Pet Sematary II (1992)

A teenage boy and his father move to his recently-deceased mother's hometown, where they encounter the ancient Native American cemetery with the power to raise the dead.

Director:

Mary Lambert

Writer:

Richard Outten

Stars:

Edward Furlong, Anthony Edwards, Clancy Brown

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Furlong	...	Jeff Matthews
Anthony Edwards	...	Chase Matthews
Clancy Brown	...	Gus Gilbert
Jared Rushton	...	Clyde Parker
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Renee Hallow
Jason McGuire	...	Drew Gilbert
Sarah Trigger	...	Marjorie Hargrove
Lisa Waltz	...	Amanda Gilbert
Jim Peck	...	Quentin Yolander
Len Hunt	...	Director
Reid Binion	...	Brad
David Ratajczak	...	Stevie
Lucius Houghton	...	Puppeteer
Wilbur Fitzgerald	...	First Assistant Director
Elizabeth Ziegler	...	Steadicam Operator

Storyline

After the horrible electrocution of his divorced mother in a freakish film-set accident, the troubled thirteen-year-old boy, Jeff Matthews, and his father, Chase, move to his hometown of Ludlow, Maine, to make a fresh start. However, as Jeff struggles to leave the bad memories behind him, his only friend, Drew Gilbert, tells him about the ancient Indian burial site with the otherworldly reanimating powers, intent on testing it on his loyal dog, Zowie. Indeed, the myth is real; nevertheless, what would happen if Jeff buried his beloved mother's dead body in the graveyard's stony soil? Can the dead truly return from the grave?

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Plot Keywords:

death of mother | pet cemetery | car accident | kitten | dead dog | 

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Taglines:

Lav en helvedes ballade [Denmark]

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong horror violence, and for sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pet Sematary Two

Filming Locations:

Coweta County, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,825,100, 30 August 1992

Gross USA:

$17,092,453

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,092,453

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Columbus Circle Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an early scene, an elderly dog is euthanized by injection in Chase's office. The dog/actor was aged with white makeup on his fur and laid perfectly still (so still he actually fell asleep). The actor slid a blunted needle under the dog's fur and did not pierce the dog's skin. A small hidden receptacle held the fake blood that appeared on the dog's fur in a close-up.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 7 mins) When Clyde pushes Jeff's bike into the ditch, his hand disappears and reappears between shots.

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Quotes

Chase Matthews: [after he has shot Zowie the dog] What are you doing?
Gus Gilbert: Well, I WAS building a doggy door.

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Alternate Versions

There is a good-quality workprint circulating as a bootleg which contains all the graphic violence (including a more graphic shot of the drill scene) which was cut from the U.S. release to earn an "R" rating.

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Connections

References The Shining (1980)

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Soundtracks

Shitlist
Written by Donita Sparks
Performed by L7
Courtesy of Slash Records

User Reviews

I Have a Question---Is It All Right to Pet on a First Date?

Exactly. You have to have fun when doing movie criticism sometimes, especially when it comes to sorry films like "Pet Sematary II". Believe it or not I like the film slightly more than most other people, but that is not saying much because this is a movie that has basically no following. It is early-1990s Maine, a few years after the original, and once again a new family has moved into the sleepy community. Anthony Edwards is a veterinarian that has no ideas about the titled place and son Edward Furlong (basically destroying the short celebrity status he had after "Terminator 2") is still reeling emotionally after his actress mother's death during a freak studio accident. Furlong meets the chubby Jason McGuire (an adolescent disenchanted with sadistic step-father Clancy Brown) and he soon learns of the town's history and the fact that some things in life (or death) can indeed be changed. "Pet Sematary II" is a studio project all the way. The first was a minor box office success and it naturally spawned this one. This is not from the mind of Stephen King and thus the short series falls even further down the cinematic ladder. Director Mary Lambert (who also directed the original) once again shows her short-comings as a film-maker with an uneven pace that is not helped out by a sophomoric screenplay and sub-par performances across the board. By far not the worst horror flick I have ever seen, but still a movie that ranks real low in the American cinematic machine. 2 stars out of 5.