Movies

‘Pet Graveyard’ Isn’t the Knockoff You Think It Is

It’s actually a knockoff of something else.
Pet Graveyard
Uncork'd Entertainment
By  · Published on February 18th, 2019

The upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s scariest book, Pet Sematary, is one of 2019’s must-see horror movies. And if the success of IT is anything to go by, moviegoers are hungry for movies based on the author’s work and are more than willing to part with their dollars to see them. There’s no reason to believe that Pet Sematary won’t be a huge box office success, which is why opportunistic hucksters are already trying to capitalize on its release. Case in point: Pet Graveyard.

Of course, Pet Graveyard isn’t content to simply rip off popular Stephen King movies. Sure, the title is cheeky a way to lure in impressionable King fans, but should they decide to part with their hard-earned money by purchasing Pet Graveyard, they can expect something much different from Pet Sematary. Instead, what they’ll get is a horror movie that plucks ideas from all over the place — with a Grim Reaper and his demonic kitty thrown in for good measure.

Check out the official trailer below:

The trailer indicates that this movie is dealing with some high concept ideas, such as people making themselves die temporarily so they can visit the afterlife. The movie also explores the idea of cheating death, as our protagonists must evade the Reaper and his feline sidekick. It’s like Flatliners meets Final Destination, basically. Personally, I’m surprised that no one has made this movie until now.

Thematically, though, there is a spiritual connection to Pet Sematary here. Think about it: the moral of each movie is to not mess with the natural order of life and death. If you’re planning on performing any weird resurrection rituals or death experiments this April, maybe these movies will scare some sense into you. If that is indeed the message that Pet Graveyard is trying to get across, it will be one of this summer’s most important releases.

All joking aside, Pet Graveyard does look quite charming. One of the best things about major new releases is the ripoff nonsense they inspire. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, Italian and Turkish cinema turned the knockoff into an art form, with directors like Bruno Mattei often making shameless copycats that were every bit as entertaining as their original counterparts. In the 21st century, The Asylum has led the charge with their mockbusters, and some of their releases have been absolute gems. We laugh at these movies sometimes, but they never cease to fascinate us, do they? Well, some of us anyway…

Uncork’d Entertainment has unleashed its fair share of wacky knockoffs into the world, as well. If you frequent this site, you might remember that time we shared the trailer for Death Kiss, a Death Wish clone starring Charles Bronson’s contemporary doppelgänger. The company is also responsible for The Jurassic Games, which is a crazy movie that splices DNA from Jurassic World and The Hunger Games together to create a grotesque abomination that deserves your attention. Needless to say, Uncork’d is totally cool with reaping the rewards of copying other movies. But it’s a dog eat dog world out there, and the hustle is real.

Granted, this type of cheap, schlocky cinema isn’t for everyone. If you’re seeking originality or quality then look elsewhere. But if you want to see concepts from other movies tossed into a blender just to see what the end results are, then Pet Graveyard is a movie that might pique your curiosity. Or maybe people will skip Pet Sematary in favor of this one, and we’ll have an unexpected summer hit on our hands? All I know for sure is that the world is a more interesting place with silly movies like Pet Graveyard in it.

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Kieran is a Contributor to the website you're currently reading. He also loves the movie Varsity Blues.