Pet Sematary Review: 4 Ups & 4 Downs

Of course, any movie with the excellent John Lithgow in a major supporting role is going to have a saving grace, and his version of Jud is done with as a perfect balance between caring neighbour and disturbed old man. Jason Clarke is also fine as Louis Creed, and Amy Seimetz Rachel Creed does a great job of conveying a woman haunted by death and unable to come to terms with her childhood trauma.

It's just a shame they're all sped through their character arcs so quickly, as otherwise their dives into the emotional repercussions surrounding the characters could have been all the more impactful.

As for Jeté Laurence as Ellie Creed, she starts a little too sickly-sweet as a little girl, before turning and channelling that into her undead tween that's suitably terrifying. It's hard to find good child actors that can really sell themselves, so Laurence does an excellent job of convincing us she's good girl gone bad, if a little on the nose at times. I'd argue that its the script over Laurence's badass performance, however.

And of course, Church, played by Tonic and his furry friends, is brilliantly depicted and gets the gold star.