Mary Lambert's "Pet Sematary II" of 1992 is an unpleasant and unscary sequel and only bearable due to a few cool gory scenes and some decent performances. The original "Pet Seamatary" of 1989 (also directed by Lambert) was certainly no Horror-highlight, and I personally found it to be overrated by many of my fellow Horror fans, but it was still an atmospheric and entertaining film that had many creepy moments. The sequel, however, is a vast disappointment for a Horror fan like myself, since it doesn't really deliver any creepiness or suspense.
After the death of his celebrity mother, teenager Jeff Matthews (Edward Furlong) moves away from LA with his father Chase (Anthony Edwards), a veterinarian. As luck would have it, the father and son move, out of all small towns, to Ludlow, Maine, the nice little backwater we all know from the first movie...
"Pet Sematary II" is a (boring, badly made) drama about the struggles of adolescents more than it is a Horror movie. There is simply hardly any suspense in this (probably because the screenplay wasn't written by Stephen King, as it was the case in the first movie), and many scenes that are meant to be creepy are, if anything, more funny than scary. I admit that there are a few entertaining and gory scenes, but that's simply not enough to counteract a boring plot and the lack of suspense. The only noteworthy performance is that of Clancy Brown, who plays the town's Sheriff, an arrogant and aggressive prick. Brown fits very well in his role, his performance is one of the few positive things about "Pet Sematary II". Otherwise, the performances are forgettable, Edward Furlong and Anthony Edwards were not necessarily bad, but I can't say their performances memorabe in any way either.
The first "Pet Sematary" was definitely no Horror masterpiece, but this sequel makes it look like a Dario Argento movie. "Pet Sematary II" has a few fun scenes, but, honestly spoken, there's better ways to waste your time. 3/10