Interviews
[Interview] Mary Lambert On the Spookier, More Tragic Original Ending She Shot for ‘Pet Sematary’
This week, Mary Lambert‘s Pet Sematary has received a brand new release in the form of a restored 4K UHD transfer with new bonus features, but one thing that no release of the film (including this one) has come packaged with is the original ending.
As you’ve probably heard, Lambert reshot the ending of Pet Sematary with Dale Midkiff and Denise Crosby, giving us the ending we’re all familiar with. Rachel returns from the Micmac burial ground, horribly mutilated, and approaches Louis with a knife in hand. The ending Lambert originally shot was less gruesome and, in her own opinion, a bit scarier.
Rachel still returns from the grave, but with a little more ambivalence.
“The original scene as written was more spooky and sad… tragic,” Lambert explained to us this week. “It was more like the clanging of the bell and Louis is sitting in the dark kitchen playing Solitaire. He’s waiting to see what will happen, and then Rachel comes back and you see that she only has on one high heel and she’s dead.”
“It was more ambivalent [originally],” she continued. “It’s like this isn’t gonna be good but what is it gonna be. It kind of leaves a question mark. I like ambivalence, especially in an ending honestly because rarely in life is there a resolution, a clean, happy ending resolution where oh, we know exactly what’s going to happen now. They’re going to live happily ever after or they’re not gonna live happily ever after if it’s a tragic ending.”
“It was just felt it needed more of a punch,” Lambert added, explaining why the change was made. “Honestly I think the ending that we have is less scary but more fun. You know that something really bad is now going to happen to Louis; that she’s going to rip his head off probably.”
Because the original ending wasn’t all that different from the one we’ve all seen, Lambert thinks it’s probably just not worth even including as a bonus feature.
“It’s not that different really,” she told us. “Really the only thing that’s different is that the makeup. It was a whole new makeup design. She didn’t have half her head eaten away like she does [now]. The prosthetics in Pet Sematary were great. The guys who did it were great. So they went back and did a full on new design and did a face cast of Denise which we hadn’t done previously. That was Lance Anderson. He did a great job. If the previous ending were really different it might [be worth showing], but basically it’s the same thing. Louis is playing cards in the kitchen, the clock strikes midnight and Rachel comes back. It’s just how big she comes back. She comes back grotesque and holding a knife and ready to carve him up and eat him, whereas in the other one it’s more bittersweet. We know it’s not going to be what he wants. She’s not coming back as his wife.”
Ultimately, Lambert was grateful that Paramount executives suggested that she give Pet Sematary a more definitive ending.
“I think it was a good call actually on the part of the studio to make that suggestion and also to pay for it,” Lambert admits. “It was probably Lindsay [Doran], she was great. She was one of the executives in charge that I worked really closely with.”
Pet Sematary is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital formats.
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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