Film on Vinyl: Pet Sematary

Welcome to another installment of Film on Vinyl, Joe Donohue’s column that celebrates the blending of his love for film and music by reviewing and dissecting movie soundtracks pressed on the oh-so-sweet vinyl record. Next up on the playlist: Mondo's release of the "Pet Sematary" soundtrack.

Stephen King is one of the most prolific horror writers of our time, with many of his books being the inspiration for numerous horror-film classics — and some, not so much. “Pet Sematary” has scared audiences for the past 25 years because it corrupted something so innocent, and proved that sometimes dead is better.

Like all classic horror films, the score is the heart of the film and, more often than not, taken for granted. How scary would Michael Meyers be without John Carpenter's iconic theme? And what about Freddy Krueger? Would he really be the nightmare-fueling titan if you took away his frightening tunes? And don’t even get me started on “Poltergeist.” There’s no way audiences would’ve cared who was there if it wasn’t for the extreme talent of the late Jerry Goldsmith.

And you’re probably asking yourself, “What’s your point?” Well, my point is that while a bad score deflates a movie, a great one elevates it. Luckily, Elliot Goldenthal’s score to “Pet Sematary” follows the latter. Goldenthal’s eerily beautiful score perfectly elevates Mary Lambert’s film from forgettable to classic. Thank the vinyl gods that the Mondo team was kind enough to bring this soundtrack to a beautiful double LP.

Packaging:

It’s obvious with each release that the Mondo team pours a lot of sweat and blood into its work, but they’ve completely outdone themselves with “Pet Sematary.” This vinyl beauty not only sounds good — which I’ll get to soon — but is absolutely breathtaking to behold. There are just so many pieces to Mike Saputo’s cover art that I could go on all day discussing, so I’ll just point out a few of my favorite things.

At the center of the piece is a man digging in a cemetery, with a red coffin just below him. The coffin itself plays host to the outline of a child, which reeks of symbolism. The black outline of the child is a perfect representation of the evil that fills the body of Gage, and the red of the coffin symbolizes the blood he sheds. The man above digging the grave is outlined by the light of the moon behind him. To me, this represents the darkness and grief that consumes Gage’s father. Saputo also perfectly uses the cat as a symbol for the evil that flows through the soil of the pet cemetery. I loved the way that the cat’s mouth engulfs the coffin below.

All I can say is that this is by far the most spectacular cover that Mondo has brought to life. It has the ambience of a classic '80s horror poster and oozes sophistication.

Tracks:

Well, now that I’ve gushed over the album cover, it’s time to dive into the goodies within. It’s no surprise that this soundtrack was pressed on 180-gram vinyl. By now, that’s a given. The important thing to talk about is the tracks themselves. While there’s a hefty 32 tracks, there are definitely some gems that deserve recognition over the rest. The first track, "The Pet Sematary," is a resounding home run, and a fun way to open the album. "The Warning Tour" is extremely beautiful and ominous, and "Kite and Truck" is horrifying and tragic. Those are a few of my favorite tracks. What I believe is the crème de la crème of the release is Side D. This last little bit of the album is chock full of bonus tracks ranging from alternate mixes of original tracks to album versions. There’s also an appearance by the Ramones, performing "Pet Sematary" and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker."

Thoughts in a Nutshell:

Mondo’s release of the “Pet Sematary” soundtrack is a must-own for any vinyl enthusiast. The album cover and center is absolutely gorgeous, the tracks are eerily haunting, and the black — or the translucent Green/Blue Vinyl with Black Haze variant — is downright eye candy. I really can’t recommend this soundtrack enough. If you caught my review of Mondo’s “Halloween” release and know how much love I have for that soundtrack, then you’ll know how serious I am when I say that “Pet Sematary” is a photo-finish second place in my eyes.

Until next time, make sure you’re using the appropriate cartridge. Remember to always spin responsibly.

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