The Film: 4/5

Though I consider myself a fairly open-minded horror movie fan, I’ve never been a devout follower of the 1989 supernatural shocker Pet Sematary, which was adapted from Stephen King’s 1983 novel and is often listed among the best theatrical translations of his work. I remember watching parts of the film when HBO started running it about a year after it racked up an impressive $57 million at the domestic box office and feeling as creeped out as an impressionable 11-year-old kid who had not seen many scary movies possibly could be.

Seven years ago, I checked out the DVD from my local public library to finally watch it in full and hopefully be as impressed as many of my peers who had seen it countless times. I was not, sad to say. Although a few of the performances and ideas were effective (and that end credits theme song by the Ramones never fails to get lodged in my memory), it has never stuck with me, so obviously the documentary Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary wasn’t going to either. But directors Justin White and John Campopiano, both of whom are devoted fans of the original film, made an engrossing and comprehensive feature-length tribute to a fright flick long considered to be a classic of the genre, and their fellow lovers of Pet Sematary would do well to check it out.

White and Campopiano assembled new interviews with many of the production’s principal talent in front of and behind the camera – director Mary Lambert, cinematographer Peter Stein, composer Elliot Goldenthal, actors Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Miko Hughes, Brad Greenquist, Susan Blommaert, Andrew Hubatsek, and Blaze and Beau Berdahl chief among the returning participants. The directors also secured the involvement of fans like Horror’s Hallowed Grounds producer and host Sean Clark, as well as Nightmare on Elm Street star Heather Langenkamp, who found herself performing an interesting job behind the scenes at the behest of her husband David Anderson, one of the film’s make-up effects artists. Author King, who also wrote the screenplay, appears in archival footage.

Unearthed begins with the story of how the project originated at Embassy Pictures after the novel was published but was shelved. An executive from that soon-to-be defunct mini-studio ended up working at Paramount and helped Pet Sematary finally get a green light when she pointed out that King’s script was in top shape and ready to go before the cameras with a Writers Guild striking looming. George Romero’s brief involvement as a potential director is mentioned before Lambert secured the assignment that turned out to be a major career break following the poor box office performance and critical reception of her directorial debut Siesta.

On-set production video is the only way the directors can show any Pet Sematary scenes since financier and distributor Paramount Pictures probably wanted too much money to license them actual footage. Key members of the design team discuss creating the decrepit houses and the titular burial ground that unleashes unholy terror, while residents of the Maine town where most of the shoot took place talk about renting out their homes for the production and playing extras. The stars talk about auditioning for their roles and the bonds they developed during filming. Goldenthal reveals the influence of Bernard Herrmann’s iconic score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho on his own soundtrack for Sematary.

Great insight is served up throughout by director Lambert, a veteran of countless music videos, on the subjects of helming her first major studio film, working with the child actors, and trying to come up with a final scene that would send audiences out of the theater on a chilling note (three endings were considered, two were filmed, and the best of the bunch made it into the final cut). The late Fred Gwynne, who delivered the best performance in Pet Sematary, is fondly remembered by several of the interviewees, including actor Midkiff, who often found himself having deeply philosophical discussions with his more famous co-star. A fascinating section of the documentary is set aside to break down the creation of the infamous “Zelda”, including hiring male actor Hubatsek to play a woman horribly afflicted by spinal meningitis.

I enjoyed seeing Marky Ramone (in an archival interview) talk about how King was a fan of their work and vice versa and that resulted both in the Ramones allowing their hit song “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” to be used in the film and the band recording the end credits title track. The running theme of the entire documentary is basically everyone had a great time making Pet Sematary and they’re very proud of the end result. That love can easily be felt in their recollections and observations and directors White and Campopiano’s own deep and abiding affection for the film is ultimately what makes Unearthed & Untold such a successful, warmhearted endeavor as a fan-produced retrospective documentary.

Audio/Video: 4/5

Unearthed & Untold is presented on this new Blu-ray release from Synapse Films in a solid 1.78:1 widescreen transfer with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround soundtrack. The extensive interviews were shot on high-definition video and look about as good as they can be given the source, bright and crisp with a minimum of softness. The inclusion of vintage behind-the-scenes footage shot on video naturally stands out from the rest of the film due to its age and conclusion, but that is to be expected. The 5.1 track doesn’t offer a dynamic presentation of the sound mix, which is basic for a documentary that relies on the listenability of its speakers to have an impact on the viewer, but the music and interviews mingle effectively without clashing or overwhelming each other. No subtitles have been provided.

Extras: 4/5

Bonus features kick off with a pair of audio commentaries featuring directors Campopiano and White. The first was recorded for this release and is specific to the main feature. Of course the directing duo have plenty to say about the documentary they made with love and respect for a film they admire greatly, from their memories of first seeing Pet Sematary and how it affected them to following through on their ambition to make their own retrospective doc about it and how they were able to attract so many of the surviving participants to return for new interviews. It’s a solid track that is nicely complimented by the second commentary, which takes the form of an interview with the directors that was conducted for the Halloweekly podcast by its creators Nick Rollins and George Healy. Occasionally information Campopiano and White share on their own commentary overlaps with the podcast interview, but there’s plenty of original observations on the second track and Rollins and Healy make for terrific and appreciative interviewers.

The directors also appear for a brief video interview (7 minutes) that explores topics discussed on the two commentaries but with less detail. Obviously, there was going to be a lot of footage that didn’t make the cut and we get it here with a reel of edited and alternate scenes (8 minutes) and a longer selection of interview clips (18 minute) that were deemed too extraneous for the final cut but offer up some warm and amusing anecdotes all the same. Video still galleries of photos from the directors’ journey to the original filming locations and alternate poster concepts from the documentary are present, as is a little more of that rare VHS-quality behind-the-scenes footage from the production of Pet Sematary shot by Rhonda Carter (6 minutes) which was glimpsed in bite-sized clips in the documentary. Finally, we have a sizzle reel (4 minutes) and promotional trailer (3 minutes). The Blu-ray also comes with reversible cover art.

Overall: 4/5

For fans of Pet Sematary and quality horror cinema in general, Unearthed & Untold is an excellent documentary made with affection by talented filmmakers and the people who made the original movie possible. Synapse Films’ Blu-ray comes recommended for its substantial transfer and supplements.