Pet Sematary is definitely as creepy as people (King himself included) say – definitely moreso than the 1989 film adaptation with Dale Midkiff's complete lack of emoting, something Louis Creed's book version has no shortage of. A truly stomach-churning ride focusing on grief and loss, and finding the limit to which one would go to alleviate that pain. Perhaps it would be much scarier if I had a child myself, and considering that King wrote this inspired by the horrific thought of losing his own children, I can see why he thinks on it as his scariest work.

My main complaint here is something I'm starting to realize is a problem for me in almost all of King's books: the mindless ramblings he lets his characters go on when they're under duress – skim city baby!

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this one! 10/10 for pure eldritch horror surrounding the burial ground – the film adaptation really dropped the ball on going whole-hog into the Wendigo elements.

ALSO I flip-flopped between formats here, and I 10/10 recommend the audiobook narration by Michael C. Hall, though love how clearly he, too, cannot let go of Fred Gwynne's iconic depiction of Jud's character. "Sometimes... Dead is better." ( )

The book begins great with rich detailed characters and since I’ve already watched the movie several times, it was even scarier because I knew where the scarier parts were and they were so detailed, gave me the creeps, then the book seemed to stretch out and became a little hum drum, which may have been better had I not watched the movie first. Then the last part of the book was really good again, kept my interest and ended really well. I would’ve given it five stars if the book had been shorter in the middle. Definitely worth a read and Stephen King mind is oh so disturbed and I kinda like it 🤣 ( )

I just want to get in a fetal position and cry ( )

Dr. Louis Creed has landed a new job, which takes his family from Chicago to the rural town of Ludlow, Maine. Their new house is located in a quiet section of the town and seems to be the perfect place for the Creed family to start over. The only thing they don’t love are the eighteen-wheeler trucks that fly down the road outside their new home. The Creed’s know these trucks are dangerous, but the makeshift burial ground for lost pets located in the woods behind their home truly shows how many lives those trucks have taken.
There’s something strange about that burial ground and it’s not just the fact that it’s filled with all of the neighborhoods lost pets or that children will go their alone or with friends to bury their lost furry companions. There is a sense of unease Louis can’t quite shake and once he learns the truth, his life will be changed forever. There is more than just death there. Something powerful lies beneath the surface...reminding him that "Sometimes dead is better".................
KING calls Pet Sematary his scariest book, and I can understand why. It is a bit of twist on Frankenstein and the notion of resurrection. It is super creepy and super "shocking" where he takes the reader - to the depths of delusional grief. It's also a book about rationality versus irrationality, faith versus the modern world.
Pet Sematary is a harrowing tale about death, the afterlife, loss, and grief. It's sad, sick, dark, and disgusting with more than one horribly "shocking" event that will blow your mind, but it's harrowing because King's characters are so easy to sympathize with. You want Louis to remain a rational man in the midst of pain but the spiral is too much for him and the temptation too pressing.

I think this is King's scariest novel because it truly explores the depths of humanity and perhaps our greatest fear: death.
( )

I read this because not only has the movie been one of my favorite movies based on a Stephen King novel since I was a child, but also because it was my mom’s favorite book in high school (so much so, she read her copy over and over until it fell apart. Yes, she’s forever a huge Stephen King fan, I am fond of him as well).

I’m not entirely certain if I’m rather biased considering I loved the movie as a child and it’s a reminiscent thing or not but I enjoyed it mostly. The era it’s in, the way King writes, etc. I enjoy the storyline and concept, it’s very creepy and bone chilling. I enjoy the fact Jud’s wife is in the book. She’s such a lovely character from what we get of her. King does over describe at times but in this book it’s not so bad. ( )