# Pet Sematary question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769 "2014-09-17T22:20:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/21 "2014-09-18T20:19:36Z")
In the book it was implied that the whole scenario of the truck driver flooring his rig and the kid running in front of it was orchestrated because the power has high. Damn it, now I’m going to have to pick the book up again. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/22 "2014-09-18T21:38:10Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > In the novel, it’s also explained that the time that lapses between the actual death and the burial plays a part in how “off” the reanimated body is. The longer the time span, the less “humanity” is present upon revival. That’s Lou’s theory, at the end, when he’s trying to get his wife back, but he doesn’t have any real evidence for it other than deranged hope. In fact, it seems the opposite to be the case: fresher bodies seem to come back worse. The first human we hear about being brought back was killed in Europe in WWI, and was resurrected after his body was shipped home. Despite what had to be a few months, he’s the most normal of the returned humans we read about. He’s “off” somehow, and seems to know things he shouldn’t know, but there’s no stories about him murdering people. Gage was brought back a few days after he died, and almost immediately sets about trying to murder his parents. His wife was resurrected within hours. We don’t get to see how she turned out, but I suspect it’s really, really bad. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/23 "2014-09-19T03:20:11Z")
Okay, now I have to read the book again, because this is driving me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/24 "2014-09-19T03:30:31Z")
We looked at a house here in RI that started out really creepy. It was just like the start of the movie, a truck coming down the long otherwise deserted country road, a cemetary across the street with a some hand made sign stuck to a tree. We couldn’t tell what the sign said, but the whole thing resembled the opening scene of the movie way too much. Still, we were going to buy the house because it was a good deal, but it all fell through in the end. My wife still calls that the Pet Sematary house. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/25 "2014-09-19T03:37:39Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Yeah, it’s a good book and a decent movie, but since becoming a parent I can’t deal with the Gage part. Pause the movie, I have to go in the bathroom and sob for a while! Even before I was a parent, the book could only be read a few pages at a time. As for the movie, Fred Gwynne was already brilliant casting…but I was unimpressed at the time with the rest. But I just rewatched a few clips. It was better than I thought. Remarkably though the filmmakers were making a horror film…they _tone it down_ for the film. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/26 "2014-09-24T01:06:49Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > What exactly does the haunted grave site return the previously dead as? Wrong. That’s it. Wrong. No more to it then that. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/27 "2014-09-24T03:37:47Z")
I’ve seen the movie and read the book. I don’t remember the movie at all, but I swear in the book the Micmac burial ground was contaminated with toxic waste. It doesn’t sound like anyone else remembers that, so maybe I made that up. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/28 "2014-09-24T05:00:50Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Yeah, it’s a good book and a decent movie, but since becoming a parent I can’t deal with the Gage part. Pause the movie, I have to go in the bathroom and sob for a while! This is especially true for me as this fate almost happened to my now 12, then 2 year old son. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/29 "2014-09-27T03:17:36Z")
> [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](#): > > I’ve seen the movie and read the book. I don’t remember the movie at all, but I swear in the book the Micmac burial ground was contaminated with toxic waste. It doesn’t sound like anyone else remembers that, so maybe I made that up. I’m not going to let this go. It’s really bugging me. I hope someone can confirm or deny this because I do not have time to re-read that book. And I might be conflating the book and the movie, but I also think there was an irony in that Gage is run over by a tanker truck, transporting the type of thing (petroleum product?) that contaminated the Micmac burial grounds. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/30 "2014-09-27T13:32:13Z")
I don’t remember the toxic waste thing being in the book but I’m not 100% sure I don’t even think it’s in the movie ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769/31 "2014-09-27T19:00:48Z")
I don’t remember anything about toxic waste, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-sematary-question/698769.md?page=1)