Pet Sematary arrives in theaters next week on a wave of strong reviews, one of which comes to us from author Stephen King, who seems pretty happy with the latest adaptation of his 1983 novel.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, King was asked what he thought of Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kölsch’s upcoming horror movie, and in his response, the writer had only praise for both the film and the current state of the genre:
“It’s f—ing great! It’s a really good movie. It’s a grown-up, adult kind of movie. It’s not like 12 semi-clad teens get killed in a summer camp. In this particular time frame, you know, there’ve been several movies that have been successful. Horror movies like Jordan Peele’s Get Out last year. And then I think when Us opens, I think it’s gonna be big. I think it’s gonna be huge. Those are like adult-type fantasies.”
The new Pet Sematary contains at least one major diversion from the source material in its choice to kill off then resurrect Ellie Creed, rather than her younger brother Gage. Nonetheless, the film clearly has King’s seal of approval, and given the author’s famous dislike of Stanley Kubrick’s beloved but less-than-faithful take on The Shining, his endorsement was perhaps never guaranteed.
Last month, actor Jason Clarke defended the decision to kill off Ellie rather than Gage, arguing that it would’ve been harder to get the right performance out of a three-year-old boy, rather than a girl who’s a few years older. The change was first revealed in the trailer that dropped last month, and while some fans have argued that Ellie’s death should’ve been hidden until the film’s release, Widmyer has since explained that it’s often better to let viewers know what they’re in for, rather than blindsiding them with a distracting “twist.”
Regardless, King fans can decide if the new Pet Sematary is as good as the author says it is when the film hits theaters on April 5th. After that, the writer’s work will be returning to screens with the release of It: Chapter Two on September 6th.