‘PET SEMATARY’ interview: Director Lindsey Anderson Beer on ‘BLOODLINES,’ crafting a drama first and horror film second

Preston Barta // Features Editor

Releasing this weekend on Paramount+ is Lindsey Anderson Beer’s Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. The new horror film serves as the first prequel to Stephen King’s classic 1983 novel, which was adapted into three feature films (in 1989, a sequel in 1992, and a remake in 2019).  Bloodlines digs deeper into the rearview by centering on a young Jud Crandall in 1969 Ludlow. 

Played as a much older character by Fred Gwynne in ’89 and John Lithgow in 2019, Jud Crandall (Tell Me Lies’ Jackson White) is a younger man with an agenda that doesn’t include staying in his small town and discovering “dead is better.” He and his girlfriend (Natalie Alyn Lind) dream of leaving this life behind for a fresh start. However, the poison of the land intensifies and sinister secrets surface to challenge the couple. In the hope of defeating this ancient evil, Jud and his childhood friends band together in classic Stephen King fashion.

During the film’s world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, last month, Fresh Fiction had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) with Beer to discuss fleshing out this flashback chapter. In the video interview below, we chat about how she put drama first and horror second, as well as the balance between adding her coat of paint versus thinking more about how King would steer the narrative.

Enjoy, and catch Bloodlines today on Paramount+.