He told dreadcentral that Paramount had a script from Matt Greenburg, but that a new  outline for the story was accepted by Paramount and so a new draft is being written.  He speculated that it would be complete at the end of Summer.

He said that the original film has a "very special place" in his heart.

“The film fits perfectly in the time period [in which it was produced], and the source material is one of the Stephen King books that I read as a teenager that made me flip out, and I’ve read it more than once since then. It’s a fantastic book and a fantastic story.”

Calling the original, "Campy," in places, Buhler promised a more honest depection of grief and the horror of losing a child.

Interestingly, Buhler points to his own experience as a father as something that caused him to understand better the horror of losing a child very suddenly. "I think the one element that we are trying to bring to this version of Pet Sematary is a sense of truth and honesty in the horror and really take it back to the original material."

Thoughts of the original movie aside, what's  important is Buhler's promsie that the writers are being very "respectful" to the book.  He notes that there are elements in the novel  that were never brought to screen in either of the first two Pet Sematary's.  In other words -- he is making the case that there is enough room for another movie.

“We are being very respectful to the book,” he continued, “and we are not tying ourselves to anything in the first two films at all. We are [also] bringing in some fresh elements that speak to the spirit of the story that aren’t in either one.”

The full article is at: dreadcentral.com

Stephen King Movies In Production

image credit: fanpop.com/clubs/stephen-kings-it

Den Of Geekhas posted all of the King movies and TV shows in development!  The information below are from Den Of Geek -- but the full article is at their website.

These include:

11/22/63
J.J. Abram's Bad Robot production company has acquired the rights to adapt this novel into a TV show. Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) was working on the script, but he dropped out over disagreements on the direction the show should take. Bummer.

Ayana
NBC wants to turn this into a TV show. Chris Sparling (Buried) is writing the pilot. Ben Haber (Across the Universe) is set to produce, while Jordan Kerner (Less Than Zero) will executive produce. No director or cast have been announced at this time.

Big Driver
Lifetime recently announced it would adapt King's novella of the same name, starring Mario Bello (Prime Suspect), rock legend Joan Jett, and Olympia Dukakis (Sinatra). Richard Christian Matheson (Masters of Horror) is penning the adaptation and Mikael Salomon (Drew Peterson: Untouchable) is directing.

The Breathing Method

For now, Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity) is producing a feature film, but has yet to set it up at Universal. Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) is set to direct.  Of course, now that Derrickson has been chosen to direct Doctor Strange, this film will most likely go on the back burner...

Cell

Eli Roth (Hostel) talked about adapting this novel into a feature film a few years back, but that didn't happen. Instead, it's currently in production eyeing a 2015 release. It stars John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Owen Teague. The film will be directed by Todd "Kip" Williams (Paranormal Activity 2), with King and Adam Alleca (Last House on the Left remake) writing the screenplay.

Children of the Corn

Although there have been nine films already, Warner Bros. wants to make another. Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw 2) will reportedly direct with Jon Bokenkamp (The Blacklist) writing the script.

Creepshow 4

The rumor is Warner Bros. is interested in making another sequel or a possible remake. It would be interesting to see them tap someone like Ti West (V/H/S) to direct.

The Dark Tower

Now it looks like Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) might play the role of Roland along with Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) in an unspecified role. Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) has also met with Howard about a part. Writer Akiva Goldsman and producer Brian Grazen, both of A Beautiful Mind fame, are also attached to move this adaptation along.  . . . Now it's rumored that Media Rights Capital will produce the film. Who knows anymore.

Firestarter

Universal and the Dino De Laurentiis Co. will produce a new adaptation of Firestarter. Mark L. Smith (Vacancy) will write the screenplay. The idea is to give the film more edge than the original in an attempt to create a potential franchise. We wouldn't mind a Stephen King movie franchise about a secret organization that investigates the paranormal and does evil shit with it.

Gerald's Game

Mike Flanagan (Oculus) is at the helm of this adaptation, co-writing the script with Jeff Howard (Oculus). Intrepid Pictures will produce. The film will release sometime in 2015.

A Good Marriage

Peter Askin (Trumbo) will direct a screenplay written by King himself. Joan Allen (The Contender), Kristen Connolly (House of Cards), and Stephen Lang (Avatar) star. The film is planned for an October release.

Grand Central

The TV show comes from the former Dead Zone writing team Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, and is in development at ABC for a potential summer straight-to-series order. 

IT

Being split into two parts (I'm guessing so that the film makers can tell both the children and adult stories as accurately as possible), Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) will direct. Fukunaga will also co-write with Chase Palmer (Neo-Noir) and David Kajganich (The Invasion). The film will be produced by New Line Cinema.

Joyland

Tate Taylor (Winter's Bone) is directing and adapting the screenplay. Wyolah Films is producing. Aiming for a 2015 release, the film is still in pre-production.

Lisey's Story

Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) is attached to write and direct the feature film, which is slated for a 2015 release.

The Long Walk

Frank Darabont, super frequent King collaborator, has secured the rights and is planning a low-budget film. This has the potential to be a home run. Fun fact: this was the first novel King ever wrote, but he failed to publish until many years later.

Mercy

Frances O'Connor (Mr Selfridge), Mark Duplass (The Mindy Project), Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story), Joel Courtney (Super 8), and Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) are set to star. Peter Cornwell (The Haunting in Connecticut) will direct from a screenplay by King. The film is slated for later this year.

The Overlook Hotel

Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead) is making this prequel for Warner Bros. and Mythology Entertainment. 

Pet Sematary

David Kajganich (The Invasion) wrote the first draft of a screenplay before Paramount turned writing duties to Matthew Greenberg (1408). Producers Lorenzo Di Bonaventura (Transformers) and Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity) are on board to guide the project.

Rose Madder

Naomi Sheridan (In America) is working on the screenplay. 

The Shop

Charlie McGee will be back, once again running from an even more powerful Shop. Luckily, she'll have a guy named Henry Talbot, a former Shop employee, to guide her through her life as a fugitive. The project is written by Robbie Thompson (Supernatural) and produced by James Middleton (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Jaime Paglia (Eureka) and Thompson.

The Stand

Josh Boone is directing and writing this one, too. Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars), who has already worked with Boone, is rumored to be in the cast. The film would be a 3-hour movie adaptation -- plenty of room, but it probably won't be as expansive as the 1994 TV series. 

The Talisman

This adaptation has been in development hell for quite some time. Steven Spielberg was attached to produce a TV series at some point, but that fell through back in 2006. Frank Marshall (Raiders of the Lost Ark) is now trying to turn this novel into a feature film. 

The Ten O'Clock People

The film adaptation should be interesting. Tom Holland (Fright Night) is directing and writing the screenplay. Jay Baruchel (This Is The End) and Julie Browen star. Kathy Bates (Misery) and King himself are also rumored to appear. This film is slated for a 2015 release.

The full article is at: denofgeek

Rebooting Good Movies

I was watching Pet Sematary last night when I saw Lilja's Library post news that the reboot was underway again.  I saw the Carrie reboot last week, and liked it a lot.  Variety notes that the original was a hit, bringing in $57 million on only a $11 million budget!  So  my reaction to a reboot is a simple "why?"

Unlike Carrie, which was pretty rooted in the 70's -- Pet Sematary holds up today.

Shortlist.com suggests that the reason the film is being remade is because  the original didn't "capitalize" on their own great idea.  They then dig up the used suggestion that they aren't remaking the movie, but going back to the book.  Now we heard this with Carrie.  I liked Carrie, it was most certainly a remake of DePalma's film -- not a return tot he book.  The ending alone was a play on the original that had nothing to do with the book.  It was an update of DePalma's film, not a return to the world of Stephen King.

Also, in the new Carrie film we had Margaret White crucified with household objects.  Did this idea come from DePalma or King?  Well, give Carrie a quick read and you'll discover that indeed a DePalma remake was in the works, not a return to Stephen King's CARRIE.  From wikipedia:

"Carrie returns home and confronts a crazed Margaret, who claims she conceived Carrie due to marital rape. When Margaret stabs Carrie, she kills her mother by telekinetically stopping her heart."

Now is that what happened in the recent "more faithful" adaptation of Carrie?  No!  They went with the more dramatic DePalma ending.  Which is fine, but why pretend it was a return to the book when it was clearly not?

So, I have this feeling -- where we go again.  Same jabber offered up for another remake, which is this time truly unnecessary.

The other reason offered for remaking Pet Sematary is that it wasn't very scary.  I guess that's a matter of taste.  I thought it was dark, creepy, faithful to the book and scary.

What's the real reason for all the remakes?  Fear of trying new things.  Investors don't want to put money into a risky new project, but would rather try and resell things they've already done.  It's like Van Gogh trying to repaint Starry Night.

If money is being poured in Stephen King projects, why doesn't someone take on Duma Key, Rose Madder or From a Buick 8.  And if we just have to remake Stephen King films, how about making a real adaptation of Needful Things.  Now there's a book that would make a good mini-series.

And, how about this; instead of giving us another movie version of Pet Sematary, give us the book on audio.  How about that.

Pet Sematary Remake Still In The Works

The Hollywood Reporter has a short article stating that Lorenzo di Bonaventura has signed a three year deal to remain at Paramount -- where he's been for the last 10 years.  He has helmed G.I. Joe and was one of several producers for Transformers, Dark of the Moon. 

So what will Bonaventura be working on?  THR says one of his projects will be "a remake of Stephen King's Pet Sematary."  That, and G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation.