Perhaps you live in the same strange universe that I do, or did until recently. One where you somehow have never read the Stephen King classic Pet Sematary and have never even seen the original 1989 film. With the release of the cinematic remake quickly approaching in April, the time is now or never. So, I recently took on the challenge of tackling this novel, commonly heralded as the most terrifying and disturbing in King’s repertoire. In the introduction to the book, King himself even states that this is “the most frightening book I’ve ever written.” He claims that this is the work that he “put away in a drawer, thinking I had finally gone too far.” Sure, no big deal right? The “king of horror” says that his own work has terrified him. Great plan, let’s read it!
Pet Sematary has been an icon of popular culture for over three decades, with many having a passing familiarity with the premise of the story even if they have no direct experience with reading the novel or watching the film. The short version: A small town in Maine has supernatural forces at work which allow buried creatures to rise again and join the living. Creepy, right?
The longer version: Dr. Louis Creed, a doctor from Chicago, decides to move his family to the town of Ludlow, Maine in order to take a position as the director of campus health services at the University of Maine. His wife Rachel, their soon-to-be kindergartener Eileen (“Ellie”), their 2-year-old son Gage, and the family cat Winston Churchill (“Church” for short) seem to settle into this new adventure as well as can be expected. They find friendly new neighbours in Jud Crandall and his wife. Louis comes to even think of the older Jud as a bit of a father figure, spending many evenings sharing beers together on the porch. The Creed family has a lovely old colonial style home with a large field where the children can play. But, they also have woods abutting the property, leading to the ancient burial grounds of the Micmac Indian tribe … and a pet cemetery.
As Louis settles into his new job and his family settles into their new routine, he begins to learn from Jud Crandall that these woods contain more than meets the eye. There is a tradition, going many years back, of local folks taking their pets, burying them on the sacred grounds, and finding that they arrive back home alive and not exactly “well.” Inevitably Louis is led through a series of events which draws him toward the magical powers of the land; but can he take what he has learned from Jud – and been cautioned about – and use that knowledge to make the right choices for himself and his family?
As with all of King’s novels, Pet Sematary is about so much more than just a typical tale of horror. It explores themes of death – what is natural and unnatural. It holds relationships at the heart of the story – particularly those between father and son, as well as friends who build similarly close bonds. It is about the people as much as the terrible events that occur.
The book reads quickly, with short chapters driving the story forward in the typical style of King. And then you reach a point of no return. A point that you know where the story is going. You don’t want to, but you do. In most cases, this is what writers try to avoid … however, this is the genius of Pet Sematary. King wants the reader to know where this horrific tale is going. He wants you to dread it with every fiber of your being. And I did.
The level of detail, the slow building suspense, the humanity and lack thereof made me cringe and these things are exactly what makes this whole book work. King’s writing is genius, despite the fact that it is utterly disturbing. Because it is utterly disturbing.
To avoid spoilers, I’ll stop here; however I recommend this book without reserve. Pet Sematary was originally published in 1983 and it was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1986. Stephen King is the bestselling author of countless books and short stories, many of which have been adapted for film and television. Some of his most well-known works include Carrie, The Dark Tower series, The Green Mile, The Shining, and The Stand. You can visit his official website for an abundance of additional information.
The remake of Pet Sematary will hit theaters on 4/4/19. Starring Jason Clarke as Louis Creed and John Lithgow as Jud Crandall, among a brilliant cast of other characters, this one promises to be a wild ride that you don’t want to miss.
Pet Sematary is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Have you read Pet Sematary? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Discover the classic #1 New York Times bestseller from master storyteller Stephen King!
When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic and rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Yet despite Ludlow’s tranquility, there’s an undercurrent of danger that exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift pet cemetery out back in the nearby woods. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. An ominous fate befalls anyone who dares tamper with this forbidden place, as Louis is about to discover for himself…
I have been wondering a long time about something at the very end of “Pet Sematary,” and it concerns Jud Crandall. Was he really what he had seemed to be all the way up to his confrontation with the resurrected Gage–a nice old man? I wonder about what Gage said to Jud, that Jud had “f–ked with me once, and now I’m going to f–k with you, all I want!” Does this mean that nice ol’ Jud was a child rapist and had had his way with Gage? I go around and around with a friend of mine (she is a professor of English and a published author) about this. She says that if Jud had been a child molester, there would have been some kind of a hint earlier in the book, and, as many times as I have read “Pet Sematary” I have not found any. Has anyone else picked up on this and wondered about it?