“Pet Sematary:” from public knowledge and movie adaptations, many people would probably say, “Ah, yes, another Stephen King book about ghosts, zombies and gore.” While all these things are in the book, they are not what makes the book scary. I think that the true scare factor in “Pet Sematary” is something much more real: something that everyone fears and pushes to the back of their minds until it eventually creeps back into their thoughts. The scariest thing in “Pet Sematary” is death.
Death is the number one fear in the world, but never in my life have I ever read a book that made it feel so real. Instead of relying on cheap thrills like jump scares and scary faces, “Pet Sematary” uses a slow-burn story to build up an emotional connection with the characters, then strips it away, leaving the reader in agony and despair.
An example of how King achieves this impact is in how the first act of the story is a calm, steady fashion introducing one or two paranormal phenomena, but overall focusing on the characters and building up a realistic environment. This realism is what makes the book so scary. King makes sure to use his writing skills to craft some of the most realistic and complex characters.
Here is a breakdown of the Creed family, the main characters of the novel. There is Louis, the narrator, who is a doctor and has dealt with death his entire life. There is his loving wife, Rachel, who is struck with a deep rooted fear of death because of her experiences with death as a child. Their daughter Ellie, who is just now learning what death is because of her pet cat, Church, who she desperately does not want to die. Finally, there is Gage, the little brother to Ellie who has no concept of death at all. There is a clear theme of death within every character, besides Gage, but that will come back later.
The first major scary event in the book is Pascow’s appearance. Pascow is a college student who is brought into the hospital where Louis works. He arrives in horrible condition with the majority of his head missing. Louis tries to save him, but fails. Not long after the death of Pascow, Louis is greeted by his mutilated ghost in his dreams. In the dream sequence, Louis and the ghost of Pascow wander in the woods and he warns Louis about the dangers of the pet sematary. The true fear comes when Louis wakes up and sees that his feet are caked in mud and that maybe the events of the dream really did happen. Should Louis be worried about the pet sematary right outside his house?
Pretty spooky, right? I thought so, but I still think that it has nothing on what I think is the first big scare of the novel. Before I say what that is, allow me to give some background. After the family moves into the new house, they are greeted by their elderly neighbor Jud and his wife, Norma. These two characters, especially Jud, are supposed to serve as another tool to keep the story grounded in realism. They are a nice old couple in their eighties and are just trying to help move the Creed family into their new home. Throughout the book, Jud and Norma gain an emotional attachment to both the Creed family and the reader as they develop in the story. Then on Halloween day, when Ellie is trick-or-treating at Jud and Norma’s, she witnesses the sudden, painful heart attack of Norma. She falls to the floor in anguish as Ellie runs out to find her father. Louis arrives and administers aid, saving Norma.
This is a scene that stuck with me because of how relatable it is. If someone has ever lived with an elderly person, there is a chance that they would know just how scary it is when they fall or something happens to them. It is a fear that a lot of people tackle with. Death will always come back. The reader knows this because Norma dies of health complications soon after in the book. I would say that this is also a scare because the reader gets to observe Jud. Louis notices something change in Jud, like a spark fluttering out in his eyes.
I think that it is time to look at what Pet Sematary is known for: Gage’s death. Everyone in the Creed family, except for Gage, has something tied to death. I think King did this to show that death is unexpected. One can fear it, but one can never truly know when it will happen or to who. Louis has to face every father’s worst nightmare. Gage gets hit by a truck running in the road because Louis trips right before he can grab his shirt and tug him to safety. Gage dies and the story continues. Life does not stop when somebody dies.
This is act two of Pet Sematary and the fear does not stop. The fear I felt when reading about the Creed family was like that of others. It was a mixture of fear of this happening to me and having to experience this myself and the sadness that this has happened to one of my favorite characters. It gripped me and made me rethink life. I know that is corny and pretty cliche, but never in my life have I thought that I might not die, but someone around me will. I cannot explain it, the book just felt so real – these felt like real people.
Act two ends with the re-introduction of the supernatural element of the story, when Louis buries Gage up in the Pet Sematary. Act three continues with Gage coming back as an evil zombie and wreaking havoc on the Creed family. He kills poor Jud, then baits his mother into his trap and slays her as well. Louis puts an end to this as he puts down his son, finally ending the torment.
It was a good ending, but I still did not feel as scared by the paranormal as I did when Norma had a heart attack or while reading about the aftermath of Gage’s death. I did not feel the fear I felt when reading how Ellie would carry around a picture of Gage everywhere she went or the fear I felt when she said that he would be coming back, because she could not grasp the concept of death.
“Pet Sematary” is a great read. It was a really spooky read. Honestly King does a great job as an author because he does not need to rely on gore and monsters to write a good story. Sure, they help the story out and create a sense of surrealism, but there is nothing scarier than one’s fragile mortality.