Pet Sematary Two is about 50% better than its predecessor, which is to say it’s not very good at all. The latest incarnation relies more on gore than genuine chills and is sorely lacking in subtlety.
The story opens with the accidental death of an actress (Darlanne Fluegel) in front of her teenage son (Edward Furlong). Dad (Anthony Edwards) and son move to a small town, where the boy has to grapple with his loneliness and the obligatory school bully (Jared Rushton).
Jeff (Furlong) befriends another boy (Jason McGuire) whose tyrannical stepfather (Clancy Brown) guns down the kid’s dog. Duo take the beast to the ‘pet sematary,’ an ancient Indian burial ground rumored to revive the dead, subsequently repeating the process on the stepfather and setting up the inevitable question about tempting the forces of nature by awakening mom.
Director Mary Lambert (reprising her duties from the 1989 release) again errs by setting much of the action around the cemetery in daylight, although the pacing is significantly better than the first pic. Makeup and special effects are topnotch.
