Pet Sematary Art
Works / Novels

Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary Art

Released

November 1983

Available Format(s)

Hardcover / Paperback / Trade Paperback / Audio / Movie / DVD

Publisher

Doubleday

The road in front of Dr. Louis Creed's rural Maine home frequently claims the lives of neighborhood pets. Louis has recently moved from Chicago to Ludlow with his wife Rachel, their children and pet cat. Near their house, local children have created a cemetery for the dogs and cats killed by the steady stream of transports on the busy highway. Deeper in the woods lies another graveyard, an ancient Indian burial ground whose sinister properties Louis discovers when the family cat is killed.

From the Flap

Can Stephen King scare even himself?

Has the author of Carrie, The Shining, Cujo, and Christine ever conceived a story so horrifying that he was for a time unwilling to finish writing it? Yes. This is it.

Set in a small town in Maine to which a young doctor, Louis Creed, and his family have moved from Chicago, Pet Sematary begins with a visit to a graveyard where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. But behind the "pet sematary," there is another burial ground, one that lures people to it with seductive promises . . . and ungodly temptations.

As the story unfolds, so does a nightmare of the supernatural, one so relentless you won't want . . . at moments . . . to continue reading . . . but will be unable to stop.

You do it because it gets hold of you, says the nice old man with the secret. You make up reasons . . . they seem like good reasons . . . but mostly you do it because once you've been up there, it's your place, and you belong to it . . .up in the Pet Sematary--and beyond.

Inspiration

In early 1979, Stephen was serving as a writer-in-residence at the University of Maine at Orono and living in a rented house in nearby Orrington that bordered a major truck route which frequently claimed the lives of dogs and cats. In the woods behind his house, local children had created an informal pet cemetery. One day, his daughter's cat was killed by a passing truck. Stephen was faced with the task of burying the cat in the pet cemetery and then explaining to his daughter what had happened. It was on the third day after the burial that the idea for a novel came to him. He wondered what would happen if a young family were to lose their daughter's cat to a passing truck, and the father rather than tell his daughter, were to bury the cat in a pet cemetery. And what would happen if the cat were to return the next day, alive but fundamentally different. "I can remember crossing the road, and thinking that the cat had been killed in the road--and (I thought) what if a kid died in that road? And we had had this experience with Owen running toward the road, where I had just grabbed him and pulled him back. And the two things just came together--on one side of this two-lane highway was the idea of what if the cat came back, and on the other side of the highway was what if the kid came back--so that when I reached the other side, I had been galvanized by the idea, but not in any melodramatic way. I knew immediately that it was a novel." After dreaming that night of a reanimated corpse walking up and down the road outside of the house, he began to think about funerals, and the modern customs surrounding death and burial.

Characters

Hide List Show List
Name
Description
Biffer
A dog that was buried in the Pet Sematary. Owned by Timmy Dessler
Bowser
Billy Symond's dog.
Cujo
Dog that went rabid. He is not mentioned by name, but is spoken about by Jud Crandall
Fred
Dog that barked when Louis stole Gage's body from the Cemetery
General Patton
A dog that was buried in the Pet Sematary
Hannah
A dog that was buried in the Pet Sematary.
Hanratty Zac
McGoverns' bull that was buried in the Micmac burial ground.
Marta
A rabbit that was buried in the Pet Sematary.
Polynesia
A parrot that was buried in the Pet Sematary
Ringo
Pet Hamster buried in the Pet Sematary.
Smucky
A cat that was buried in the Pet Sematary
Spot
A dog that was buried in the Pet Sematary
Trixie
An animal that was buried in the Pet Sematary.
Wendigo
Native American spirit of the north country
Winston Churchill (Church)
The Creed's 5 year-old cat.
?, Carla
Candy Striper at the university
?, Frank
Louis Creed's uncle.
?, Herk
Mentioned by Gage Creed when he was speaking as Norma Crandall to Jud Crandall
?, Kim
Worked for Delta Airlines in Chicago
?, Marie
Ellie Creed's best friend
?, Randy
Found Church dead at the site of the Crandall's house fire.
Anderson, George
Postmaster in Ludlow.
Baterman, Bill
Father of Timmy.
Baterman, Mrs.
Wife of Bill.
Baterman, Timmy
Killed in the war. Buried in the Micmac burial ground, and came back to life.
Benson, Hannibal
Ludlow's second selectman
Berryman, Mrs.
Eileen Creed's teacher
Bisson, Louella
Friend of the Crandall family
Bouchard, Stanley
The man who told about the secret Micmac burial ground.
Bowie, Alan
Friend of Billy Symonds. Brother of Kendall and Burt
Bowie, Burt
Friend of Billy Symonds. Brother of Alan and Kendall
Bowie, Kendall
Friend of Billy Symonds. Brother of Alan and Burt.
Bracermunn, Dr.
Doctor in medical school
Bradleigh, Mrs.
Owner of a parakeet that was buried in the Pet Sematary
Buck, George
Told Eileen Creed about the Pet Sematary
Buddinger, Mrs.
Mother of twins
Burns, Michael
At school with Eileen Creed.
Cabron, Mrs.
Wife of Peter
Cabron, Peter
Accountant who worked for Irwin Goldman
Chapon, George
Friend of Jud Crandall.
Charlton, Joan
Head nurse at the University Medical Center
Cleveland, Bill
Lived in the house before the Creed family. Husband of Joan.
Cleveland, Joan
Lived in the house before the Creed family. Wife of Bill
Coslaw, Betty
Friend of Norma Crandall
Crandall, Judson (Jud)
Lived across the road from the creeds.
Crandall, Norma
Wife of Judson.
Crandall, Pete
Brother of Jud.
Creed, Eileen (Ellie)
Daughter of Louis and Rachel
Creed, Gage William
Louis and Rachel's son
Creed, Louis Albert
Husband of Rachel. Father of Eileen and Gage.
Creed, Rachel
Louis's wife. Married name of Rachel Goldman
Creed, Ruthie
Cousin of Louis Creed.
Dandridge, David
Husband of Missy. There is an error in the book that calls Missy's Husband both Roger and David, hence 2 entries.
Dandridge, Missy
Looked after Gage and Ellie Creed at times. Did cleaning for the Creeds 5 days a week.
Dandridge, Roger
Husband of Missy. There is an error in the book that calls Missy's Husband both Roger and David, hence 2 entries.
DeLessio, Judy
Candy striper who was on duty when Victor Pascow died
Dessler, Tommy
Owner of a cocker spaniel called Biffer that is buried in the Pet Sematary
Dimmart, Peter
Claimed to be a Ludlow family descendent
Donahue, Donny
Friend of Carl Hodge.
Donniker, ?
Lived up the road from the Creed family
Fritchie, ?
Kept racing pigeons. One is buried in the Pet Sematary
Garber, Huey
Drove the train that brought Timmy Baterman's body back home after he died in the war.
Goldman, Dory
Mother of Rachel and Zelda
Goldman, Irwin
Father of Rachel and Zelda
Goldman, Rachel
Maiden name of Rachel Creed
Goldman, Zelda
Sister of Rachel.
Grinnell, Barbara
Wife of Rob
Grinnell, Dr. Rob
Bangor Doctor
Groatley, Albion
Owner of 3 barn cats that were buried in the Pet Sematary
Hall, Dana
Friend of Billy Symonds
Hall, Dean
Friend of Billy Symonds. Brother of Dana
Hannah, Carl
Helped Jud Crandall bury Old Man Fritchie's pigeons in the Pet Sematary
Hardu, Dr. Surrendra
Indian Doctor working at the University
Hodge, Carl
Father of Ruthie, and uncle of Louis Creed.
Hodge, Ruthie
Cousin of Louis Creed.
Humperton, Peter
University student that nearly died when he vomited while laying on his back
Irving, Richard
Head of Campus Security
Jeppson, Will
A friend of Stanley Bouchard
Jolander, Quentin L.
Vet that neutered Church
Jong, Erica
Writer
Kinsman, Lieutenant
Investigated the death of Timmy Baterman after he was reported to be alive after he died
Lathrop, Dr.
The Goldman family doctor.
Laughlin, Reverend
Methodist minister who did the service at Norma Crandall's funeral.
LaVasseur, Pete
Owner of a dog that was buried in the Pet Sematary
Lavesque, Linda
Her dog was buried in the Micmac burial ground
Ludlow, Anson
Great Grandson of Ludlow, the town creator.
Ludlow, Joseph (The Elder)
He was granted the area that contains the town of Ludlow by King George
Marvell, Andrew
Mentioned by Louis Creed
Masterton, Steve
Physicians assistant who worked at the university
McGovern, Zac
Buried a bull called Hanratty in the Micmac burial ground.
McGown, Kathy
Friend of Ellie Creed.
Michaud, Rene
Friend of Judson Crandall.
Montez, Henry
Fake name used for Victor Pascow in a medical paper
Morgan, Lester
Took Linda Lavesque to the Micmac burial ground to bury her dog
Mortonson, ?
Worked at the funeral home
Murray, Dr.
Saw a sprained back.
Nedeau, Alberta Burnham
Deceased
Pascow, Victor
Jogger hit by a car and died at the university with Louis Creed. He warned Louis about the Micmac burial ground.
Pasioca, Andy
Spoke to Ellie Creed about truant officers.
Perks, Ruthie
A friend of the Crandall family
Phipps
Name on a monument at Mt. Hope Cemetery
Purinton, Alan
Ludlow fire chief
Purinton, Laurine
Second wife of Alan.
Purinton, Lucy
First wife of Alan.
Ramone, Dee Dee
The name that Louis Creed signed in with at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge
Ryder, Matty
Son of Mr Ryder
Ryder, Mr.
His children owned a raccoon that was buried in the Pet Sematary
Rynzwyck, Dr.
Did an autopsy on Victor Pascow
Sayers, Dorothy
Mystery writer
Scanlon, ?
Owner of a dog called Fred
Sharon, Ariel
A parrot
Stapleton, Mrs.
Worked at the University Registrar's Office
Story, Mrs.
A woman who lived down the road from the Crandalls.
Stratton, Missus
She saw Timothy Bateman from her porch
Sullivan, Wickes
Poker playing friend of Louis Creed
Symonds, Billy
Buried his dog Bowser in the Pet Sematary.
Symonds, Mandy
Sister of Billy
Symonds, Stephen
Father of Billy and Mandy. A Doctor
Tardiff, George
Neurologist
Troutman, ?
Wrote the "Treatment of Wounds"
Tucker, Dr.
A doctor at the University of Chicago Medical Center
Vinton, Mrs.
Owner of a field where Louis took Gage to fly a kite.
Washburn, Marjorie
Mail carrier
Weybridge, Dr.
Norma Crandall's doctor
Withers, Tremont
The driver of the car that killed Victor Pascow.
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