Pet Sematary, while creepy as all hell, ultimately needed to unbury a few more genuine scares to make it a worthy remake. Admittedly, the film does do a good job of creating a hauntingly chilly atmosphere, and no doubt gives way to some unsettling imagery (not to mention a handful of effective jump scares). And while the movie toys with intriguing notions about life, death, and life after death, it all comes about in a rather dumbed-down way. I swear there's a smarter movie buried in there somewhere. And while Jason Clarke deserves credit for doing a great job of running the gamut of emotional upheaval, perhaps shockingly (or not), John Lithgo is the film’s MVP. Playing the archetypal creepy old neighbour, Lithgo does a fantastic job of giving the character a real sense of history and grit. So while Pet Sematary doesn’t come close to Stephen King’s IT remake, you'll find its still got some bite to it.