New Pet Sematary trailer is even more terrifying than the first

It has been 30 years since Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" shocked cinemagoers around the world. Now horror fans will get the chance to experience that terror all over again when it returns to theatres this year for its second cinematic adaptation. Directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, the new trailer is a follow-up to the first that was released in October and teased fans with a glimpse of a tale even darker than the original.

The story

The 1983 novel follows Louis Creed, a Chicago doctor who relocates to the Maine countryside with his wife, Rachel, and two children, Ellie and Gage.

Their aspirations, however, are soon tainted when they befriend an elderly neighbour, Jud, who accompanies them down a path behind the family home that leads to the 'Pet Sematary': an informal burial ground set up by children whose pets met their fate on a nearby busy highway. Following the accidental death of Ellie's beloved cat, Church, the cemetery becomes its final resting place only for it to come back to life shortly after with a slightly more sinister demeanour. Tragedy then strikes again when Gage is struck and killed by a passing truck and Louis decides to bury his son in the same cemetery, despite several warnings from Jud, in the hopes of inducing the same outcome.

A new direction

Despite the movie premiering to favourable reviews in 1989, the writer at the helm of the new version, Jeff Buhler, has admitted to altering the story slightly for strategic effect.

Whilst the original sees Gage return to life in a zombie-like state, the new movie will reportedly see Ellie killed instead. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura claimed that while this decision made the team nervous, it was necessary in order to differentiate from the original. The movie also pays homage to the original stellar lineup by casting Jason Clarke as Louis and Amy Seimetz as Rachel whilst Jon Lithgow is set to play Jud.

Be warned

But whilst the story may involve a series of furry friends, the chilling subject matter is set to make the movie a firm contender for one of the year's best horrors. King himself took to Twitter this week to comment on the trailer by exclaiming: 'This is a scary movie. Be warned.' A promising start given his public disdain of Stanley Kubrick's take on his 1977 novel The Shining.

You can judge for yourself whether or not "Pet Sematary" lives up to the hype when it debuts in cinemas in April ahead of the second instalment of "IT [VIDEO]" titled "IT: Chapter Two" which is set for release in September.