'The Mist' Deals With the Fear of the Unknown and of Reality
Posted on October 31 by The Ultimate Rabbit
There was a time when Frank Darabont created the most effective cinematic adaptations of Stephen King's novels. He gave us one of the all-time great adaptations of King's works with "The Shawshank Redemption," a classic which you can still catch it on TBS or TNT every other week. Darabont also directed "The Green Mile" which was very good and left its audience in tears at its humbling conclusion. These days, Mike Flanagan has become the King adaptation master of choice with his takes on "Gerald's Game" and "Doctor Sleep," both of which proved to be wonderfully unnerving. Before this, however, was Darabont's adaptation of King's "The Mist," and it represented his first time dealing with one of King's full out horror stories. Having said this, he still brings this particular King horror tale to life in way few other filmmakers ever could.
"The Mist" takes place, as many of King's works do, in the state of Maine. We see our main character, David Drayton (Thomas Jane), doing his work as a graphic artist on something which appears to be right out of "The Dark Tower," and it establishes what David does while simultaneously establishing the kind of movie we are about to see. It is a motion picture which deals with people whom we recognize from the real world we inhabit and the small towns we grew up in. This is not often the case as many horror films deal with stock characters we cannot wait to see done away with.
One day, there is a storm which hurls a tree into David's work studio, and he ends up going into town with his son the next day to pick up supplies. In the process, he also ends up taking along his next-door neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher) regardless of the fact Brent's tree fell down on David's boathouse and completely destroyed it. But while at the market, a mist starts to blanket the town to where there is zero visibility. A local townsman named Dan ends up rushing into the store crying out, "There's something in the mist!"
From there, everyone is trapped in the supermarket as the thought of stepping outside its doors is far too fearful an action. This is largely the result of there being something in the mist which quickly proves to be anything but human, and this creates divisions between everyone trapped in the store. This division is primarily brought about by Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Haden), a fervent believer in the word of the bible who believes judgment day is upon us and that the end is indeed very near.
Watching "The Mist," you can recognize the familiar types of characters which occupy the average Stephen King story; the man who doesn't want to be the hero but ends up being one even if it is not by his own doing, the religious fanatic who will not allow themself be torn away from they believe to be the truth, and townspeople who appear to be brave on the outside but terrified on the inside. What I really liked about this film is how Darabont never lets them become just mere stereotypical characters. While these characters may appear to be just that, it is a credit to the writing and acting that everyone involved in this film's production rose above the genre's conventions to give us something more human than we typically expect.
What interests Darabont here is not so much the monsters on the outside, but instead the monsters which lurk deep in our psyches. How we would possibly react when all the things we depend on in our life are suddenly taken away from us? No easy answer is given, but it is clear we are left with our instincts for survival at any cost. Darabont does excellent work in creating an inescapably claustrophobic environment where escape is easier said than done and trust can easily become a disposable commodity.
Leading the cast is Thomas Jane who first has made an unforgettable impression when he co-starred in "Boogie Nights." He then went on to do "Deep Blue Sea" which more or less typecast him as the hardened hero who shows more courage than anyone around him. But here, he is simply an ordinary man caught up in an unimaginable situation, and he is struggling to maintain his sanity in an increasingly desperate situation.
"The Mist" is filled with many fine actors who fully humanize their roles and succeed in avoiding the mistake of making these characters seem stereotypical and easily disposable. It is great to see Andre Braugher here as the disbelieving neighbor/lawyer who makes the idiotic assumption he is being setup for a practical joke. In any other movie, we would simply just hate his character Brent for not believing the protagonists, but Braugher succeeds in making us believe why he might see how Brent could not see the inherent danger everyone is caught up in. As an audience, we of course know better of what is really going on, but it makes you think of how people would normally react in a horrifying situation like this. Could we easily believe in such things? Wouldn't we be skeptical of what others tell us? Aren't some us sick and tired of being the butt of everyone's jokes?
Also in the cast is Toby Jones who is a wonderful presence here as Ollie, a supermarket employee who turns out to be very handy with a gun. Then we have other character actors like Jeffrey DeMunn who plays Dan Miller, and William Sadler who plays Jim Grondin. Frances Sternhagen is also on board as a friendly schoolteacher named Irene and has some of the best and most memorable of moments in this movie. You also have Lauren Holden as Amanda Dunprey, a new school teacher who befriends David and his son Billy (Nathan Gamble).
All of these actors do a great job of making the characters all the more real to us so that we don't simply laugh them off the screen for doing stupid things that horror movie characters usually do. You get the sense that if this were written and directed by anyone other than Darabont, it would look like just about any other horror movie we have seem hundreds of times already. But there is going with the story of this movie that makes it more than your typical horror movie.
But the best performance comes from Marcia Gay Harden who plays the seemingly crazed Mrs. Carmody. A religious zealot if there ever was one, Carmody can be easily compared to Carrie Wright's mother from "Carrie" as both are hopelessly devoted to God and the Bible even though their belief structure has long since been corrupted. Harden is a brilliant actress, and she makes Mrs. Carmody far scarier than the monsters which constantly threaten to infiltrate the overcrowded supermarket everyone is stuck in. She also makes you believe how people would end up following her when the fate of the world continues to descend down on them all. Her crazy beliefs end up making believers out of others, and a mob mentality quickly forms a sharp division between the characters stuck in the store which threatens to bring out the worst in everyone. Harden's portrayal of such a frightening individual has long since stayed with me after watching this film when it came out in 2007.
Not everything about "The Mist" is perfect. The monsters, when they do appear, are effectively creepy and eerie, but they are also clearly CGI, and this takes away from what we are shown. Darabont ends up creating more of an intense effect when we don't see the monsters up close, but instead from a distance. When they are shrouded by weather they inhabit, they seem infinitely more terrifying as a result. If you have a fear of creepy crawlers like spiders, you may want to think twice about checking this movie out.
The ending of "The Mist" is different from King's book, and King himself was quick to point this out to everyone who bothered to listen. What I can tell you about the ending is that it is both uncompromising and devastating in its impact. It makes you look back at everything which happened to where you realize the line between good people and bad people, protagonists and antagonists, heroes and villains can be ever so easily blurred. The people we end up fearing the most are ourselves and of what we are capable of. We can easily descend into craziness and insanity when all the things we need most in life are suddenly taken away from us. The moment we give up on life and accept its horrifying fate is the moment when we all become less than human, and considering the times we are currently living through, this seems more pertinent than ever before.
I walked out of "The Mist" completely shaken and unable to speak. It contains a shattering ending which is unlike any we usually from any film we typically watch. What makes it all the more unsettling is that we cannot help but think of what we would do in the same situation. There are many who cannot bear to think of the answer such a question, but there are those whose drive to survive is impossible to ignore.
"The Mist" may not as good as "The Shawshank Redemption," but it is still an effectively made motion picture with excellent performances and an ever-growing intensity. It is also one of the better adaptations of a Stephen King novel in years, and it keeps itself from sinking into the clichés of the average horror movie.
Whether or not you believe in extra-terrestrials is beside the point. We end up fearing ourselves more than anything else, and this fear can easily cripple us from doing what we want to do in our lives.
The tagline of "The Mist" was right: Fear changes everything…
* * * ½ out of * * * *
'Dolores Claiborne' – A Stephen King Horror Tale of the Real-Life Kind
"Dolores Claiborne" is, on the surface, not your typical Stephen King novel, and this is important to note before you begin watching this particular adaptation of his work. This cinematic treatment reunites him with the great Kathy Bates who won an Oscar for playing Annie Wilkes in "Misery," but she's not playing a deranged psycho this time around. Also, while much of King's writings deal with terrifying supernatural powers and unspeakable terrors, the horror generated here comes from real life horrors no one should ever have to endure. In some ways, this makes it one of his more terrifying tales because it deals with the kind of horrible crimes we hope and pray never to experience first-hand. Having said this, it is clear how many of us can never be so lucky as to avoid the worst traumas humanity has to offer.
Bates plays the title character who, as "Dolores Claiborne" opens, is believed to have killed her rich employer Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt). This crime immediately reminds the town of Little Tall Island in Maine when Dolores' husband, Joe (David Strathairn), died twenty years ago under mysterious circumstances, and the general consensus was that Dolores killed him. Detective John Mackey (Christopher Plummer), who had pursued the case against her back then is determined to put her behind bars this time and for good. Into this mix comes Dolores' daughter, Selena St. George (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a big-time reporter who arrives to defend her mother despite the two of them having been estranged for over a decade.
The novel "Dolores Claiborne" was essentially one long monologue as the story was written entirely from the title character's point of view. This makes the work director Taylor Hackford and screenwriter Tony Gilroy have done here all the more impressive. They have taken Dolores' unsettling story and have stretched it out into a character driven motion picture filled with various characters who have been fleshed out in unforgettably compelling ways. None of these characters, even that drunken lout of a husband and father, are one-dimensional or throwaway caricatures. Each one is complex, and they take unexpected directions which might seem jarring at first, but eventually make sense in the large scheme of things.
The plot shifts back and forth in time as we flashback to when Dolores lived with her drunk and abusive husband and of the vicious abuse she took from him in his endlessly drunken state. Director of photography Gabriel Beristain shoots this hideous past with such vivid colors to where he gives the scenes an innocent look which is soon contrasted with horrible violence. It almost acts as a façade for how the past was seen as if it were some sort of Norman Rockwell painting, the kind made to cover up the severe family dysfunction many would like to pretend does not exist.
For the record, King said he wrote the character of Dolores Claiborne with Kathy Bates in mind, and it is very hard to think of another actress who could have inhabited this role. Stripped of any false glamour, Bates takes her character from being a victim to one who understandably takes matters into her own hands. Her acting here is flawless and compelling, and we root for her even though her actions have devastating moral implications.
When you look at her overall body of work, this movie almost seems like a walk in the park for Leigh. She has gone to great physical and emotional lengths to portray a character throughout her long career, but here it looks like she is taking it easy. However, her character of Selena is no less challenging to portray than the others listed on her vast resume. Selena is not easily likable, but she has to be empathetic because the viewer slowly starts to see how her innocence was irrevocably and unforgivably destroyed. Leigh matches Bates' performance scene for scene by showing how much Selena wants to forget the past, but she comes to see how her most repressed memories cannot stay below the surface forever.
Special attention also needs to be paid to Ellen Muth who portrays Selena as a little girl. This is not the kind of role parents want their children to portray to as it deals with abuse and molestation among other things, but Muth proves to be utterly convincing in making the young Selena deeply distraught and confused by actions no child should ever have to be put through.
There's also a bevy of excellent performances from the rest of the cast as well. Christopher Plummer, who is never bad in anything, is memorable as the relentless Detective John Mackey. This could have been a throwaway role, but Plummer makes Mackey a complex character to where you question whether his determination is based more on personal revenge than justice. Judy Parfitt is unbearably domineering as Dolores' wealthy employer, Vera Donovan, and their relationship runs much deeper than we see at first glance. And David Strathairn manages to flesh out his despicable character of Joe St. George to where he's just slightly more than your average mean drunk.
Most of King's novels deal with the horror of supernatural elements or ghosts and demons which haunt our nightmares. But "Dolores Claiborne," much like "Stand by Me," deals with the horrors of real life which we are never quick to confront unless we are put in a position where the awful truth can no longer be ignored. Perhaps the unsettling nature of this particular work by King is what kept many from checking out this motion picture when it arrived in movie theatres back in 1995, but those of us who were willing to dive into the dark side of things like myself did not deny ourselves a journey to the horrors this film has to offer. But now, 25 years later, this film fits in perfectly with a time which includes the Time's Up movement as we are forced to realize we have thoughtlessly ignored the worst abuses made against other human beings for far too long. As a result, this particular King cinematic adaption plays even better than it did back when it was released.
'Silver Bullet' Movie and Blu-ray Review
The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent Tony Farinella.
The work of Stephen King has usually produced highly entertaining and enjoyable films. Not everything has been great or even good, but for the most part, there is usually something to take away from them which is unique and falls right in line within the realm of King's wonderful and twisted brain. That is definitely the case with "Silver Bullet," which is based on his novella "Cycle of the Werewolf." King also wrote the screenplay as well, so he was very hands-on with his approach to this film and in making sure his vision was seen clearly on screen. The fine folks over at Scream Factory have brought it back into the public eye with this special collector's edition on Blu-ray.
The film was released in 1985, the year I was born, and it stars Corey Haim as Marty, a 13-year-old boy who is stuck in a wheelchair. Because of this, he tends to get special treatment from his family. This does not endear him to his sister Jane, played by Megan Follows. She feels as though her parents are always taking his side and that he can get away with anything and everything. He is also very popular with his Uncle Red, played by Gary Busey. Red is coming off his third divorce, and he is not shy about hitting the sauce as often as possible.
Deep down, however, Uncle Red has a lot of love and affection for Marty, and this leads him to build Marty a special wheelchair he names Silver Bullet which allows him to get around and have a little more fun. But suddenly, this quiet and quant town where they live gets turned upside down when they start to notice people are being killed off left and right. First, there was the local town drunk. And then a young child, an angry father and a pregnant woman also end up dead in a matter of days. The people of this small-town start to get restless and they want answers right away, but the local sheriff Joe Haller (Terry O'Quinn) is not able to provide them. Because of this, they decide to go out looking for some private justice of their own. Even the local Reverend Lowe (Everett McGill) doesn't know what to say to the people anymore about the deaths which are occurring, and it is about to get worse before it can possibly get better.
Corey Haim, Gary Busey and Megan Follows.
"Silver Bullet" is only 94 minutes, but a lot happens in those 94 minutes. There is never really a dull moment or a scene which doesn't make sense to the overall film. At times, the category it falls under can be a little confusing. Is it a straight up werewolf movie? Is it a horror movie about a werewolf for young children to watch? At times, the film goes full throttle with the gore which set up some gruesome and enjoyable death scenes. During other scenes, it cuts away from the gorier aspects of the killings. It seems to want to have its cake and eat it too.
What I mean by that is it wants to be accessible for young children as a horror movie they can watch, but it doesn't want to go too far. Tonally, it seems to be trying to please young children and horror fans, and this is not an easy task to pull off. There is a brother/sister relationship which is something a lot of kids can relate to, and the kids are trying to get the adults to see there is a werewolf out there. On the other hand, they deal with topics such as divorce, suicide, and alcoholism. While the film worked for me, I could see it having a tough time finding an audience back when it was released.
According to IMDB, the budget was seven million dollars, and it grossed 12 million worldwide. It was not a total bust, but it didn't set the world on fire either. That is why Scream Factory is perfect for films like "Silver Bullet." I had never seen it in the past, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. The film has a good sense of humor, great performances from Haim, Follows and Busey, and it contains some pretty cool kills. I think it will find a whole new audience on with this collector's edition Blu-ray.
* * * out of * * * *
Blu-Ray Info: "Silver Bullet" is released on Collector's Edition Blu-Ray from Shout Factory/Scream Factory. It has a running time of 94 minutes and is rated R.
Video Info: "Silver Bullet" is presented in 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1), and it looks out of this world on Blu-ray for being thirty-four years old. At this point, we should expect no less from Scream Factory. They do not disappoint with their transfers, and there is not a single shot in the film which is grainy or dirty. It is clear, bright and filled with life.
Audio Info: The English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono is also top-notch. It must be mentioned that the music was composed by Jay Chattaway who will forever hold a place in my heart for his work on the "Maniac Cop" Rap. He does a great job with the music in knowing when to keep it calm and mellow and when to take it up a notch.
NEW Audio Commentary with Producer Martha De Laurentiis
NEW Cutting to The Bone – An Interview with Editor Daniel Loewenthal
NEW A Little Private Justice – An Interview with Actor Kent Broadhurst
The Wolf Within – An Interview with Actor Everett McGill
Full Moon Fever – The Effects of Silver Bullet – An Interview with Special Effects Artists Matthew Mungle And Michael McCracken
Audio Commentary with Director Daniel Attias
Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer Jay Chattaway
Still Gallery
Should You Buy It?
I love what Scream Factory is doing for the horror genre and how they are bringing new life to films which have long been forgotten unless you are a super hardcore horror fan. I like to consider myself very knowledgeable when it comes to the genre, but they always find a movie here and there which I haven't heard of before, or have heard of but never seen in the past. With "Silver Bullet," they add plenty of special features that are worth watching and which add a lot to the film. Scream Factory has become like the Criterion Collection for horror fans. As far as the film itself, it is a nice 94-minute ride that is paced perfectly. It is one of those films where you sit back, relax, laugh, scream and just enjoy yourself from start to finish. I recommend you pick this one up if you get any Amazon gift cards over the holiday season. You will be pleasantly surprised by it, despite some of the flaws I mentioned in my review. Still, those flaws do add to the charm of the film.
'It Chapter Two' Movie and Blu-ray Review
"It Chapter 2" was a film that I really thought was going to add to what the previous film had done back in 2017. I was very impressed with the chemistry of the children and especially with Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. He brought a whole new element of creepiness to the mix. When you have a clown scaring children, it is the perfect combination for an entertaining yet disturbing horror flick. Sadly, when they are adults, it does not have quite the same impact. The film is also held back by its nearly three-hour running time. With some films, the running time is not always noticeable because of how it is edited. In this case, however, they could have cut close to a half-hour from the film, and it would have made a major difference.
Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) has stayed in Derry, Maine for the past twenty-seven years in what appears to be a dungeon of sorts. He has been waiting for Pennywise to return. Now, Pennywise has returned, and Mike decides to get the Losers Club back together because of the pact they made when they were children to end him once and for all, if he ever came back. Sadly, there is little in the way of backstory when it comes to the adults in this flick.
Richie Tozier is played by Bill Hader, which on paper sounds like a perfect casting decision. I don't know if this was Hader doing improv during shooting or if this was in the script, but you can tell when he is about to make a joke, and the jokes are not funny and feel forced. Jessica Chastain is the star of the show as Beverly Marsh, and she brings the right amount of humanity, vulnerability, and strength to this role. James McAvoy also delivers a strong performance as Bill Denbrough. As for Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan), he is no longer the overweight kid from the previous film. He has lost a lot of weight and is still pining over Beverly all these years later, even having her signature from his yearbook in his wallet.
From a visual perspective, James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak is a great casting choice, as he looks almost exactly like the child actor he is portraying as an adult. Andy Bean rounds out the Losers Club as Stanley Uris. The magic word in an ensemble movie is chemistry and, I am sad to say, they do not have much of it together, and this really puts a damper on the proceedings. I remember watching the original film and its special features, and the kids really clicked on and off set. It is what made the film so powerful and enjoyable. Here, it feels like a bunch of actors are thrown together just for the sake of ending the story.
Another major issue with the film is how infrequently they use Pennywise. In the first film, he is shown here and there, but the power of his presence is undeniable. In this second chapter, he almost seems like an afterthought. He is shown only a handful of times in the first two hours before showing up for the finale. While some might say this was done to build things up and leave the audience wanting more, it instead focuses too much on the individual characters and their lackluster backstories. They have not changed much in twenty-seven years, and this is not a good thing.
What is most maddening about "It Chapter 2" is how individual scenes are so powerful and impactful. This is frustrating because it makes you wish more of the film had that type of feeling to it. Instead, the film is bogged down in going from the past to the present, and it does not have a flow to it. There is no rhythm or consistency, and it is overstuffed. There are things to like in "It Chapter 2," but you have to suffer through a lot of tedious and unnecessary scenes to get to them and enjoy them. This is one of the most frustrating films I have seen in 2019 because of how good it could have been if they had a clear vision on what they wanted to do from start to finish.
* * out of * * * *
Blu-Ray Info: "It Chapter 2" is released on a three-disc Blu-ray combo pack from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 169 minutes. It is rated R for disturbing violent and bloody images throughout, pervasive language, and some crude sexual material. One disc is the DVD, one is the Blu-Ray, and the final disc is the bonus disc with all of the special features.
Audio Info: The audio for the film is presented in Dolby Atmos-TrueHD: English, English Descriptive Audio, and Dolby Digital: English, French, and Spanish. The audio is tremendous, and it is really effective during the more anxious scenes in the movie. Subtitles are also in English, French, and Spanish.
Video Info: The 1080p high definition transfer of the film looks outstanding. It is dark in the right moments when the tension calls for it. When scenes are in broad daylight it is really bright and vibrant.
The Summer of It: Chapter One, You'll Float Too and The Summer of It: Chapter Two, It Ends
Pennywise Lives Again
The Meeting of the Losers Club Has Officially Begun
Finding the Deadlights
Commentary by Director Andy Muschietti
I am not mad at "It Chapter 2." I am just disappointed. It is clear everyone involved here wanted to make a great film, but maybe they should have waited a little bit longer in terms of its release date. I know we live in a world where people want things right now, but if they were going to finish this up properly, they should have really taken their time to get it done properly. There is too much movie here.
There are a ton of great special features, however. There are so many special features that they had to add an extra disc to the set which is a nice touch. I appreciate the effort they put into this Blu-ray from that aspect as well as the audio and visuals. There are hints of greatness here, but the final product of the film left me feeling underwhelmed. There is a really good movie somewhere in here, but it gets lost in a sea of mediocrity. If you want to own both films, I would buy this one when it goes on sale.
'Doctor Sleep,' Sequel to 'The Shining,' Gets Its First Trailer
Posted on June 15, 2019 by The Ultimate Rabbit
Upon hearing that Stephen King's 2013 novel "Doctor Sleep," the sequel to "The Shining," was going to be turned into a movie, many things ran through my head. Could a cinematic sequel be created out of this novel? If so, should it have the same visual style Stanley Kubrick gave to his film adaptation of it in 1980? Wouldn't it be better to make a movie which stands on its own from its predecessor in the way "Hannibal" stood apart from "The Silence of the Lambs?" Will it be closer to King's novel or Kubrick's film? Would it acknowledge the 1997 miniseries which King very much preferred to Kubrick's film to an infinite degree? Heck, would it even acknowledge the documentary "Room 237" which dealt with the many interpretations and perceived meanings people had of Kubrick's classic horror film?
Well, several of these questions were answered when Warner Brothers released the first trailer for the cinematic adaptation of "Doctor Sleep" which stars Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance who is now grown up and still suffering from the trauma he endured from the events at the Overlook Hotel. At first, it looks like any other movie as McGregor keeps writing a word or two in chalk on the wall in his bedroom. But then one day this same wall erupts in a way which wakes him up quite violently, and he sees that it says "REDRUM." From there, you know you are back in Stephen King territory, let alone the universe he created in "The Shining."
At first, "Doctor Sleep" looks to have a different visual look from "The Shining" as Danny Torrance is now in a different place which is far removed from the Overlook Hotel. But then he meets a young girl named Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran) who has the same gift he has, and he becomes determined to save her from Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), head of the True Knot cult which feeds on the psychic powers of children.
But as things go on, we see images which appear to be strikingly accurate recreations of Kubrick's film all the way to the carpet on the hotel floor. There's even a moment where we see the blood rushing like a river out of those elevators, and another where the occupant of room 237 pushes away the shower curtain to see who is invading her private space. The trailer ends on McGregor looking through the same door Jack Nicholson once broke through with an axe and yelled at Shelley Duvall, "HERE'S JOHNNY!!!"
My thoughts on this "Doctor Sleep" trailer are a bit mixed as I feel it could have had more energy as it seems a little too quiet or subdued. At the same time, it shows the movie has a lot of promise as it dares to match the visual style Kubrick gave us years beforehand to where it invites us to compare it to his 1980 horror classic. It is also written and directed by Mike Flanagan who has already given us an excellent Stephen King adaptation with "Gerald's Game," and those who read that particular King novel were convinced it was unfilmable until he proved otherwise. Suffice to say, it feels like this movie is in very good hands.
Well, the ultimate comparisons between "Doctor Sleep" and "The Shining" will be made when "Doctor Sleep" arrives in theaters on November 8, 2019. Please check out the trailer above.
'Pet Sematary' Remake Easily Improves on the Original
Posted on May 16, 2019 by The Ultimate Rabbit
Of all the Stephen King cinematic adaptations up for a remake, "Pet Sematary" is the one I looked forward to the most. I never cared much for the 1989 version directed by Mary Lambert. It wasn't a terrible movie, but it was undone by a screenplay which tried to fit in too much from King's novel, and ironically it was a screenplay written by King himself. While Fred Gwynne was perfectly cast as Jud Crandall, Dale Midkiff's performance goes way over the top and contains moments which Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman are justified in describing as "exquisite acting." And there was the ending which was undone by test screenings where the audience demanded something more graphic. Bitch, please!
Now we have the remake of "Pet Sematary" which comes to us from the directors of "Starry Eyes," Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, and it is easily an improvement over what came before. It is not a great horror movie, but even if it were, it is nearly impossible to top King's 1983 novel which itself is one of the darkest works of fiction ever conceived. Heck, even King himself thought he went too far with it, and that should tell you something. Still, it is an effective film which pays tribute to the spirit of the novel even as it makes changes to the source material in a way I did not see coming.
As before, the story starts with Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) driving with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two kids to their new home in the small town of Ludlow, Maine. We learn that Louis and Rachel were looking to escape big city life for something simpler and countrylike to where they could spend more time with each other and the children. When they arrive at their new home, it looks like a heavenly and peaceful place which they will serve them well, but we all know where the story will go from there as a huge 18-wheeler truck zooms by with little warning while leaving a lot of dust and dead leaves in its wake.
The first half of the "Pet Sematary" remake more or less follows King's novel to the letter as it treads familiar ground while adding some interesting touches in the process. Upon discovering the pet cemetery of the movie's title, we also see a procession of children wearing animal masks as they march on by while carrying a dead dog in a wheelbarrow to the place which will bring about its resurrection. Both Kolsch and Widmyer give this movie a wonderfully unnerving feeling which they keep building on throughout as things for the Creed family get worse and worse to where they have little chance to regret the deeds they have committed.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
One of the interesting things about this version is how the filmmakers have switched elements around, but in a way which does not take away from the spirit of the novel. Instead of young Gage getting run over by a truck driver who is distracted by his cell phone (and who isn't these days?), it is Ellie, and the reaction of her parents to this terrible tragedy feel all too real to where neither has to yell out in sheer anguish.
Jeté Laurence plays Ellie Creed, and her performance is especially impressive as she makes this resurrected character far more than a zombie with a thirst for blood. Ellie seems very aware of the fact she is not who she once was, but she also has knowledge of what lies beyond the realm of the living, and she becomes a little too eager to bring her parents to the other side of it.
Jason Clarke has long since proven to be one of our most dependable actors in movies today with his terrific performances in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "Chappaquiddick." Clarke makes Louis Creed into an especially sympathetic character even as he comes to play God when it comes to Ellie's life. The late Victor Pascow (Obssa Ahmed) warns Louis not to exceed the boundaries set for humanity, but Louis is blinded by a grief I would not wish on anyone, and his desire to undo a terrible tragedy is understandable even if it flies in the face of reason, logic and the saying of "sometimes dead is better."
Amy Seimetz, who co-starred in "Alien: Covenant," also makes the most of her role as Rachel Creed, an individual who has dealt with death a far too young an age. Rachel remains forever haunted by the passing of her sister Zelda (Alyssa Brooke Levine) whom she was forced to watch by her lonesome while their parents were away. Indeed, Seimetz makes you deeply feel the unfairness of Rachel's predicament as no child should be forced into such a position at such a young age, and it proves to be one of this movie's most haunting segments as a result.
And while there is no topping Fred Gwynne's performance as Jud Crandall, the great John Lithgow succeeds in making this role his own. How many movies and TV shows have we watched Lithgow in anyway? He has been a constant in popular culture, and he remains a welcome presence in anything he appears in. Lithgow doesn't have to do much to show how Jud has lived a long life which has been filled with one tragedy too many, and this is the mark of a great on camera actor.
Kölsch and Widmyer do an excellent job of raising the tension and overbearing atmosphere of the story throughout the movie's running time, and they don't just resort to giving us jump scares every five minutes. They are also aided by a powerful film score composed by Christopher Young which makes an already unnerving motion picture even more so.
"Pet Sematary" is one of the few books I got to read before it was turned into a movie, and this is quite the feat for me these days as filmmakers typically beat me to the punch. As a result, my perspective of the book will forever remain more powerful than any movie made out of it. Still, this cinematic version of it is a powerful one which takes chances with the source material while remaining true to its spirit. I am also quite thankful the filmmakers had enough freedom to give this movie the ambiguous conclusion it deserves. I am a big fan of ambiguity in movies, and this one has an unsettling conclusion which stays with you long after you have walked out of the theater.
Still, I would have preferred The Ramones' version of their song "Pet Sematary" as opposed to the cover of it performed here by Starcrawler. Nothing against their version, but in this case the original reigns supreme.
All-Time Favorite Trailers: 'Pet Sematary' (1989)
Posted on April 23, 2019 by The Ultimate Rabbit
While I am not the biggest fan of the 1989 cinematic adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling novel "Pet Sematary," never will I forget the first time I watched its trailer. Me and my friend Tim were at Crow Canyon Cinemas to watch "Fletch Lives," a sequel I couldn't wait to see. There were a number of trailers which preceded it, but then came the one for "Pet Sematary," and it was a red band trailer. You know, the kind of trailers meant for "restricted audiences only." Typically, they are attached to an R-rated movie, but for some odd reason, this particular red band trailer was shown ahead of the PG-rated "Fletch Lives." I told people about this later, and they told me no one is allowed to place a red band trailer before a PG rated movie, but I remember exactly what I saw.
Back in 1989, I was not all that crazy about horror movies. Over the years I have come to love this genre, but even the tamest of horror scary flick would unnerve me to no end back when I was a kid. As soon as the trailer took us to the pet cemetery of the movie's title, all the little hairs on my body went straight up as I found myself looking away from the silver screen at times.
20 years later, this trailer for "Pet Sematary" stands out among so many others as it proved to be almost as terrifying as the one Stanley Kubrick did for "The Shining." The build up from a seemingly normal family living in a town far away from the big city hustle to an unveiling of a sinister secret the people of Ludlow, Maine will have wished they kept hidden was handled brilliantly, and it scared me so much to where I didn't see the movie until about five or six years after its release. This ended up being one of the few King novels I read before I saw the movie, and this is saying quite a bit.
The very scary cat with the glowing dead eyes, the precious child who somehow got hold of a shiny scalpel, and the presence of Fred Gwynne, perfectly cast as Jud Crandall, made for a trailer which looked far more effective than the average King cinematic adaptation, and the original "Pet Sematary" was released back in a time when King movies were both plentiful and critically maligned. Not even the welcome presence of Denise Crosby, who I was heartbroken to see leave "Star Trek: The Next Generation" during its first season, was enough to soothe my shattered nerves. Thankfully, Chevy Chase's return to his best role as Irwin M. Fletcher helped to calm me down even if "Fletch Lives" was nowhere as good as "Fletch."
For me, this trailer peaks right where it should as Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) takes a phone call from his undead son, Gage (Miko Hughes). The framing of this shot is perfect as it shows Louis isolated in what should be the safety of his own home as he yells into the telephone, "WHAT DID YOU DO???!!!" After the movie's title appeared onscreen, we were left with the sound of Gage telling his daddy "now I'm gonna come play with you," and the laugh he gave following that was simply blood curdling. This was the icing on the cake as few trailers could ever prove to be as scary as this one was back then. No wonder this proved to be one of the more commercially successful King movies from the 1980's.
If you haven't already, please check out the 1989 trailer above. I really want to thank "Horrorama – Classic Horror Movie Trailers & More" for finding this trailer including it on their YouTube channel as I have been looking for this one for ages. I feel like I looked everywhere on the internet and thought I would never find it. Thank goodness I was wrong.
'Pet Sematary' Remake's First Trailer is Unearthed For All to See
Posted on October 10, 2018 by The Ultimate Rabbit
The cinematic adaptations of Stephen King's novels have been a mixed bag, but ever since the phenomenal success of "It," Hollywood has been desperate to adapt his works more than ever before. But moreover, they are also not afraid to remake those films which have already been made from them like "Carrie," "The Shining" and "Salem's Lot." It was only a matter of time, and an eventual escape from development hell, that we would get a remake of "Pet Sematary," and now its first trailer has been unearthed for all to see.
To be honest, I never cared much for the 1989 version of "Pet Sematary" directed by Mary Lambert. Some of the performances were rather weak, and King, who wrote the screenplay, ended up cramming too much of the novel into the movie to where not all the plot threads were tied up in a satisfying way. Having read "Pet Sematary" myself, I can confirm it is one of King's scariest works which left me unnerved, especially with its wonderfully ambiguous ending. Now that we are finally getting its latest cinematic incarnation, I cannot help but be intrigued.
From its trailer, it is clear directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer ("Starry Eyes") are intent on making this version their own. The sight of children marching to the beat of a drum through the cemetery while wearing animal masks is a scary sight even if one of them reminded me of the rabbit mask from "Donnie Darko." Granted, it starts off in a routine fashion with Louis and Rachel Creed (Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz) driving their kids to their new home in Maine. As they get their first glimpse of it, a truck comes roaring by without warning as if a gale force wind suddenly swept by, leaving trees shaking endlessly. It's a strong moment as we are reminded of the terrible tragedies which will eventually befall these characters.
This trailer doesn't spell out the story for its audiences, and we only glimpses of other characters like Church and Victor Pascow. Interestingly enough, these proceedings are dominated by John Lithgow who plays Jud Crandall, and he speaks his dialogue in an increasingly ominous tone and without a New England accent. It's great to see Lithgow here as his presence lends much to what we see here. He does, however, have to contend with the shadow of the late Fred Gwynne who played Jud in the original. Whatever you may have thought about the 1989 film, there's no denying Gwynne was perfectly cast and the best thing about it.
Overall, this trailer left me intrigued at the possibilities the remake has to offer. It features Clarke who, whether he's in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," "Knight of Cups" or "Chappaquiddick," is one of the most dependable actors working in movies today. However, I have to say the trailer for the original was much more frightening, especially with Dale Midkiff standing in the middle of his kitchen yelling into his phone, "WHAT DID YOU DO??!!" Even more chilling was hearing Gage's voice saying, "Now, I want to play with you." My hope is the next trailer for "Pet Sematary" is even more chilling than this one. My other hope is that the filmmakers will get to retain the ambiguous ending of the novel in this version. Thanks to test screenings, the 1989 movie was denied this, and I am still annoyed to this day at its conclusion.
"Pet Sematary" is set to open in April 2019. Please check out the trailer below.
All-Time Favorite Trailers: 'The Shining'
I guess you could say this particular trailer for Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" was an early example of a teaser trailer. These days we get teaser trailers for all the big Hollywood releases, and they are designed to whet our appetite not just for the next big blockbuster, but also for the next trailer which will give us even more information of what is in store for us. These days, we even have teaser trailers for teaser trailers, something which I hope will be stopped soon because they are ever so annoying. We get teased enough as kids, so doing this at the movies does not help.
What I love about this trailer for "The Shining" is how simple it is in its design, and yet it still feels deeply unsettling. All we see at first is part of a hotel lobby with two elevators and chairs. The camera never moves an inch as the movie's credits move upwards indicating the title, the actors starring in it (Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall), the names of the screenwriters, how it is based on "Stephen King's Best-Selling Masterpiece of Modern Horror," and the one credit us movie buffs are always happy to see, "Directed by Stanley Kubrick." Seeing this had me wondering what one could expect with this adaptation of King's work, and the music composed by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind certainly sends a shiver down my spine.
Watching this trailer reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" as Kubrick, like Hitchcock, managed to find a sinister quality in everyday things and the ordinary. There's nothing particular special about this hotel lobby here as it looks like any other we have ever been through. This makes it all the more horrifying when those gallons of blood start pouring out of the elevators and into the lobby,
Once again, the camera never moves or pans away, and seeing the blood wash over it is incredibly frightening as you feel trapped and unable to escape. Our instincts tell us to run away, but Kubrick is not about to let his audience off the hook. As the blood drips off the camera to reveal the damage left in its wake, it is clear how the "Dr. Strangeglove" director is more than prepared to take us on a most unsettling ride.
Opinions about Kubrick's "The Shining" have varied over the years, and King himself has said numerous times how much he despised it. Whatever you may think of the film, this trailer for it is a brilliant piece of work. It's a shame we don't see more trailers like this one these days. Of course, if you know of any, please feel free to share them with me.
All-Time Favorite Trailers: 'Maximum Overdrive'
Okay let's be honest, "Maximum Overdrive" is not a good movie, and that is being generous. It is one of the many adaptations of a Stephen King novel or short story, in this case "Trucks," and it also marked the feature film directorial debut of King as well. The fact he hasn't directed a movie since should be no surprise to anyone who has seen this one. The acting is embarrassingly over the top, the editing very sloppy, and not even a rock and roll score by AC/DC is enough to lift, as King described it, this "moron movie" out of the cinematic abyss.
But when all is said and done, the trailer for "Maximum Overdrive" is one of my favorite movie trailers of all time. Watching King gleefully describe what he has in store for us makes me want to watch this movie again, and that's even though I already know just how bad it is.
Right from the start, King makes it clear to the audience how "Maximum Overdrive" will be a unique movie compared to the others based on his work, and as the camera closes in on his face, he gives off a wide-eyed expression and a twisted smile which quickly reminds us how this is the same man who wrote "Carrie," "Salem's Lot" and "The Shining." I love how he talks about how he "sort of enjoyed" directing a motion picture, but it makes me wonder if this was the cocaine talking as he later admitted how "coked out of his mind" he was while making this Golden Raspberry nominated film.
It was also a brilliant move to use the "Chariots of Pumpkins" theme John Carpenter and Alan Howarth composed for the "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" soundtrack here as the wonderfully creepy music adds to King's creepy appearance while he stands in front of the Green Goblin mask which is featured prominently on the front of the biggest truck in "Maximum Overdrive."
The worst parts of each actor's performance are kept to a bare minimum here, but the annoying nature of the character Yeardley Smith plays is something even the makers of this trailer could not hide from the public. But do not feel bad for Smith. She has more than persevered since "Maximum Overdrive" as she still is the voice of Lisa Simpson on "The Simpsons," and it is enviable role for any actor which she has held onto now for decades.
When King points his finger at us and says "I'm going to scare the hell out of you and that's a promise," it is a wonderfully unsettling moment as those of us who are fans of his writing are well-aware of how often he has kept us up nights. Of course, this movie is anything but scary, so perhaps he was talking about one of his books instead without even realizing it.
In a world filled with an infinite number of movie trailers, the one for "Maximum Overdrive" stands out for me among so many others. Even though the movie it advertises proved to be a critical disaster, I still enjoy watching it from time to time as there are few other trailers like it.