Alternate ending for Pet Sematary remake digs up bone-chilling twist

Sometimes, dead is most certainly better.

When Paramount finally released its remake of Stephen King's Pet Sematary in April, longtime fans of the book and original film adaptation from 1989 realized that killing Ellie (Jeté Laurence) instead of Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie) actually helped the overall story rather than hindering it or— God forbid — doing it a disservice.

However, screenwriter Jeff Buhler and directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer didn't stop there in terms of major changes to the beloved source material. In fact, the remake ends with most of the Creed clan, now resurrected as evil entities, preparing to do the same to young Gage who is locked in the family car. 

Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we now have a look at the movie's alternate ending, which adheres closer to the novel, where Louis, overcome with grief and madness, brings back his wife, Rachel, after she's stabbed to death by their undead child.

Check it out below:

As you can see, this ending is just as bone-chilling and bleak as the one we got in the final cut.

Bleeding out from her stab wounds, Rachel (Amy Seimetz) is being comforted by Louis  (Jason Clarke), who tells her that everything's going to be okay. One might assume he's simply guiding her into a peaceful "retirement," but as Rachel looks over, she sees she's about to be buried in the mystical earth that brings people and animals back to life. Filled with horror and fright, she tries to plead with her husband not to do it, but his mind is clearly gone as Ellie joins his side, shovel in hand.

In early April, King discussed his idea for an ending that was never shot:

“I talked about an ending where Gage is walking up the middle of the road. We see dawn, and we hear a truck coming, and think, ‘Oh my God, he’s gonna get greased in the road. That’s how this is gonna end!’" King said. "Then at the last second, this woman pulls him out of the road and rescues him, and says, ‘Where’s your mommy and daddy?' “And that’s how you end the thing. But … that isn’t what they show.”

Pet Sematary's home release rises from the cursed dirt this coming Tuesday, June 25. That applies to both the digital and physical formats available for purchase.

The film co-stars John Lithgow as Jud Crandall, the Creeds' next-door neighbor who shows Louis the ancient and dangerous burial ground after the family cat is killed.