Summary
- Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is a prequel to the 2019 film and focuses on the young Jud Crandall and his connection to the town of Ludlow.
- The horror prequel takes inspiration from a single chapter in Stephen King’s novel and explores dark family secrets.
- The upcoming film delves deeper into the origins of the Pet Sematary and promises to be the most terrifying installment in the franchise yet.
The cast and crew of the upcoming horror prequel, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, including stars David Duchovny and Henry Thomas, discuss Paramount+’s approach to the franchise in a new featurette courtesy of Collider. The upcoming movie Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer and written by Beer, Jeff Buhler, and Stephen King. Bloodlines stars Duchovny, Thomas, Jackson White, Forrest Goodluck, Natalie Alyn Lind, Jack Mulhern, Samantha Mathis, and Pam Grier.
The new movie serves as a prequel to the 2019 horror thriller Pet Sematary which was adapted from King’s classic 1983 horror novel of the same name and starred Jason Clarke, John Lithgow, Amy Seimetz, Alysaa Brooke Levine, Jeté Laurence, and Hugh Lavoie. Pet Sematary was directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer and was written by King, Matt Greenberg, and Buhler. The horror film followed Dr. Louis Creed (played by Clarke) and his family after they move to the small town of Ludlow, Maine and experience the disturbing powers of the local Pet Sematary.
Bloodlines takes place long before the events that occurred in the 2019 film and instead follows a young Jud Crandall (played by Jackson White) who uncovers dark family secrets that force him to remain forever connected to Ludlow, the small town that he longs to leave.
While chatting about the upcoming film, Bloodlines producer Mark Vahradian offers some insight into the young Jud saying:
“Jud, as a young man, was an obvious story to tell for a prequel, especially since John Lithgow was such a beloved character in our last movie.”
A Chapter in Stephen King’s Novel Provided Inspiration for the Horror Prequel
The producer later states that a single chapter in Stephen King’s novel (which followed a young man who is resurrected by the cemetery), served as an inspiration for the horror prequel.
“There was one chapter in the book that was the most scariest and most favorite chapter, which was the Timmy Baterman story.”
David Duchovny, who plays Timmy’s father, Bill, in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, shared his thoughts on the film’s storyline. Calling the prequel a “brilliant” idea, he also compared Bloodlines to the literary classic, Frankenstein.
“The core idea is really quite brilliant…It’s a Frankenstein story, except you bring family into it.”
Henry Thomas meanwhile, who plays Dan Crandall in the movie, similarly revealed more details about Pet Sematary: Bloodlines and stated that the upcoming film really focuses on the rural town and the story’s titular cemetery. The Haunting of Hill House actor said:
“This goes more in depth into the founding of the town of Ludlow…And the origins of the Pet Sematary.”
The Midnight Mass star then hypes the horror side of the Pet Sematary prequel, and is aided by co-star Jackson White.
“It has all of the great elements of the original Pet Sematary, but this one packs the most thrills,” says Thomas.
“Prepare to be really scared,” adds White.
The hype for the horror elements continue courtesy of Isabella Star LaBlanc, who notes that Bloodlines is “The most terrifying Pet Sematary ever.”
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines will arrive on Paramount+ on October 6th.
