Pet Sematary Two (1992)

'Pet Semarary Two' was released four years later with director Mary Lambert returning to helm the sequel. The story this time revolves around a young boy named Jeff (Edward Furlong) whose mother is killed in a horrific accident while on the set of a new horror move. Afterwards, Jeff moves with his father to his mother's hometown: Ludlow, Maine and the setting of the original story. He befriends a shy boy named Drew, whose stepfather regularly abuses and is a police officer in town. Distraught and desperate after Drew's dog is killed by his stepfather, Jeff soon learns of the infamous Micmac burial ground and its sinister powers.

I'm going to say it right off the bat: this film is infamously hated by many fans of King's work and considered a severely inferior follow-up. I am also not going to lie and say that they're wrong, but perhaps a bit too harsh. 'Pet Sematary Two' is the definition of a guilty pleasure, going for straight-up gore and over-the-top wackiness as many horror sequels tend to do. While it is a cult classic for its entertainment value, it lacks any of the original film or novel's themes of grief and consequence. Instead, the story simply copies the bare basics of the original while leaving out any interesting or likeable characters. Jeff is completely emotionless apart from the opening sequence, Drew is sympathetic but cliche as the bullied heavy kid. Clancy Brown as the stepfather Gus is really the only one who makes it out okay but he seems to be playing the Kurgan from 'Highlander' all over again but overall he is the highlight of the film.

The biggest problem with 'Pet Sematary Two' is that the story simply doesn't progress from the last one, and in many cases it takes some steps back. The film quickly glosses over the events of the first film and mentions the titular cemetery and what it can do and that's it. Nobody seems to remember anything about the Creed's or Jud Crandall and they don't even really discuss the Native American background of the burial ground. Instead, the film uses the bare bones of King's novel and weaves a cliche 'Frankenstein' rip-off with no originality behind it. And yet, with all of those problems...I still enjoy watching it on those late weekends at home. It's drive-in schlock, with plenty of gore and gross out to satisfy but you have to go in knowing what you're getting.

 Is 'Pet Sematary Two' pointless? Yes. Is it uninspired and lazy? Yes. But do I still recommend it? Well, yes and no. If you want a silly horror sequel that's never boring and the cinematic equivalant of a fast food burger then sure check it out. It's far from being one of the worst films based on King's work nor is it as bad as some may tell you, but its also the textbook example of everything wrong with doing a sequel. Pointless but harmless really.

5/10

Fun Fact: A workprint of the film, containing more story and gore sequences cut by the MPAA is currently floating around the internet. However, it is a poor quality VHS rip and is difficult to find in its entirety.

Fun Fact #2: The original idea for 'Pet Sematary Two' would have focused on Ellie Creed as an adult.