Pet Sematary
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: April 5, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 42 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
19
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
ConsequenceDan CaffreyMar 17, 2019
Although the changes to the source material are guaranteed to polarize some Stephen King fans, Pet Sematary bucks the remake trap of simply paying homage to an iconic piece of horror. Instead, it makes drastic changes to the plot so it can ultimately go more complex with its themes. That’s a hell of a trick to pull off. Sometimes, different is better. Read full review
90
TheWrapMonica CastilloMar 17, 2019
Its terrifying story about death still leaves audiences with much to think about long after the credits roll, and the twists that lead to a new ending are fun to follow. Thirty years after the original movie frightened audiences, its source material has given new life to one of the best Stephen King adaptations in the past decade. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 5, 2019
Fortunately, directing duo Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer get everything absolutely right in their bone-chillingly effective new remake. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaApr 4, 2019
It's bold, nasty and gleefully disturbing, and will stay with you once the lights go up. For horror fans, those are all good things. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawApr 1, 2019
It’s a supernatural chiller about our fear of death - and our longing for death as an end to this fear. This brutally effective and convulsively disturbing story is something to compare with WW Jacobs’s classic Edwardian ghost story The Monkey’s Paw or maybe even Franz Kafka’s stage-play The Guardian of the Tomb. Read full review
80
Total FilmJames MottramMar 21, 2019
Led by some fine performances, this is an impressive and intense example of how to adapt Stephen King. Read full review
80
IGNJim VejvodaMar 17, 2019
While some purists may balk at the changes and omissions made here, those simply looking for a horror movie as compelling as it is wicked should enjoy this new Pet Sematary. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoMar 17, 2019
Pet Sematary is proficiently tense, dashingly macabre and soaked in nightmarish tones that thrive on audience screams. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliApr 5, 2019
This is what serious horror is like and it’s not for everyone. Read full review
75
Film ThreatBobby LePireMar 18, 2019
Pet Sematary balances humor, drama, and horror believably while exploring the inner turmoil of a seemingly ordinary couple; though the script does not go far enough in establishing their new life and dodgy special effects hurt some scenes. Happily, the cast makes up for these flaws with great turns, lead by Jeté Laurence, whose performance is reason enough to watch the film. Read full review
70
Rolling StonePeter TraversApr 2, 2019
The movie honors King by raising fresh hell for a new generation. It will make you jump out of your seat, but what matters are the provocations you take home and can’t shake. That’s the stuff of nightmares. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMar 16, 2019
The book's creepy premise justifies this modern second look, which proves to be a solid if not earthshaking horror pic built around notably good performances. Read full review
67
The Film StageConor O'DonnellApr 5, 2019
Sometimes dead is better, but it turns out a twisted bit of reanimation is just what Pet Sematary needed. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleApr 3, 2019
It may seem damning with faint praise to call Pet Sematary just a pretty good horror film, but given how many years we’ve been devoid of quality Stephen King adaptations or wide-release genre films, fans should be pretty thrilled with what Kölsch and Wideyer have accomplished. There’s more than enough here to please horror enthusiasts and die-hard King fans alike. Read full review
67
The PlaylistRyan OliverMar 17, 2019
For as impressive and smart as the film is throughout, the weightlessness to the drama keeps it just out of arm’s reach of films that masterfully examine loss like “The Changeling,” but the craft at least firmly plants it in the upper-tier of contemporary horror remakes. Read full review
67
IndieWireBritt Hayes Mar 16, 2019
The new version of “Pet Sematary” is both darkly humorous and quite chilling, modernizing some of the cheesier emotional beats of that earlier adaptation. ... It’s in the third act that Kolsch and Widmyer’s ambitions get the best of them. Read full review
63
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiApr 5, 2019
Although mostly routine, Pet Sematary is intermittently scary. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Chandler LevackApr 5, 2019
Next time, don’t ask indie directors who will work for cheap to tackle the King. I would’ve loved to see the Pet Sematary Lynne Ramsay would’ve made instead. Read full review
63
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonApr 4, 2019
The direction by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, is competent and efficient, if not especially stylish or ambitious, and the squeamish should know the movie is backloaded with stabby, graphic, slasher-movie content. Read full review
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