I Read That Movie: Pet Sematary by Stephen King

I  read that movie is a feature where we compare movies or TV series, and the books they're based on.

Title: Pet Sematary

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publishing Date: November 14th, 1983

Pages: 395

Length of Audio: 15 Hours and 41 Minutes

Genre: Horror

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

  

Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestseller Pet Sematary, a classic about evil that exists far beyond the grave—among King’s most iconic and beloved novels.

When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better…

Mini review:

What made me read this book: 

I saw the movie and I wanted to read it.

What did I like the most: 
I of course love the story of it. I love the idea of a pet cemetery, especially if it's one where the animals come back alive (Though it's an indian burial ground past the pet sematary in this book.) The idea of it is super creepy and terrifying.

I love the writing as well. I have read three King books now and the other two are newer ones and I really disliked them. But this one is written well. 

What didn't I like: 

It was still kind of slow. The movie is too, it takes forever to get to the BAM of it. But this one is really slow. And I really don't like the characters. Not any of them. Well I do like Jud.

Release Date: April 21st, 1989

Cast: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby
Length: 1 Hour and 43 Minutes

Series: Standalone

After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.

Mini Review:

Obviously this is comparing the original movie with the book, I need to go see the new movie. I can't wait to see it though.

I had seen this movie years ago and didn't think much of it. I didn't NOT like it, but it was just meh.

I watched it again recently when I won a copy of the book from bookstagram and I knew the new movie was coming out. 

And I of course loved it. It is super creepy and leaves you with a dark empty feeling with everything that happens in it.

It's from the 80's so of course it's a bit cheesy at times. But it was still really well done and really freaky.

Let's compare:

Did I see the movie or read the book first?
I saw the movie first.

Like the movie or the book better?
I like the movie better. It's definitely more scary than the book is. The book was good, but I didn't feel scared, jumpy, or anything at all. Maybe it's because I watched the movie first?

How does it compare?
Very very similar! Honestly the movie didn't really change much from the book at all.

Do the actors match the characters in the book?
Yeah I think so, but again I saw the movie first. So when I listened to the book I saw the characters from the movie in my head.

Major differences?
The biggest difference is in the book Jud has a wife. And in the movie they have a lady who helps them with house stuff. And she was a big part of the movie. 

Fun Facts?
In Stephen King's novel, Judd mentions that a dog went wild in a nearby town and killed several people. This is a reference to the events of Cujo (1983), another novel by King. It is common for characters in King's novels to mention the events of his other novels.