Summary
- Pet Sematary is leaving HBO Max in 2024, so fans should watch it before it's gone.
- The movie has a sad and devastating ending, but strong performances by the cast.
- Despite mixed reviews, Pet Sematary stands out as a strong adaptation of King's work with an emotional tone.
While the remake is too much like the original, the 1989 film Pet Sematary is one of the most well-crafted Stephen King adaptations and also a stand-out horror movie. Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) is a husband and father who is shocked to learn that there is a cemetary behind his new home where the dead doesn't stay, well, dead. When the 1983 novel was released, King was at the start of his legendary and incredible writing career. His debut Carrie was published in 1974 and also resulted in one of the most iconic horror classic movies of all time. Pet Sematary proved he had serious staying power in the horror and sci-fi genres.
As Halloween approaches and horror fans get ready to watch even more scary stories than usual, people are curious about where they can stream Pet Sematary. It's always a good idea to sit down and watch a Stephen King story, and it's even more fun to read the first book and compare the two.
Where Is Pet Sematary Streaming?
Horror fans in the U.S. Can stream Pet Sematary on Max, but there is one thing they should know: it's leaving the streaming service in October 2024. Fans can rent the movie on AppleTV+. If fans want to check out the 2019 remake, it can be found on Paramount Plus. Anyone with a Max subscription will definitely want to rush to watch the movie before time runs out, and since Halloween is around the corner, it's the perfect time of year to do that.
Pet Sematary has a devastating ending and is a truly sad story as well. While the prequel Pet Sematary: Bloodlines came and went without much fanfare, the original can be watched over and over again. The strong performances by the main cast, including Fred Gwynne as wise neighbor Jud Crandall, are what make it such a compelling story... Along with, of course, the creepy main setting of the old house near a burial ground.
While some critics disliked Pet Sematary and the movie only has a 58% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's definitely stronger than other adaptations of King's work. The movie has the same unnerving and emotional tone of the book. In several interviews, King talks about how the story focuses on children who have passed away, which is of course upsetting and sad. The book and movie are ultimately about a family who are caught in grief that never goes away, even though the creepy tale is also about ghosts. Whether audiences never got the chance to watch the movie and want to make sure to watch every King adaptation or they want to watch it for the tenth time, it's a good idea to get lost in the scary story of the Creed family.
King fans who want to see his other movies can rent Misery and 2017's IT on AppleTV+ and watch Stand By Me on Netflix.
Why Did Stephen King Write And Publish Pet Sematary?
There is an interesting story behind Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary. The author explained his inspiration in a post on his website. King was the University of Maine at Orono writer-in-residence in 1979 and a truck hit the family cat. While The Lawnmower Man was a lackluster movie, Pet Sematary was a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted adaptation, and it all comes from the strong source material. King said:
"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."
In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, King explained that he had signed a contract with Doubleday, and this is why the book ended up being published. King might not have decided that Pet Sematary should be published i if that hadn't happened, which would have been a shame since it's such a great book. He said:
"'We'll pay you out $50,000 a year, and you won't have to pay taxes on anything but that.' And to a couple of kids who never had money, $50,000 is like the world. A lot of money."
Arthur B. Green, his agent and lawyer, told him that it would be a good idea to let Doubleday publish another book. He had four other books published by Viking (Different Seasons, Firestarter, Cujo, and The Dead Zone) and decided that he should put Pet Sematary out into the world.