Pet Sematary II (1992)

Director:

Mary Lambert

Writer (WGA):

Richard Outten (written by)

Release Date:

28 August 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Raise some hell.

Plot:

The zombie-raising cemetary is back to its old tricks, this time, with new inhabitants.

Plot Keywords:

Pet | Dog | Burial | Burial Ground | Death

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Edward Furlong	...	Jeff Matthews
Anthony Edwards	...	Chase Matthews
Clancy Brown	...	Sheriff Gus Gilbert
Jared Rushton	...	Clyde Parker
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Renee Hallow
Jason McGuire	...	Drew Gilbert
Sarah Trigger	...	Marjorie Hargrove
Lisa Waltz	...	Amanda Gilbert
Jim Peck	...	Quentin Yolander
Len Hunt	...	Director Frank
Reid Binion	...	Brad
David Ratajczak	...	Stevie
Lucius Houghton	...	Puppeteer
Wilbur Fitzgerald	...	First Assistant Director
Elizabeth Ziegler	...	Steadicam operator

Also Known As:

Pet Cemetery II (USA) (orthographically correct title)
Pet Sematary Two (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence, and for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1993) (video rating) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (1993) (theatrical rating) (uncut) | Philippines:R-18 | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:18 | Australia:M | France:-16 | Germany:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:(Banned) | Iceland:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Peachtree City, Georgia, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The 6 January 1991 draft of the screenplay credits revisions to David S. Goyer. He is not credited in the final film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Drew is bringing Zowie up to the burial grounds, Zowie looks gray and black instead of mostly white as seen in the previous scene.

Quotes:

[zipping up Clyde's corpse in a body bag]
Gus Gilbert: Takin' you up the hill, Clyde-buddy. That's the way the Indians did it.

Movie Connections:

References Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Soundtrack:

FADING AWAY

Sometimes One is Better...

For sheer nostalgia value, "Pet Sematary Two" will always hold a place in my horror-lovin' heart, since it was one of the first R-rated movies my dad allowed me to rent. I watched this sequel before the original (and probably before I read Stephen King's source novel), and didn't know what to make of it 15 years ago...needless to say, I still don't know what to make of it. For a while, it's the kind of sick, taboo-pushing, grindhouse-style dreck that teeters toward a cult classic--up-close violence committed against animals and children(including kids who are presented as no less homicidal than sadistic sheriffs and zombie dogs), scored to a bevy of decent punk/metal tracks. Then Clancy Brown's portrayal of an all-purpose a*hole, reincarnated as a goofily homicidal zombie, wrecks any possible mood. This is the first thing I remember Edward Furlong doing after "Terminator 2," and is reflective of his subsequently erratic career, but he fares well, coming off as a cross between Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" and a more Emo version of young John Connor. Jared Rushton ("Honey I Shrunk the Kids"; "Big") disappeared after his decent portrayal of sadistic, King-styled bully here. And Anthony Edwards (complete with a Wes Craven beard) went on to "ER." The film isn't bad, and director Mary Lambert (returning from the original) keeps the gears turning, even when Richard Outten's script (seriously, WHY do they bury the bullying stepdad?) lapses in logic, but the emotional machinations of the climax don't work, simply because they hinge on a character we never really care about. And the ideas of King's original story are either muddled or shortchanged in the name of pushing the FX envelope (many of which still look good today), leaving "Pet Sematary Two" little more than a passable time-waster on your local video shelf.