I’ve been excited for Pet Sematary since Starry Eyes creators Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer were named the directorial team behind the camera. First, Starry Eyes is a woefully under-seen and under-appreciated. It’s an intense film with haunting visuals and a disturbing, though timely story. The first trailer for the new Pet Sematary movie looked the part of a modern-day horror movie with tense, moody moments and the expectation of the worst. It drummed up excitement as it should. The new trailer for the film builds off those tense, moody moments and takes a stab at the horror jugular.

The new trailer also showcases some of the changes and additions Kölsch and Widmyer are layering into the film. One of the most significant changes noticed in the trailer is which kid gets hits by the semi truck. In the book and original Pet Sematary movie, Gage is the one that’s killed. In the 2019 version of the film, it appears Ellie, Gage’s older sister, is killed. 

The other change appears to be more or an addition—the Wendigo. The creature played a crucial, over-arching role in the book, but was excluded from the first movie adaptation. The addition of the Wendigo could change the entire structure of the movie, giving audiences a entirely fresh take on the novel, making 2019 Pet Sematary an adaptation of the novel and not a remake of the original. 

Widmyer and Kölsch are directing a script written by Jeff Buhler (The Midnight Meat Train) and David Kajganich. The movie stars Jason Clarke, John Lithgow, Amy Seimetz, and Naomi Frenette. Pet Sematary hits theaters April 5, 2019. 

Plot Synopsis

Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his neighbor Jud Crandall, setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unspeakable evil with horrific consequences.