Pet Sematary Two

Director - Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary, Halloweentown II)
Starring - Edward Furlong (Brainscan, American History X), Anthony Edwards (Revenge of the Nerds), and Clancy Brown (Cowboys and Aliens)
Release Date - 1992
Genre - Horror
Tagline(s) - "Back by popular demand" and "Raise some hell"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I will be honest with you guys and I will go ahead and admit that the original Pet Sematary scared the shit out of me.  I could make it through the entire movie until the very end when Gage comes back to life.  Those last few moments of the film I would freak out.  I first saw the movie going in to my 1st grade year and that particular scene stuck with me for years.  There was something terrifying about someone so small killing an adult that freaked me out.  Anyway, I watched the film numerous times but would skip the ending.  It wasn't until I was in middle school that I discovered this sequel.  The first time I saw it I really enjoyed it and was kinda shocked more people did not talk about it.  I was out at the local music store a few days back and came across the DVD that was less than $5.  I could not pass it up for that price and grabbed it to review for those that have not seen this underrated sequel.
        The film follows Jeff Matthews (Furlong) who recently lost his mother.  She was an actress and was accidentally electrocuted while filming her newest film. Jeff and his father moves back to their hometown where Jeff befriends the sheriffs pudgy stepson while his father sets up shop as the town vet.  The sheriff breeds rabbits and one night his pudgy stepson's dog gets into one of the cages and he shoots the dog.  Cue the Indian burial ground from the first film.  They take the dog to the Indian burial ground and the dog comes back to life to kill the sheriff.  The two kids freak out and take the sheriff back to the Indian burial ground and bury him.  Later he returns and kills his wife, stepson, and local bully before digging up Jeff's mother and unleashing hell on Jeff and his father.
      Pet Sematary is a great film but I personally like the sequel just a little bit more.  The film has more atmosphere and tension than the original creating an all around dark presence.  I am in no way saying that the original does not have atmosphere and tension because it does.  This movie just seems a lot more darker and moody which truly adds to the horror.  The movie is also able to ride the events from the first film to only enhance the viewing experience.  Very few sequels are able to pull that off.  The acting in this one is great and on the same level as the original.  Sadly, I am not a fan of Furlong even though he has been in many movies I thoroughly enjoy.  There is just something about him I don't really care about.  The rest of the cast does a great job especially Brown.  He is very menacing and creates a brooding presence in every scene he is in.  The story is more or less the same as the original except a lot darker and the family ties are severed straight from the beginning creating a darker tone making the characters seem alone during the entire ordeal.  I personally like this variation of the story a little more but it would have been so much better if Fred Gwynne was in it.  Finally, the special effects in this one is amazing.  I love how the re-animated look in this one compared to the first one.  Each time I watch it I am in utter awe.  We do get on screen deaths but they are nothing brutal nor spectacular.  Better on screen deaths would have made this movie even more amazing.  Overall, this is a sequel that sadly goes unnoticed.  I highly recommend this one.