Pet Sematary: Bloodlines

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is a horror fantasy film set in the town of Ludlow, Maine, in 1969. Jud Crandall dreams of leaving his hometown behind and has already taken steps toward that goal. His plans change when he discovers a dark secret tied to his own family and to a burial ground near the town, where the dead do not stay buried as they should. Jud and his childhood friends find themselves confronting an old evil that has taken hold of Ludlow, and the horror spreads as those close to him are affected.

The film is a prequel to the Pet Sematary story, drawing on material from Stephen King's novel for a tale set decades before the Creed family arrives. Lindsey Anderson Beer directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Buhler. Jackson White plays Jud, with Forrest Goodluck as Manny, Jack Mulhern as Timmy Baterman, Henry Thomas as Dan Crandall, Natalie Alyn Lind as Norma and Isabella Star LaBlanc as Donna. It was produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian and released in September 2023.

Reception was muted. On IMDb the film holds a rating of 4.6 from around 14,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.6 from roughly 446 votes. A critics' score of 4.5 from about 60 reviews places it in similar territory to the audience response, indicating a generally unfavorable consensus.