Paramount+ has debuted first look images, the poster, and the release date for its upcoming horror prequel Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, the first part in legendary author Stephen King’s Pet Sematary series.
The images feature several characters in the story, with one featuring actor Henry Thomas sitting in a flannel shirt and thick glasses. Another features screen legend Pam Grier in a police uniform with her gun held high. How To Blow Up a Pipeline star Forrest Goodluck is also featured in an image while standing in a sunflower field alongside actress Isabella Star LaBlanc. There are also a couple of images that invoke serious unease when he comes to the pets themselves: one of a seemingly sinister rabid dog walking on a dirt road, and another of the terrifying pet sematary itself, which is also featured in a red and black stylized manner on the film's poster.
While audiences can gather that we'll be dealing with some scary undead pets once again in this installment, these images still leave a lot of ambiguity about where the movie's plot will actually go. One thing we do know about the directorial debut from screenwriter Lindsey Beer is the prequel installment is based on "an untold chapter" of the overall story written by King himself.
The synopsis for the film reads, "In 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine behind, but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history that will forever keep him connected to Ludlow. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding, and once unearthed has the power to destroy everything in its path."
In addition to Thomas, Goodluck, and LeBlanc, the movie stars Tell Me Lies’ Jackson White, Mare of Easttown’s Jack Mulhern, The Goldbergs’ Natalie Alyn Lind. Acting giants David Duchovny and Grier also appear in featured roles. In addition to directing, Beer wrote the script alongside Jeff Buhler. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian served as producers.
The horror entry is set to be released on the streaming platform on October 6 in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Brazil, with the film going wide in other international markets the next day. According to Deadline, King once called this story his “scariest,” so come October, we’ll see if that claim holds any water on the big screen.
Lex Briscuso is film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
