Pam Grier’s Hit Returning Horror Show Redeems Her 22% Rotten Tomatoes Stephen King Movie From Last Year

Pam Grier’s role in THEM: The Scare not only helps elevate the horror series, but also redeems the 74-year-old’s previous horror appearance in a 2023 Stephen King adaptation. In a career spanning five decades, Pam Grier has taken on a variety of roles – including several high-profile horror projects. However, while some have been more successful than others, the failure of Grier’s 2023 project means that THEM: The Scare comes as a welcome return to form.

The second installment in the THEM anthology series, THEM: The Scare moves beyond the first season’s 1950s suburban setting into a more contemporary period. Set in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, the show takes place in the immediate aftermath of the Rodney King beating, with original star Deborah Ayorinde taking on a new role as a detective on the trail of a serial killer. Grier plays a crucial supporting role as Ayorinde’s character’s mother, Athena, helping to bring domestic horror to the story. Such is Grier’s performance that she is not only able to enhance THEM, but also banish the memory of a previous disappointment.

Pam Grier’s THEM: The Scare Redeems Her Role In Pet Semetary: Bloodlines

Although Grier has many popular horror credits to her name, her previous project left a lot to be desired. In 2023, the veteran performer featured in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines – a prequel to the 2019 horror movie, which was in turn adapted from Stephen King’s book of the same name. Set 50 years before the events of the first film, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines revolves around John Lithgow’s character from the 2019 movie and his discovery of the titular graveyard. Grier plays a marginal supporting role as Marjorie Washburn, but is nonetheless a notable presence in the movie.

Unfortunately, despite Grier’s involvement and the assembled talent of Henry Thomas, David Duchovny, and Jackson White, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines was poorly received by critics, scoring just 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. Given Grier’s history in horror, it was inevitable that Pet Sematary: Bloodlines would only heighten expectations ahead of whatever her next project would be. Thankfully, THEM: The Scare not only managed to exceed the 2023 movie’s score, but also set a new record for Grier in the genre.

THEM Season 2 Is Now Pam Grier’s Highest-Rated Horror Project On Rotten Tomatoes

At the time of writing, THEM: The Scare holds an unbeatable 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from eight professional reviews. Unsurprisingly, this puts it ahead of all of Grier’s previous projects in the genre. Since her first appearance in a horror movie in 1972’s The Twilight People, Grier has featured in five further horror movies, as well THEM: The Scare. While the Amazon Prime Video series’ score would be impressive in any context, it easily outstrips all of Grier’s other credits.

It is perhaps telling that THEM: The Scare has scored so highly and constitutes Greer’s most successful horror project to date. However, it also speaks to the 2024 series’ quality that it has been able to redeem Grier’s previously disappointing work in the genre, while highlighting her dramatic credentials. While THEM: The Scare‘s Rotten Tomatoes score may yet change, it’s already established itself in Pam Grier’s impressive resume.