Some things are just obvious. Bears shit in the woods. Bacon tastes good. And Zelda from Pet Sematary scared the shit out of me and still does. In past Give Me The Creeps posts, I’ve mentioned that it takes a lot to really creep me out. Well if there’s one thing I can always rely on when I do happen to watch 1989’s Pet Sematary, it’s that any scene that involves Zelda will make my heart beat just a little faster than it was. Another thing I can rely on is that I constantly picture Herman Munster every time Fred Gwynne talks, but that’s a separate issue I have.
*yes baby….I have one hand on it right now*
Let’s get back to Zelda. See, it’s kind of sad because you want to feel sorry for her after all. She had spinal meningitis, was a bit deformed because of it, and choked to death while eating. But I dare you to feel any compassion when that dream sequence pops up in the movie where Rachel finds Zelda hunched over in the corner. Wear a diaper if you have to (it’s ok, there are commercials now with celebrities that say it’s perfectly normal to do so), because that scene alone is definitely a game changer when it comes to horror.
*look away….I’m hideous*
When she lunges at the camera, she effectively makes it feel like she’s lunging after YOU! Fuck that. Check please. To make it even creepier, director Mary Lambert hired a male actor to play Zelda (Andrew Hubatsek) upping the ante of the scare factor. It’s just one of those rare scenes not just from a horror movie, but a movie in general, that burrows itself under your skin and leaves you with images that will give you nightmares. So here’s to you Zelda from Pet Sematary, you gave me the creeps and you still do to this day. Now please go away.
*hahaha – I haven’t showered in months!*
Mate!
Just stumbled on your blog entry, you’ve nailed it!
Zelda is one of those forces of cinema that imprints on your psyche. Just saying her name illicits spine tingles – legit!
To this day, I’m still haunted by the vision of her scurrying across the room towards… Me.
Well captured, well shared, well scared.
Thanks for supporting and feel free to add me on FB if you’re on there. I do giveaways from time to time 🙂
Tony
https://www.facebook.com/dirtyhorrorblog
Hey,
I am 34 and never saw this movie, though I read the book a few years ago. While I thought some of the acting was a bit campy, the sets were dead on, I mean it was almost exactly what was described in the book.
I don’t really get freaked out by movies, so I decided to watch this on Netflix around Christmas. The Zelda scenes were really creepy, like I felt the hair on my neck stand up. Not just creepy, but disturbing; they make me shudder just thinking about them. Dead on post here!
I’ve seen the movie a lot, and every time I watch it – that scene still creeps me out. They did a great job with some of the scenes….the book was better, but the movie nailed a lot of the elements from the book like you said.