Pet Sematary

I would never say any Stephen King book is confusing. He has an easy style that's easy to read. It is true that The Stand from 1978 and Under the Dome from 2009 are both thousand pages novels and have a lot depth but with these books you have know to know what you are getting yourself into. Along with Cujo, Pet Sematary is King's simplest novel with both an easy plot and it is one of my favorite books of all times. The plot involves a family moving into rural Maine with the property right beyond an indian burial ground with a pet cemetery and the family does not know that the both are going to tear the family apart.


Following the same plot to the movie, I've always loved the Pet Sematary from 1989. This is the type of horror to introduce people into the genre and other King's adaptations. Pet Sematary is filled with so many interesting scenarios that they are worth noting.

A) It is directed by Mary Lambert who's career highlight is sadly only this but she was a female director doing horror which is not a common thing.

B) With a cast of Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed and Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed, this is a film that led by lesser names. The biggest name you are going to find here would have to be Fred Gwynne known for The Munsters. Still, the quality of the acting is nowhere close to being an issue here anyway you look at it.

C) This is filled with some of the most bizarre and creepiest scene of child killing of child actor Miko Hughes. Hughes is a child actor who's legacy is those scenes and for his role in Kindergarten Cop.

D) Let's also not forgot the plot element involving the dead sister of Zelda which adds to the creepiness level and it tackles the concept of death quite nicely. And yes, Zelda is played by Andrew Hubatsek, a male actor which is really is something else and maybe not surprising.

E) It's quite forgotten the eerie atmosphere this film provides. One part is a lake in the back of the family's house and there is also a house that's very dated but has a nice late 80's touch. The house is off a main road where trucks are known to speed which is the site where killing happens to animals and people too. Last but not least is the "pet sematary" and indian burial ground which involve some pretty original sets.

With the song Pet Sematary by The Ramones rolling once the credits hit, I would really go as far as to say that Pet Sematary is one of the most important horror film around. It has one central idea and also puts a lot more into the subplots. This is impressive horror indeed and one of Stephen Kings best film adaptions.

4/5        

Dark Skies

I have loved horror for years now. I could talk for a while about what decades stand out for me in the genre, who's the best scream queen and why George Romero makes such good zombie films. The family idea and building a creepy and intense atmosphere usually work for me. Classical films like Poltergeist, Pet Sematary and Cujo are some of my favorites. Insidious from 2011 is the closest recent horror movie like this. Now in 2013, comes Dark Skies which is somewhat similar to Insidious though Dark Skies has a bit more sci-fi to it and is a bit more memorable.

In Dark Skies, a family is being haunted through many ways by a dark force which we later learn are aliens.
The film does center around a family but it does lack development between the family members but this is not terrible in itself. Dakota Goyo plays the older teenage son and delivers a fine performance just as he did in Real Steel, and his career certainly appears to be on the upswing. Kadan Rockett plays the younger son and plays this sweet young character very well for his age. John Hamilton plays the father and this is frankly the weakest character but you can still see that Hamilton is trying here. Keri Russel plays the mother and is perfectly casted and really carries this movie with her performance.

The plot is anything but new. Dark Skies rips-off Poltergeist, Close Encounters, E.T. and Paranormal Activity very liberally. In a strange way though, that is why I kind of liked the film so much. It reminded me of movies I loved from my childhood and could be considered a homage by director, Scott Stewart to those films.

With a somewhat ambitious and overdrawn plot, there are going to be some things missing inside. That said, the plot elements felt realistic. The film includes both children trying to fit in while Dakota Goyo is experiencing some negative peer pressure while also learning about the opposite sex. The parents are struggling with a serious money issue which brings tension to the film and could cause the younger audience to wonder if that could happen to them. These plot elements are not new but they bring the story just a little closer to home.

Of course in a horror/sci-fi movie, the money is in the scary scenes. The first scenes involving the aliens were a bit scary but the movie is more creepy than anything and is that way throughout. Characters run and walk around aimlessly outside in the middle of the night, experience mental breakdowns and unexplained nose bleeds along with body injuries in the form of marks and scars. The ending is one that we have seen before but it is set-up a bit differently and leaves you with an eerie feeling.

Dark Skies is a film that works on being something else than what you normally see today as it draws from movies from decades ago. As I mentioned earlier, it is a film that left me with a special feeling because of that. I recommend Dark Skies.

4/5