The Big Picture
- Pet Sematary: Bloodlines will serve as a prequel to the beloved Pet Sematary films, giving a fuller background and origin story to the town and character of Jud Crandall.
- The film explores the major question of what someone would risk to bring a loved one back to life, with the story centered around the resurrection of Timmy Baterman.
- The cast includes familiar names such as David Duchovny, Pam Grier, and Henry Thomas, who have established themselves in Hollywood and the sci-fi/horror genres.
The dead have returned to tell their tales in a featurette for Paramount+’s Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. Crawling out of the grave and onto the streamer on October 6, the film will serve as a prequel story to the beloved Pet Sematary films that have come before, and the Stephen King novel that started it all. Digging into what audiences can expect from the haunting feature, the cast and crew came together to uncover the story behind Pet Sematary: Bloodlines.
While the original novel centers on a family new to the town of Ludlow, Maine, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines will give a fuller background and origin story to not only the town but also one of the characters, Jud Crandall. “Jud as a young man was an obvious story to tell for a prequel,” the film’s producer, Mark Vahradian explains, adding that the character, who was last played by John Lithgow in 2019’s Pet Sematary, was a major hit with fans. Vahradian goes on to share how the production landed on a specific chapter from King’s novel which centered around the story of Timmy Baterman—a young man who is resurrected by the sinister forces of the cemetery. Hearing from David Duchovny, who stars as Timmy’s father, Bill, the X-Files alum refers to Bloodlines as “a Frankenstein story,” but, because of its family connections, things become even messier. As the film’s director, Lindsey Anderson Beer says, the production asks the major question “What would you risk to bring somebody that you loved back to life?”
Leading the cast as the young version of Jud Crandall is Jackson White (Ambulance), with an ensemble that includes Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant), Natalie Alyn Lind (The Goldbergs), Jack Mulhern (Mare of Easttown), and Samantha Mathis (American Psycho).
A Cast Filled with Icons
Along with White and the rest of the young stars, Bloodlines also tapped the very familiar names of Duchovny, Pam Grier, and Henry Thomas. Famously known for his role in the classic sci-fi horror series, The X-Files, Duchovny has been a major player in Hollywood for three decades, also appearing in titles including Aquarius and Californication. Known best for her groundbreaking performances in iconic blaxploitation films such as Coffy, Foxy Brown, and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, Grier has also appeared in several popular television shows including The L Word and Bless This Mess. Finally, Thomas has long been a driving force in the sci-fi and horror community having made his big break in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Nowadays, the star is a frequent collaborator with jump-scare master Mike Flanagan as the duo has worked together on projects including Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and more, with his next Flanagan pairing in the upcoming series, The Fall of the House of Usher.
Hear from the cast and team behind Pet Sematary: Bloodlines in the featurette below:
