The last few years have seen writerLindsey Anderson Beerhard at work on herdirectorial debut,Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. Now that the film is just a little over a week away from its October 6 debut on Paramount+, the writer and helmer can turn her attention to other efforts. Staying in the realm of IP, Anderson Beer willnext set her sights on a remakeof the classicWashington Irving-penned novel-turned-movies,Sleepy Hollow. During a recent interview with Collider’sPerri Nemiroff, the filmmaker commented on what will set her telling of the iconic spooky tale apart and howPet Sematary: Bloodlinesprepared her to make a reboot.
“Sleepy Hollow… You know, there are a lot of skill sets that are similar in terms of its belovedIP,” Anderson Beer said, drawing a parallel betweenBloodlinesand the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. “It’s also the same kind of thing where when I was doingBloodlines, I kept asking myself when I was doing the rewrites, “What would I want to know as aPet Semataryfan? What are thequestions left unansweredfrom the book? And what are the parts of the book that haven’t been explored in movies?’”
InPet Sematary: Bloodlines, Anderson Beerexplores the backgroundof what happened before the Creeds arrived in Ludlow, Maine. Audiences will meet a young Jud Crandall (Jackson White) and learn the beginnings of the cursed burial ground and how it first affected the town. Speaking to this, Anderson Beer said, “For instance, the end of the book says that Jud is the guardian of the woods, and the book says that Jud’s experience withTimmy Batermanis the reason that the evil is even targeting him as an old man, that we know.” Using the specific chapter of Timmy Baterman’s return from the dead as the basis forBloodlines, the filmmaker added, “There are so many things like that that aren’t explored in films, and that a lot of the fans don’t know because they haven’t read the book, or haven’t read the book for so much time.”
Lindsey Anderson Beer’s Vision for ‘Sleepy Hollow’
Irving’s legend is no stranger tofilm adaptations, having not only spawnedTim Burton’s 1999Johnny DeppandChristopher Walken-led filmSleepy Hollowbut also the beloved Disney animated feature,The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. There was also the four-season running FOX series,Sleepy Hollow, which starred the likes ofTom MisonandNicole Beharie. Promising to put her own spin on the story, Anderson Beer says, “The legends of Sleepy Hollow are so rich, and as I started doing the research about the Hudson Valley and true ghost stories, I just, I got addicted to that too.”
Pet Sematary: Bloodlinesarrives onParamount+ on October 6. Check out the trailer below and the interview above.
