When an iconic novel is adapted into a new medium, the difficult decision must be made in how to bring the events of that story to life in a way that both honors the source material and also offers fans a new interpretation of that story. In the case of this year’s Pet Sematary, the filmmakers had to find a way to not only honor Stephen King‘s original novel, but also offer an exploration of the concept that deviated not only from that story, but also from the 1989 adaptation. With the film now landing on home video, Entertainment Weekly has debuted an alternate ending to the film, which you can see above.
Videos by ComicBook.com
In the theatrical cut of the film, Louis, Rachel, and Ellie Creed have all died and been resurrected thanks to the powers of the sacred ground, with the film’s final moments showing the trio approaching Gage Creed in the family car, seemingly to turn him into one of the living undead. The above ending instead reverses some of the roles and ultimate fates of the character, with directors Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch citing that this original, scripted ending left the audience with too much ambiguity.
“We love both endings,” Widmyer revealed to Entertainment Weekly. “This ending is near and dear to us; it was the scripted ending.”
Kolsch added, “Both endings were tested [with preview audiences] and what came back is [the theatrical ending] was clearer to people and it was what people seemed to resonate with and it left them with fewer questions — I don’t mean questions in a good ambiguity way but questions in that people didn’t understand everything that happened.”
In the film, “After the Creed family relocates from Boston to rural Maine, they soon discover an ancient burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home. When tragedy strikes, the grief-stricken father is driven by the cemetery’s sinister power, setting off a perilous chain of events that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences. Some secrets are best left buried in this twisted thriller.”
“[The alternate ending is] the ending that really should be tested a week after you screen a film when you’ve had more time to sit and process it,” Widmyer explained. “The theatrical ending is the big loud slam dunk ending where it goes out on a bang. There’s an immediacy to it that’s satisfying. The [original ending] is haunting, it’s lingering, it stays with you.”
Grab Pet Sematary on Digital HD on June 25th and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 9th.
Which ending of the film do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
