Amid much spectulation that a number of Stephen King books/adaptations are to be remade or readapted, it seems that there may be some movement on the much-mooted PET SEMATARY project. According to Twitch, in their bid to get the production off the ground, Paramount are pusuing PIRANHA 3D director Alexandre Aja. The news may come as a welcome choice for some as Aja nailed PIRANHA’s mix of horror and comedy, though there are also some ropey efforts on his CV (not least 2006’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES).
PET SEMATARY tells the story of Louis Creed and his family, who move near old burial site, where the ground has gone ‘sour’. When a main road claims the life of their cat, they bury its body in the sour ground. The cat soon returns to life, but as something altogether darker. Louis faces a dilemma when a passing lorry also kills his toddler son.
Though the original book was ripe for a cinematic adaptation, the first film remains lacklustre at best, despite the fact King penned the screenplay himself. Bogged down by poor production values and wooden performances and dialogue, it is typical of many King adaptations. It also spawned an underwhelming 1992 sequel.
Can Alexandre Aja ensure that PET SEMATARY has the film treatment it deserves? If succesful, we can expect a wave of King adaptations, no doubt including the long-awited remake of IT…
