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 seeing his divorced mother being electrocuted in a freakish film-set accident, thirteen-year-old, 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, eager to test it on his dog, Zowie. Indeed, the myth is true; 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 Cemetery II

Filming Locations:

Coweta County, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,583,000, 30 August 1992, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,092,453

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,Columbus Circle Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Edwards met his wife Jeanine Lobell on the set of this film.

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Goofs

After Clyde steals Tiger and is taking her to Pet Sematary, he is seen holding her in his left hand. Several times, though, you see both of his hands on his handlebars and the kitten is missing.

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Quotes

Clyde Parker: [holding Jeff's cat] You ever seen a kitten run before?
Jeff Matthews: Yeah.
Clyde Parker: No, I mean REALLY run. Like this!
[takes off]

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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 Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

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Soundtracks

Gush Forth My Tears
By William Holborne
Arranged and Performed by Miranda Sex Garden Katharine Blake
Courtesy of Mute Records Limited
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Dark horror enlivened by flashes of humor and good performance by Clancy Brown...

Some of the scathing reviews from those who preferred the original PET SEMATARY rather than this sequel, are misleading, no matter how well-intentioned these viewers were. This horror film, full of the kind of touches evident in any Stephen King story, is really much better than these reviews would have you believe.

The premise, of course, is a silly one--that burying dead animals or human beings in a specially cursed Indian sematary will bring them back to life, deadlier than ever in evil intent. But once you get beyond that, there's enough fright and scares invoked by the script and by the clever direction of Mary Lambert, particularly in sequences involving Clancy Brown. His return from the grave is marked by some really scary and howlingly funny moments that give the film a sense of life it otherwise would have lacked.

She has also directed her two youthful protagonists, Edward Furlong and Jason McGuire, in such a manner that she gets skillful performances from them. Furlong has a glowing presence that fits the material beautifully and McGuire has a naturalness that is refreshing and real.

And the story actually covers a lot of ground, everything from bad parenting to bullying from one's peers and lots of revenge motifs that lead to some truly harrowing moments. Alas, it's true that much of the action has a mean-spirited slant but all of it is somewhat softened by touches of real humor.

Worth a look if you enjoyed the first PET SEMATARY.