This film most definitely goes more over the top than its predecessor. The gore levels are upped, the tense moments are upped and, oddly enough, the heart and soul are upped a great amount as well. This isn't some half-assed cash grab seeking to make every penny it can off the Stephen King property (well, it probably is a cash grab, but half-assed it is not), it actually offers enough of an expansion of the original concept to justify its existence.
It's a lot campier which, as a classic horror fan, I love a lot and, although it'll never adequately capture the pure, raw terror that was instilled in me with the original (you won't find an appearance from Zelda here, thank god for that) but it's definitely a tense movie, and it's a lot of fun to watch. If you're expecting something that follows King's formulaic setup of the original, you'll definitely be disappointed, but this film prides itself in showing you the action instead of telling you about it through conversation. It's a change from the original, and, for me, it honestly ended up producing a superior film in almost every respect.
Review of Pet Sematary II
