Pet Sematary

I just finished Pet Sematary - on Tuesday, I've been a tad lazy this week I admit. 

I have to say I immensely enjoyed it and wager that I preferred it as a book to The Shining. Yeah, that's right. Whilst the concept of a haunted hotel screwing with it's inhabitants is probably more up my alley and a more terrifying image, there was something far more emotional and endearing about the character of Louis Creed who just wanted to be a good father and make his family happy. Even if it meant bringing his daughter's cat, his two-year old son, and eventually his wife all back from the dead.

Stephen King fills Pet Sematary with such foreshadowing that you know pretty much from the first few pages where the story is going. When Louis Creed, neighbour Jud, and family are wandering through the cemetery at the beginning of the book each hoping that it wouldn't happen to them, and Louis' daughter is pushed to tears at the thought of her cat being killed ever you pretty much know that's what's in store. But then if it weren't, there would be no story.

Whilst the foreshadowing starts to become a little stifling as the untimely deaths of various characters all draw closer, King's use of suspense narrative is really showcased so well that by the time something does happen it's like a relief. I'd say that was a pretty good sign of talent in a writer if their words can wind you up like that, even when you know what's coming. Unfortunately King keeps going a little so that the foreshadowing crosses over into actually just telling you what's about to happen. When Gage's death approaches the text switches to explicitly state that 'he only has weeks to live' and 'he'd never see that truck coming'. Which is oddly annoying particularly when combined with the way that the event actually occurs - in memory during the wake. The events of the wake are also described in the first few paragraphs of Part Two before later being described again in chronological order as the day pans out. Did that make sense? Basically King says this is what will happen at the wake, then goes on to describe the whole day including the events of and surrounding the wake. It was sort of unnecessarily repetitive.

But I tip my hat to Stephen King - good show, old chap.

This is another example of when the book is just so much better than the movie - for one thing the book had all that foreshadowing that the film barely touches on, and all the gross imagery of missing limbs and seeping wounds gets glossed over on paper. I'm sorry, but no one needed to see Mrs Creed's open wounds seeping fluid into Louis' mouth as they vigorously tongue kiss. No one! But the film did admittedly do justice to a lot of the weird themes that King was trying to get across - like the terror of resurrection and the horror of losing a child. The scene when Gage is killed is glazed past in the book, but the film chocks a powerful scene of the little boy's bloodied shoe bouncing onto the road hits you like a sucker punch and you know that it's bad. It's also an image that most parents have probably envisaged in their lifetimes and a scene that prospective or new parents should probably watch. Don't let your kids play in the road, parents, and if you have a house near a major highway for the love of god get yourself a decent fence.

Many of this story's problems would have been solved by the addition of a fence.

As far as problems go though, it is the glaring fever that Louis begins to fall under when faced with the burying ground that leads to the story's eerie outcome. Early on Jud warns Louis about the seductive allure of the pet sematary and profusely apologising for the demons that caused him to take Louis there in the first place. As another less obvious example of foreshadowing we also know from this moment on that the same addiction that pushed Jud to show Louis the cemetery was going to keep on at Louis, too. And it did. You could write an entire thesis on the idiocy and poor choices made by Louis Creed propelling the negative effects of the story. My cat died so I brought him back but he came back different, my son died next and he came back homicidal, so third time's a charm and I'll just wait to see if my wife murders anyone too. That's one difference of the book and film that bothered me a little - the book ends with Louis' wife returning. The movie has her returning, the addition of the most repulsive make out session of all time, and knife wielding cliffhanger as we're left to think Louis is about to be shish kebab'd. The book ends more uncertainly, but with King's involvement in the Pet Sematary film (gotta love his random cameo as the Priest) it makes me wonder if that is the extension of the ending that he envisaged.

I definitely recommend reading the book as it is an example of iconic horror and literary wonder. If you've never read any Stephen King before than I suppose it's as good as any book to start with, and I'd encourage you to also read the Shining for comparison. I understand that most people would disagree with my choice of Pet Sematary over the Shining although I still loved both books.

I even recommend watching the very kitsch movie from 1989 as it follows the events of the books quite closely it acts a great compliment to the story, even if it's a bit visually gross as some points. It will however give a creepier coat to the Zelda story and packs a lot of powerful imagery that the book just can't quite show with words alone. Plus, the actor that plays Louis is kind of dishy. I can still appreciate man-candy in iconic horror - so sue me!

Stephen King is a fantastic writer and Pet Sematary is just another in a long line of very successful and popular works that are sure good for a little stormy night reading. Give yourself a change and try something of his, you won't regret it. Unless your feint-hearted or afraid of a little spook.

Stephen King - not for the easily scared.

Sam xox