31 Nights of Horror Pet Sematary: Bloodlines

Platform: Paramount+

Director: Lindsey Anderson Beer

Release Year: 2023

Watch Date: October 17, 2023

My Rating: 8.3

I love backstories. It intrigues me to know where people come from and why they are the way they are. I’m also a big fan of background information, which backstories provide.

This back story is Jud Crandall’s. If you’ve seen Pet Sematary, Jud is the older man who lives next door to the main family. The movie begins with a man (David Duchovny!) digging in the woods, and then the dirt pile starts moving. Flash to Jud getting ready to go into the Peace Corps with his girlfriend, Norma. While they are in town getting the last of what they need, they overhear that Timmy Bateman is back from the war (Vietnam).

As Jud and Norma try to leave, a bird hits their windshield, and they find the Bateman’s dog. The dog has obviously been re-animated. They take the dog back to the Batemans and see Timmy. The dog bites Norma pretty badly and must be taken to the hospital, where she must stay for several days. Jud meets up with his friend Manny (who has a sister named Donna). They talk about how something is up with Timmy.

Jud and Manny go to see the local preacher, who shows them journals from the first settlers. The journals talk about the evil in the woods and how it must be kept at bay. Ever since the founding families have been protecting the town, we see that through the town leaders meeting to figure out what to do about Timmy.

Donna ends up dead, Norma ends up kidnapped, and the men decide it is time to take care of the problem. The adults and Jud and Manny go to the Bateman house. Mr. Bateman (David Duchovny) agrees to help them because he doesn’t like what he brought back (Timmy was killed in Vietnam). A hunt ensues and ends with all of the adults dead, but Jud, Manny, and Norma are still alive. The movie ends with Jud and Norma deciding they need to stay behind and protect the town and Manny driving off into the sunset.

I thought that this movie was very well done. The actors were perfect, and the script was delightful. All my questions from the remake of Pet Sematary were answered (like what is the purpose of the masks and why are there spirals). The lighting was fantastic, creating the right ambiance at the right time.

I would definitely watch this again.

Photo Credit: primevideo.com