‘Pet Sematary: Bloodlines’ review: Lindsey Anderson Beer [Fantastic Fest 2023]

Over the years the Pet Sematary movies have had a bad rap. Even Mary Lambert’s 1989 adaptation of the Stephen King novel has been heavily criticised by some. The hate is unwarranted though as Lambert’s work is a wonderful rendering of King’s tricky source material. Its sequel, Pet Sematary 2, has come under even deeper scrutiny, and yet Lambert’s continuation is a brilliant extension of King’s writing. The 2019 remake might change up several elements of the source material, but it still has plenty to applaud. However, it seems like the series’ unexpected luck is about to run out with the arrival of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. 

Presented as a prequel to the 2019 remake, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines joins Ludlow during the Vietnam War. Here the audience are introduced to a young Jud Crandall (Jackson White). Jud will go on to become the chatty neighbour of the Creed family, the one who clues Louis into the ancient burial ground with supernatural reanimation capabilities. In Pet Sematary: Bloodlines though, he is a young man about to leave the town of Ludlow behind him, with his girlfriend Norma (Natalie Alyn Lind) in tow. He is to be the first in the Crandall family to make his fortune beyond the town line, but after almost running over a neighbour’s dog, and Norma getting injured, Jud finds himself trapped for an extra few days, and comes face-to-face with the town’s dark secret. 

Of the many elements that simply do not work for Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, the overarching one is that it simply does not look or feel like any that have come before. One can argue that this is a prequel and so it is afforded a little leeway to try new things, but here it still misses the mark. What makes the other Pet Sematary films so foreboding is that they are saturated in grief. In the two films based on the book, the loss of a Creed child infuses the story with an overbearing melancholy. Similarly in Lambert’s sequel, it opens with the death of Jeff’s mother. This sadness echoes throughout the movies and creates an atmosphere that facilitates the character’s desperate actions. With no big death felt in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, there is no melancholy, leaving the atmosphere a little flat. 

In the 2019 version, old Jud recounted to Louis the tragic story of Timmy Baterman, a Vietnam veteran brought back by his father. The story that was told stuck closely to King’s source material, switching up only the war in question to better suit the timeline. This is the story explored in Bloodlines, with young Jud Crandall encountering his former friend. The issue is – what makes the story so chilling historically – is that Jud had previously attended the funeral of Timmy. Here Timmy is simply presented as being alive. It strips the story of its power and relies on the viewer being a keen follower of the books and films to appreciate the truth of the situation.

Another aspect typically within the Pet Sematary series is that the whole town is, to some extent, aware of the burial ground. It is treated as an urban legend and tale of fancy, with only a few knowing the truth. In Bloodlines, only a few members of the community know the truth and their job is to protect the town from the ancient evil. It is a move that makes little sense and the impact of the revelation is lost. The direction also causes problems for how Jud is presented further down the timeline; the Jud in Bloodlines is difficult to align with either the 1989 or 2019 version. 

With so little of the Pet Sematary lore explored and explained, Bloodlines instead feels like a standard demonic possession movie. Jack Mulhern is appropriately creepy as the reborn Timmy, but without his true nature being made clear until far later than necessary, its impact doesn’t land as it should. Similarly, before the audience knows it, the film is at its halfway point. How it is already that far in is confusing as little has really happened. In contrast, the finale stretches on for what feels like an eternity, going nowhere on loop for far too long. Without a clear set-up, none of the actions, deaths, or scares generate any genuine fear. This series has sustained itself on the power of grief to distort decision making, in removing grief, the result is merely a generic horror story with little to cling on to. 

A disappointing entry in the Pet Sematary series, Bloodlines fails to connect with the viewer on every level. What could have been a terrifying account of one of the scarier stories in the book has become a watery by-the-numbers horror. Almost entirely devoid of any hallmark properties, the blood in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines does not run deep enough. 

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines was reviewed at Fantastic Fest 2023. Pet Semetary: Bloodlines arrives on Paramount Plus from 6th October 2023.