"Pet Sematary" (2019)

Anyone who hasn't at least seen five minutes of a Stephen King novel or short story turned movie before turning off the t.v. after being scared out of their wits has been living under a rock. Yet those dedicated and brave enough to sit through until the end can honestly say that Stephen King is the master of horror writing and has stated that Pet Sematary is the one that truly scared him while writing. In fact, he almost didn't publish it, but with a little encouragement from his wife Tabitha it became an instant hit and considered one of King's most frightening. Now in the age of remakes, King has let a third story back off the shelf and onto the screen for a new generation to experience.

Taking place in rural Maine the Creed family Dr. Louis (Jason Clarke), his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) their eight year old daughter Ellie (Jeté Laurence) and three year old Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie) and their cat Church have moved from the city for a quieter life and a less demanding job for Louis. Soon after moving, the family learns that out in the woods on their property is a pet cemetery (misspelled as sematary) where local children go to bury their dead pets and a massive barrier of sticks that seems to have no purpose.
Yet when Church the cat is killed by the infamous truck speedway that runs by their house, their neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) who has a soft spot for Ellie shows Louis a swamp area leading to an old Indian Burial Ground where he tells Louis to bury the cat. To Louis's astonishment, Church returns the following day, but does not behave the way he use to.
Meanwhile Louis keeps experiencing strange dreams and visions of a young patient he tried to help but lost after he was hit by a car and the young man Victor Pascow (Obssa Ahmed) seems to be trying to warn him about the ground, but despite the warnings from Victor and even Jud who regrets showing him that place Louis chooses to use the ground's mysterious power again, but this time on his daughter who is tragically killed by a truck on her birthday (Yes, not the boy Gage like in the book, sorry for the spoiler).
Despite doubts from Louis, he is relieved to see Ellie has returned and tries to make as if nothing happened and that all is well. Even with his denial, Louis slowly realizes he's made a grave mistake and that what came back was not Ellie and what this being plans to do will unleash hell on Earth.

Gripping and down-right frightening. If the book didn't scare you, this remake will. While I can't give anymore spoilers away than I already have, I will say that the ending will have thanking God that this is only the work of fiction. The only thing I that disappointed me is that the story gives more insight as to why the burial ground is so evil and what lurks in it, yet never gives you a clear view or explanation as you might hope a movie based off a book would do. Yet in art of mystery, one can't always be given the answers or the story can lose its luster and for that this rare gem of a remake gets all five G.M.Stars to take to the grave, and back.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Green Mountain Stars

"Pet Semetary" (2019) is currently only in theaters, but the original is available where movies are sold/streamed and the book its based off available where books are sold and on Amazon as low as $2.99 or on Audible Audiobook for free and Kindle for $13.99. Check it out.