As a horror fan, I get jazzed up for genre documentaries, such as the Nightmare on Elm Street doc Never Sleep Again or His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, and even when it’s just a loony take on a single classic film, like Room 237’s exploration of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. But this isn’t to say all horror films should get their own documentaries, since that’s what DVD extras are for. So does Mary Lambert’s 1989 Stephen King adaptation of Pet Sematary need its own in-depth documentary, the fan-made Unearthed & Unbound: The Path to Pet Sematary? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean I won’t watch the hell out of it, as Pet Sematary is one of the most haunting stories I’ve ever read and seen.
Filmmakers and megafans John Campopiano and Justin White have been working on their film for around two years now, compiling a graveyard full of footage, both new and old, to commemorate the film’s lasting impact on the psyche of anyone with children who lives next to a highway. Actually, I doubt they go into the psychology behind grief, but they do go to all the film’s Maine locations, as well as how the production had a positive effect on the community and the locals used in the film.
Many of the cast members are interviewed, such as Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby and an all grown-up Miko Hughes, who played the young Gage Creed in one of the freakiest child performances in all of cinema. (Both of his death scenes have been branded into the dopamine-free areas of my brain.) It is of course sad that Fred Gwynn passed on many years ago, as he was a great performer, but I’m hoping they talk to Andrew Hubastek, who played the nightmarish spinal meningitis-suffering Zelda. I got chills just thinking about it. Anyway, both Blaze “Ghostwriter” Berdahl and her twin sister Beau are a part of the interviews, some of which are happening for the first time.
The doc features never before seen photos and videos, as well as press from the film’s release. After seeing the fan-made theory-driven ridiculousness that is the Ghostbusters-themed Spook Central, some good old fashioned info-tainment sounds great to me.
Take a look at the promo card for Unearthed & Untold, which does not yet have a release set, and go to the film’s Facebook page for much more information. And then feast upon the original preview for Pet Sematary itself.
