Pet Sematary: Bloodlines Review: Ambitious Prequel Can’t Raise Franchise From the Dead
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is an ambitious and bold attempt to take the Pet Sematary franchise beyond Stephen King’s existing work, but it doesn’t carry enough spark to revive the franchise.
The movie serves as a prequel to the 2019 film Pet Sematary, exploring the past of Jud Crandall in far greater detail than the original film or King’s novel did.
While it makes a valiant attempt to breathe new life into the franchise again, it falls flat due to its creative liberties, lack of scares, and failure to prove that it is truly necessary.
The biggest problem with Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is that it centers on a story that has been heard before. In the original novel, readers get a brief recap of the story of Timmy Baterman, who was buried in cursed burial grounds and returned from the dead as something else.
Meanwhile, this is the story that the prequel chooses to retell in greater detail. Hence, even though the film seems to want to introduce something new to the franchise, its central story is familiar territory.
It still had the potential to differentiate itself by diving deeper into the lore behind the story. Instead, it puts too much focus on Baterman’s story.
Since it’s so familiar, it packs few surprises or scares. Those familiar with the franchise will have a vague idea of the outcome, and even newcomers will find it predictable.
Additionally, the creative liberties it takes, especially in how Timmy’s story ends, don’t appear necessary. If it had followed the book’s version of the story’s end, it would’ve at least packed some more emotion.
There also aren’t many horror elements in the film. It’s not suspenseful, creepy, scary, or shocking. There are attempts at jump scares and some unconvincing gore, but that’s about it.
Even viewers who aren’t avid horror fans and prefer toned-down horror will find it bland, especially since there are no elements of romance, drama, or humor to compensate for the lack of horror.
Many of the performances feel subdued, particularly Jackson White as Crandall. He expresses very little emotion for a young man suddenly exposed to horrors and loss like never before.
Similarly, while David Duchovny packs in some emotion as Timmy’s father, the deviations from the source material force him also to tamper his talent.
The most compelling performances come from supporting actors Forrest Goodluck and Isabella Star LeBlanc as siblings Manny and Donna, respectively.
Goodluck’s authentic and refreshing performance makes Manny a very realistic character who is easy to empathize with. Meanwhile, LeBlanc beautifully captures Donna’s older sister mentality and how she has a connection to Ludlow that she doesn’t quite understand.
Manny’s and Donna’s sibling bond is also realistic and heartwarming. They’re two of the few characters with whom it might be possible to form a slight bond during the film’s speedy and bland run.
It’s also important to remember, though, that Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is a streaming film. Hence, while it doesn’t stack up against Pet Sematary‘s 2017 theatrical release, it does give what one would expect from a straight-to-streaming film.
While it would have been impressive if its crew chose to do more with it, it does serve its basic purpose of being a quick and easy streaming watch for those who temper their expectations and recognize it’s not going to be a very sophisticated film.
Additionally, its story does pack in some nostalgia for the franchise and gives slightly more depth to the town of Ludlow and its sordid history.
Still, what it does reveal about Ludlow, its first settlers, and the pact a few families formed to protect the town doesn’t seem significant enough to warrant an entire film.
It is disappointing that it doesn’t reveal much because it had the space to do so. It sets out to go beyond King’s work and, without being restricted to existing works, it truly could’ve gotten imaginative and gone wild with the fertile foundation Pet Sematary‘s premise provides.
There is so much history it could explore. It could go so much deeper into the lore of what’s really the source of this evil in Ludlow.
There’s also a feeling that it wants to go deeper and add something new to the franchise, but it ultimately decides to play it safe, sticking to something familiar and refusing to offer too many answers.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is watchable and even slightly enjoyable for someone looking for callbacks to an established franchise and some very light horror from a streamer.
However, it is disappointing for those who hoped it would capitalize on its endless potential and make a great story even more remarkable by expanding it.
What did you think of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is streaming now on Paramount+.
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Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski is a freelance writer from Oshkosh with a penchant for TV, film, and celebrity news. Her work can also be found on Screen Rant, The Mary Sue, and Monsters and Critics. When she's not writing professionally, she enjoys blogging, running, watching film and television, and conducting research for her future novel.