Stephen King's Enthusiastic Endorsement Leaves Pet Sematary Prequel Director Speechless

Summary

Stephen King approves of the upcoming Pet Sematary prequel, praising its storytelling and performances.

Throughout the production, the director regularly checked in with King to ensure that he was satisfied with the film. However, despite King's endorsement, the prequel is faced with challenges such as negative early reviews and competition from other horror releases in October.

Co-writer/director Lindsey Anderson Beer expressed her excitement and gratitude for Stephen King's endorsement of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. The Paramount+ project serves as a prequel to King's 1983 novel and focuses on the early life of Jud Crandall, before his encounter with Louis Creed, as he uncovers the chilling history of the titular graveyard. Leading actor Jackson White has captured King's attention, and the acclaimed author recently took to Twitter to express his appreciation for the film. King acknowledged that while the movie takes some creative liberties, it still tells a compelling story with an outstanding performance from David Duchovny, and its emphasis on character development is what makes it shine. In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Beer shared her delight at King's positive response and revealed that they sought his input throughout the filmmaking process to ensure his satisfaction. See Beer's comments below:

Will King's Approval Lead To Viewership Success?

The Pet Sematary prequel could receive a significant boost with King's endorsement, increasing its prospects on Paramount+ prior to its debut. While the streaming platform has had moderate success in the competitive streaming landscape, only a few of their original releases have garnered significant attention from viewers. For instance, the high-profile film Infinite, starring Mark Wahlberg, failed to impress critics, and even long-time fans of the horror franchise were not captivated by Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin. However, King's positive reviews on social media have proven influential in elevating certain projects' success, as seen with MGM+'s horror series From and the recent hit on Hulu titled No One Will Save You.

Despite the author's support, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines faces significant obstacles, primarily due to its poor early reviews from festival premieres. Currently, the prequel has only received a 22% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the lowest scores for a King adaptation in recent years. The majority of negative reviews argue that Bloodlines fails to add anything substantial to King's source material, while others criticize it for being too predictable.

Furthermore, another potential setback for the success of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is its release date on October 6. This weekend is already expected to be highly competitive at the box office, with established releases such as PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Saw X, and The Exorcist: Believer vying for viewership, especially during the Halloween season. Moreover, throughout the rest of the month, the prequel will face further challenges as it shares the horror genre spotlight with other titles like Totally Killer and Five Nights at Freddy's. Therefore, the film will need to overcome these obstacles to achieve significant viewership success.