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Parents' Guide to

Pet Sematary

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Book-based Stephen King horror tale is scary and violent.

Movie R 1989 103 minutes
Pet Sematary Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 18 parent reviews

pooperheros
pooperheros Adult
October 14, 2022
age 11+
Amazing role models, AND an excellent plot! I saw this movie at the age of 11 and it no bad affect on my mind. WATCH IT NOW!!!

This title has:

Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
Jamez Milamez
Jamez Milamez Adult
June 6, 2021
age 14+

One or two scary scenes is all

I watched this movie myself when I was 13 and when my son was 13 and the only real scary thing to be honest was just zelda. She is horrifying

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 18 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In PET SEMATARY, young doctor Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) moves with his family to rural Maine, ominously near a dangerous, truck-traveled highway. After his daughter's beloved tomcat is killed in a hit-and-run, an elderly neighbor informs Louis of an incredible local secret. Hidden near the town's pet cemetery lies an ancient Indian burial ground with paranormal powers; the deadburied in its stony soil actually come back to life. Even with warnings from the ghost of one of his patients, Louis resurrects the cat -- but the once-friendly feline is hostile and menacing. Despite this disappointing result, another wrenching family tragedy leads the tormented Louis back to the burial ground. Again and again.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (18 ):
Kids say (55 ):

This isn't the worst adaptation of a Stephen King book ever made, but considering how bad others are that isn't a compliment you'd want for your tombstone. Without the writer's sympathetic, explanatory prose filling in the back story and motivations (and Stephen King as a scriptwriter has never been as strong as Stephen King the novelist), the plotline plods from one rather cheap shock to another, some of them just arbitrary nastiness that have little to do with anything (like a sickly woman suddenly deciding to hang herself).

As a basic, icky, unvarnished scare show Pet Sematary renders some of the creepiness effectively in Halloween-spookhouse fashion. The angle about undead pets and kids has something of the Goosebumps vibe, and sex and nudity are absent. You can't say any of that about the vile sequel Pet Sematary 2, which carries over none of the characters from this feature, just the burial ground.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters' motivations in Pet Sematary. Should a grieving person try to bring a loved one back, at any cost?

  • If you've read the book, which version of the story is better? Why?

  • What's the appeal of horror stories?

Movie Details

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