Pet Semetary (1989)
Even legendary horror author Stephen King took a stab at zombie horror with Pet Semetary. In 1989 the Hollywood film adaptation brought his story about children coming back from the dead to the big screen. King gave an actual heart to the genre with this story. The film touches on that effectively by keeping Louis’ son Gage looking as if he is almost alive. With just a single scar seen on his forehead, Gage seems okay at first glance but in reality he’s extremely evil.
The emotional punches keep coming when the family’s Church, return from the dead. It’s incredibly disturbing and Gage’s return leaves an emotional weight that isn’t seen much in zombie horror. Hearing Gage cry when Louis has to put him down for good feels incredibly sad. Yes, this is even after all all the evil this demonic zombie child has brought upon the world.
With a more modern adaptation on the way in 2019, hopefully they can resemble the same kind of zombie horror the original had and remind audiences why sometimes dead is better.
