Pet Sematary
Title: Pet Sematary

Author: Stephen King
Published in: 1983
Date read: 20th November 2019
Score: 5/5
Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Psychological
Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Pet Sematary" by Stephen King, published in 1983, is one of his most chilling and nihilistic novels, exploring the terrifying consequences of grief, the inability to accept death, and the violation of natural order. It's set in the familiar King territory of rural Maine.
The story centers on the Creeds, a seemingly idyllic family who have just moved from Chicago to a charming old house in Ludlow, Maine. The family consists of Dr. Louis Creed, a kind and rational physician; his wife, Rachel, who carries a deep, unresolved trauma from the death of her sister in childhood; their young daughter, Ellie; and their toddler son, Gage. They also have a beloved cat named Church.
Their new home is idyllic but has a disturbing secret. It sits near a busy, dangerous highway that frequently claims the lives of local pets. A path behind their property leads to a homemade graveyard, quaintly called the "Pet Sematary" (misspelled by the children who created it), where local children bury their deceased animals.
Louis quickly befriends his elderly, crusty, but kind neighbor, Jud Crandall. Jud warns Louis about the dangers of the highway. When Church the cat is tragically hit by a truck, Jud, seeing Louis and Ellie's immense grief, takes Louis beyond the Pet Sematary to a much older, darker, and more sinister burial ground – an ancient Mi'kmaq burial ground with immense, malevolent power. Jud explains that anything buried there comes back to life.
Louis, initially horrified, buries Church there. The cat does return, but he is changed: surly, smelly, and distinctly unlike his former self. Despite the unsettling nature of the resurrected Church, Louis keeps the secret.
The true horror begins when Gage, Louis's beloved toddler son, is tragically killed by a truck on the same highway. Overwhelmed by unbearable grief and knowing the terrible secret of the burial ground, Louis succumbs to a desperate impulse. Against Jud's frantic warnings and his own rational judgment, Louis exhumes Gage's body and buries him in the ancient burial ground, convinced he can bring his son back.
Gage returns, but he is no longer the sweet, innocent child. He is possessed by a malevolent entity, a twisted mockery of his former self, filled with cold malevolence and a terrifying intelligence. The resurrected Gage then embarks on a chilling campaign of violence, starting with Jud Crandall.
The novel delves deep into themes of:
Grief and Denial: The destructive power of an unwillingness to accept death.
The Inevitability of Death: A core philosophical question about trying to cheat mortality.
The Sacred and the Profane: The violation of natural laws and the consequences.
The Power of Place: How certain locations can be imbued with ancient, evil energies.
Family Trauma: Rachel's unresolved trauma and how it plays into the unfolding nightmare.
The climax is a terrifying, gruesome confrontation as Louis must face the monstrous abomination that was once his son, and the ultimate, horrifying price he has paid for trying to defy death. "Pet Sematary" is a raw, unflinching exploration of absolute despair and the truly horrifying consequences of tampering with forces beyond human comprehension.
Comments:
Thrilling and addictive. I just didn't want it to end but needed it to at the same time. It has left me daydreaming constantly about what happens next. Written in the typical King style that is dark and scary but that is nothing compared to when it revisits your brain at 3 am when you get up to use the toilet and you swear that Church just brushed past your ankle. I am open about my love of mythology and ancient folklore, in this book I became fascinated by the Wendigo.
Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)
This page was updated on: 30th July 2025