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

Director:

Mary Lambert

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Stephen King (screenplay)
Reviews
Popularity
1,435 ( 866)
1 win & 5 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dale Midkiff ... Louis Creed
Fred Gwynne ... Jud Crandall
Denise Crosby ... Rachel Creed
Brad Greenquist ... Victor Pascow
Michael Lombard ... Irwin Goldman
Miko Hughes ... Gage Creed
Blaze Berdahl ... Ellie Creed
Susan Blommaert ... Missy Dandridge
Mara Clark Mara Clark ... Marcy Charlton
Kavi Raz ... Steve Masterton
Mary Louise Wilson ... Dory Goldman
Andrew Hubatsek ... Zelda
Liz Davies ... Girl at Infirmary
Kara Dalke Kara Dalke ... Candystriper
Matthew August Ferrell Matthew August Ferrell ... Jud as a Child
Edit

Storyline

Eager to start afresh, the young doctor, Louis Creed, and his family--his wife, Rachel, their daughter, Ellie, and their three-year-old toddler, Gage--move to their new home in the small rural town of Ludlow, Maine, alarmingly close to a busy highway. However, after the inadvertent death of Rachel's cherished tomcat in an awful accident, reluctantly, a desperate Louis will take his friendly neighbour's advice to bury it in an ancient Micmac graveyard: a mystical burial ground imbued with alleged reanimating powers. Now, despite the terrible results and the insistent warnings from a recently deceased, tragedy-stricken Louis has no other choice but to go back to the Indian cemetery, in high hopes that, this time, things will be different. Nevertheless, can the dead truly return from the grave? Written by Nick Riganas

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Sometimes dead is better. See more »


Certificate:

18A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the opening credits, there are several children's voices reciting epitaphs for deceased pets. One of these voices belongs to Jonathan Brandis, who starred as the young Bill Denbrough in another of Stephen King's most popular works, It (1990). See more »

Goofs

At the end of the movie, when Gage's body is lit ablaze, it's clearly a doll and not a real body. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Broken Hearted Child 1: [the voices of broken hearted children burying their pets at the Pet Sematary, voice-over] Bye, old Shep. See you in heaven. Yeah?
Broken Hearted Child 2: [voice over] This is where my kitty lays. No more he screams and hollers.
Broken Hearted Child 3: [voice-over] He lived for 5 and 20 days. He cost me $50.
Young Jud: [voice-over] Spot - A good fella. We love you.
See more »

Alternate Versions

Television censors of some of the films gorier moments included alternate shots from different angles that hide the more graphic images. This especially came into play with the Timmy Baterman scenes and the films finale in the Creed's kitchen. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Andromeda Strain: Episode #1.3 (2008) See more »

Soundtracks

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
Written by Tommy Ramone, Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone and Johnny Ramone
Performed by Ramones
Produced by Tony Bongiovi & Tommy Ramone (as T. Erdelyi)
Courtesy of Sire Records Company
by arrangement with Warner Special Products
See more »

User Reviews

 
Very creepy.
26 October 2001 | by HumanoidOfFleshSee all my reviews

This scary and rather gory adaptation of Stephen King's great novel features outstanding central performances by Dale Midkiff,Fred Gwynne(who sadly died few years ago)and Denise Crosby and some really gruesome gore effects.Director Mary Lambert has a wonderful sense of visual style,and manages to make this one of the few versions of King's work that is not only worth seeing,but genuinely unnerving.The depiction of the zombie child Gage(Miko Hughes-later in "New Nightmare")is equally noteworthy,as what could easily have been a laughable character is made menacing and spooky.As for the people,who think that this one isn't scary-watch it alone in the dark(eventually with your squeamish girlfriend)and I guarantee you that "Pet Sematary" will creep you out.Some horror movies like this one or "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" shouldn't be watched in group.Recommended for horror fans!


101 of 143 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 368 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1989 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Cimetière vivant See more »

Filming Locations:

Bucksport, Maine, USA See more »

Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$11,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,046,179, 23 April 1989

Gross USA:

$57,469,467

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$57,469,467
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

Contribute to This Page



Recently Viewed