Readers first learned that "sometimes dead is better" when Stephen King's Pet Sematary was published in 1983. The nightmare-inducing novel (perhaps King's most disturbing book and certainly one of the most haunting things I will ever experience) was first translated to the big screen by Mary Lambert in 1989, and now another rendition of King's living dead tale is in development with two directors at the helm.
Variety reports that Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, the filmmakers behind 2014's Starry Eyes, have been set by Paramount Pictures to direct a new take on King's classic 1983 novel about life, death, and the boundary between the two that should never be broken.
Kolsch and Widmyer, who have also directed several key episodes of MTV's Scream TV series, will work from a screenplay by David Kajganich (writer of the upcoming Suspiria remake and 2007's The Invasion) and Matt Greenberg, who has writing credits on other King adaptations such as 1408 and Mercy.
Other filmmakers interested in adapting King's Pet Sematary reportedly included IT director Andy Muschietti and 47 Meters Down helmer Johannes Roberts, but it will be interesting to see what Kolsch and Widmyer do with the material. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Steven Schneider are on board to produce the project, which will be another entry in the strong wave of King adaptations as of late, including IT, Gerald's Game, Mr. Mercedes, and 1922.
Starring Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, and Denise Crosby, Lambert's Pet Sematary (1989) was followed by a sequel in 1992 starring Edward Furlong and once again directed by Lambert.
We'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are divulged, and for those unfamiliar with King's Pet Sematary, we have the official synopsis (via Amazon):
"When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son—and now an idyllic home. As a family, they’ve got it all…right down to the friendly cat.
But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth—more terrifying than death itself...and hideously more powerful.
The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better."
Cover art via Stephen King Revisited:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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