Director Lindsay Anderson Beer’s Pet Semetary: Bloodlines takes a portion of Stephen King’s novel Pet Semetary and expands it into a feature-length film, resulting in a gory, dread-filled prequel to the book and preceding film adaptations.
In 1969, teenaged Jud Crandall (Jackson White) is set to be the first of his family line to leave Ludlow, Maine since the town was founded. He and his girlfriend Norma (Natalie Alyn Lind) are about to leave for Peace Corps duty when she is attacked by the dog belonging to Timmy Baterman (Jack Mulhern), one of Jud’s childhood friends, who has just returned from active duty in Vietnam and whose father Bill (David Duchovny) tries to keep visitors away from the increasingly disturbing Timmy. The attack hospitalizes Norma, keeping the couple in Ludlow longer than they planned, and naturally violent events involving the titular burial grounds occur. Manny (Forrest Goodluck), another longtime friend of Jud’s and Timmy’s, and his sister Donna (Isabella Star LaBlanc) are Native American characters who add some nice family drama to the proceedings, as Donna attempts to get Manny involved with both socializing and social concerns.
Beer, who cowrote the screenplay with Jeff Buhler, makes a solid feature directorial debut, giving the film a dark, eerie tone and serving up a good deal of gruesome practical effects for a larger studio release. The cast — which also includes Pam Grier, Henry Thomas, and Samantha Mathis — is on point throughout, with Duchovny giving a particularly memorable performance as a troubled father spiteful of intrigue that kept Jud from having to serve in the war while Timmy had to do so. Fans of Pet Semetary and King’s work should find this prequel to be a sound addition to the novel’s cinematic adaptations, and potential viewers who might be feeling a bit skeptical should find it a worthwhile watch.
Pet Semetary: Bloodlines screens as part of Fantastic Fest, which takes place in Austin, Texas from September 21–28, 2023. For more information, visit https://2023.fantasticfest.com/welcome.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines will be available exclusively on Paramount+ beginning Friday, October 6th.
