Sometimes dead is better.|Apr. 21, 1989|USA|103 Min.|R
Genre: Drama;Horror
Description: Louis Creed, an ER doctor from Boston, relocates to Ludlow, Maine, with his wife Rachel, their two children, Ellie and Gage, and their pet cat, Church. While exploring the woods, Rachel and Ellie encounter a group of children holding a funeral for a dead dog in a place they call the “Pet Sematary.” Meanwhile, Louis is deeply affected after failing to save a student named Victor Pascow at the hospital. That night, Louis has a vivid dream in which Victor warns him not to go beyond the deadfall behind the cemetery. He wakes up to find his feet and sheets covered in mud, suggesting the dream was real.
On Halloween, Church is killed by a truck. Jud Crandall, a kind neighbor, takes Louis past the pet cemetery to an ancient burial ground to bury the cat. Shockingly, Church returns the next day, but he behaves aggressively and violently, even killing a bird. Jud explains that the burial ground has the power to resurrect the dead, though those brought back are never the same. He also mentions the presence of a spirit called the Wendigo.
Tragedy strikes again when Ellie is hit and killed by a tanker truck during her birthday party. Overwhelmed by grief, Rachel and Gage leave to stay with Rachel’s parents. Jud senses Louis’s intentions to resurrect Ellie and warns him, “Sometimes dead is better.” Despite the warning, Louis considers using the burial ground once more.
The story explores themes of loss, grief, and the terrifying consequences of tampering with the natural order.
Cast director: Mary Lambert
Cast actor: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist, Kavi Raz, Michael Lombard, Miko Hughes, Blaze Berdahl, Susan Blommaert, Mara Clark
Original name: Pet Sematary