Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gory horror prequel has violence, language, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES, the year is 1969 and Jud Crandall (Jackson White) is about to leave his hometown of Ludlow, Maine to serve in the Peace Corps in Michigan, joined by his girlfriend Norma (Natalie Alyn Lind). As Jud and Norma begin their drive, they run into trouble. After a large bird crashes into Jud's windshield near the home of Jud's childhood friend Timmy, a veteran who has just returned from Vietnam, Norma is violently attacked by Timmy's dog while Timmy stands there seemingly without a care. As Norma recuperates, Jud soon discovers that Timmy's return and strange behavior coincides with the reemergence of an evil that has existed in the area for centuries, and, once unleashed, has the potential to possess and destroy everything in its path. Now, Jud and his friends must find a way to contain the evil before it attacks and kills again.
Is It Any Good?
This is an unremarkable and unnecessary prequel. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines sets the action in 1969 amidst a backdrop of restless youth trying to escape their rural Maine hometown only to find that their hometown and its sinister past have other plans. It more or less sticks to a tried-and-true formula of both horror movie cliches of jump scares and undead prone to really loud cracking of their necks as they turn their head from side to side upon every entrance into a scene, and the ‘60s cliches of obligatory CCR songs, muscle cars, and bitter rednecks who don't take too kindly to longhairs joining the Peace Corps.
The acting is mostly flat, and the attempts to convey the depths of the relationships to the main characters tend to come through in very brief flashback scenes of young teens sneaking beers in a basement. As movies based on or inspired by the worlds and characters depicted in Stephen King's vast bibliography, it's by no means the worst, but it's also nowhere near the best.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about horror movies like Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. How is this similar to and different from other horror movies you've seen?
The movie is set in the year 1969. How does the movie try to evoke the 1960s? Is it effective?
How does this compare to other movies set in the world of Stephen King novels?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 6, 2023
- Cast : Jackson White , Natalie Alyn Lind , David Duchovny
- Director : Lindsey Anderson Beer
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount+
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Run time : 87 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Horror violence, gore, and language.
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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