Pet Sematary is getting the remake treatment, courtesy of directing tandem Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, who directed the underrated 2014 horror film Starry Eyes.
Deadline broke the news last night, and a remake of King’s horror classic makes sense given this new resurgence of the author’s material. The success of IT and Netflix’s 1922 and Gerald’s Game (oh yeah, and The Dark Tower movie, buuuut…) have made King’s work more popular than it has been in two decades, and as entertaining as Mary Lambert’s original Pet Sematary adaptation may be, it could handle a fresh take.
The original film is creepy, sure, but it is decidedly “80s” and a little hokey. Similar to the IT miniseries from around the same time.
As for Widmyer and Kolsch, Starry Eyes proved they could handle gritty horror, and it will be interesting to see how they approach King’s novel. There are a few things Lambert’s film left out, so perhaps they will include them – and find a better actor to play the dad. But maybe that’s just my issue…
Stay tuned for casting and release updates as they break.
