Of all the horrific, terrible things featured in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King's novel PET SEMATARY, the one character who seemed to disturb viewers the most was Zelda Goldman, a young girl who suffered from spinal meningitis and was played in the film by an adult male covered in makeup and prosthetics. I know people who are so creeped out by Zelda that they can't even look at pictures of her.
A new adaptation of PET SEMATARY is now in the works, coming to us from STARRY EYES directing duo Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, and their version of the story will be featuring Zelda as well – but this time the young girl will actually be played by a young girl.
Thirteen year old actress Alyssa Brooke Levine has been cast as the character whose condition at the time of her death haunts her sister Rachel for decades.
Written by Jeff Buhler, the PET SEMATARY remake follows
Dr. Louis Creed, who, after relocating with his wife Rachel and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall, setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.
The adult Rachel is being played by Amy Seimetz, with Jason Clarke as Louis, twins Hugo Lavoie and Lucas Lavoie as their son Gage, Jeté Laurence as their daughter Ellie, and John Lithgow as their neighbor Jud.
We'll see if the new PET SEMATARY will be as disturbing to viewers as the original was. The film is scheduled to be released on April 5, 2019.
