Often regarded as Stephen King’s grimmest novel–so dark that his wife, author Tabitha King, and fellow horror penman Peter Straub suggested it was too dark–Pet Sematary came to the big screen once before, in 1989. That film has some moments, but isn’t great, and is bogged down a bit by sleepy lead performances, particularly from Denise Crosby. King’s work has never lacked for attention, but is still riding high off of the massive success of 2017’s It adaptation, which no doubt helped Castle Rock become “the most successful first-season original launch” in Hulu’s history. Odds seem favorable, then, that the new Pet Sematary adaptation will enjoy at least some success, though how high it can climb is obviously something we can only speculate about at this point. This first trailer is considerably more coy than the first It trailer, which was a minor event in its own right, and thus less impactful. If nothing else, though, this looks competent.
Pet Sematary is currently scheduled for an April 5, 2019 release.
