Pet Graveyard is a 2019 horror film about a group of teens who are tormented by the Grim Reaper and his pet after undergoing an experiment that allows them to revisit the dead.
Movies like Rebecca Matthews‘ independent chiller Pet Graveyard are essentially critic proof, housed with a built-in audience, a ravenous collection low budget horror fans who don’t give a damn about scores and stars and whatnot. That leaves me with a sort of perfuctory task, offering up a few details and such about what one might expect, and often enough, it’s a laundry list of same ol’ same ol’s, from cheesy acting, to poor visual effects, to sloppy direction, and more. Pet Graveyard is of the same ilk and while there are some good moments and a few small surprises in production, it’s made with a singular intention and does exactly that.
Beginning three years in the past, we start with an intriguing setup as a young woman frantically drives her car into a mechanic’s shop begging for assistance while a man in the passenger seat appears to be bleeding out. What’s happened to him? Why does she seemingly care more about getting the car to work than helping her partner? I won’t say where it goes, though it pulls back enough of the curtain to reveal that we aren’t in Kansas anymore. Meanwhile, in the present day, Lilly (Jessica O’Toole), a nursing student is having trouble at university, still reeling over the death of her mother, though has bigger problems at hand. Her older brother has already left school and taken to YouTube, filming himself scaling towers, gaining the interest of a small group of others who claim they can crossover to the ‘other side’ and want him to join them … along with Lilly for her medical skills. Guess how well that goes.
While you’re surely rereading all that and struggling to make a connection with the title, which is clearly borrowing heavily from the classic Stephen King book and adapted movies, it’s obviously far more akin to Joel Schumacher‘s 1990 Flatliners than anything else. So much so, you might feel an urge to call foul. There is a pet though, a Sphynx breed who serves … well … I don’t think I really need to say, but a debt is owed and cheating it is deeply frowned upon.
Sporting some good performances, which is welcome in this genre, Pet Graveyard is otherwise pretty flat with not much umph in the story, mostly because it’s not all that original. However, with the cast gamely committed to the plot, there’s some genuine interest in seeing where it goes. I’m not saying it goes in new directions but at least the characters make finding out all the more impactful as they each have reasons for wanting to do what they do. Most of these actors are promisingly believable (though the ‘bad guy’ … eh, not so much).
Still, Matthews, in her directorial debut, doesn’t have much to work with and so, we end up in a few small rooms and long stretches in near total blackness, occasionally finding some moments to get creative. Written by Suzy Spade, the film works harder to dole out a few emotional thumps in favor of a steady stream of frights, getting all talky as our travelers face the consequences of playing with fate.
A good effort, it might have been better with something less familiar at its core, even if the methods for flatlining are substantially low key in comparison. Hardly unwatchable, fans that do clamor for this kind of fun will surely find plenty to keep them entertained.