# Why did the pet cemetary turn dead things evil?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 13, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187 "2006-02-13T00:29:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/1 "2006-02-13T00:29:35Z")
I saw a parody of Pet Cemitary on South Park, and it made me wonder…
In Stephen King’s original story…what was it exactly that turned things evil in the pet cemitary? Is this something obvious that I’m overlooking, or did King never mention?
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### Author:  [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/2 "2006-02-13T00:53:35Z")
Haven’t read the book so I’m just guessing. Probably something hackneyed along the lines of “only God can bestow life, the cemetary can only create an evil undead parody of life”, etc. etc.
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### Author:  [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/3 "2006-02-13T00:54:12Z")
King never mentioned. IIRC it was evil for the Indians who used it too so it wasn’t a dig at white man intrusion.
Evil dirt, I guess.
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/4 "2006-02-13T01:00:04Z")
Something about the Wendigo (an evil Native demon), if I recall, though it’s been years since I’ve read the book.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/5 "2006-02-13T01:04:14Z")
IIRC, in the book, not EVERYTHING buried there turned evil, just…kind of brainless, if that makes sense. Like the neighbor’s dog, when he came back, he was just sort of stupid and dull, and not very affectionate.
He was breathing, eating, all those things, but he didn’t have a personality.
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### Author:  [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/6 "2006-02-13T01:12:55Z")
I also seem to remember Victor Pascow’s ghost telling Louis Creed that the ground had “gone sour.” Maybe the Micmacs overused the place or pissed off the powers that be?
It’s **Pet _Sematary_** , btw.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/7 "2006-02-13T01:30:40Z")
I assumed that it was just an animated shell that came back, with a demon instead of a soul.
Sort of like the Buffy vampires, I suppose.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/8 "2006-02-13T01:45:32Z")
Because if they’d come back all nice and friendly, King wouldn’t have had much of a book now, would he? 😉
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### Author:  [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/9 "2006-02-13T01:50:35Z")
Trust **Qadgop** to cut right through the bullshit premise and get to the _real_ reason.
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### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/10 "2006-02-13T02:04:50Z")
But cats are evil to begin with, right?
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/11 "2006-02-13T02:15:33Z")
Cuz Stephen King’s such a friggin genius he doesn’t HAVE to make sense. Plus, hello? What part of “ancient Indian burial ground” don’t you understand? I mean, does the word “duh” mean anything to you?
Sheez, people, some things are just obvious, and some things are just _obvious_.
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### Author:  [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/12 "2006-02-13T02:20:34Z")
> [@Linty Fresh](#):
>
> I also seem to remember Victor Pascow’s ghost telling Louis Creed that the ground had “gone sour.” Maybe the Micmacs overused the place or pissed off the powers that be?
>
> It’s **Pet _Sematary_** , btw.
I also remember the warning that the ground had “gone sour”. Presumably it used to work just fine, but now… not so much.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/13 "2006-02-13T02:21:23Z")
Um, I would think it was obvious, but since some people think it’s only a joke if it’s got smileys, and I don’t really use smileys, the above was brought to you by the American Society for Affectionately Ironic and/or Satirical Answers to Questions About Stephen King Plot Points.
duh.
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### Author:  [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/14 "2006-02-13T03:05:38Z")
I seem to recall that Jud Crandall made some sort of roundabout allusion that the original human tenants of the Micmac burying ground had been cannibalized. He suggested that perhaps the original tribes in the area had resorted to cannibalism in times of famine, blamed it on the Wendigo spirit, then declared the ground had “gone sour” as a result. Since we later discover that the Wendigo is in fact a living, breathing, peeper-freaking reality, it seems equally likely that the Micmacs’ version of the story is the correct one after all, and the ground is sour because the Wendigo uses it as its marking post or something. Either way, I’m guessing that none of this ties in too closely with the genuine theology of the actual Micmac people.
Or maybe the ground is just sour because the Micmacs forgot and left it out on the kitchen counter all night, instead of putting it back in the fridge like they should have.
Whatever the specific reason behind it, however, the story aptly illustrates one undeniable fact: _Native Americans should never be allowed to bury anything, ever._ In the Eternal Lexicon of Imminent Bad News, “Native American burial ground” ranks right up there alongside “British cuisine” and “U.S. foreign policy.”
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### Author:  [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/15 "2006-02-13T03:15:33Z")
> [@Terrifel](#):
>
> Whatever the specific reason behind it, however, the story aptly illustrates one undeniable fact: _Native Americans should never be allowed to bury anything, ever._ In the Eternal Lexicon of Imminent Bad News, “Native American burial ground” ranks right up there alongside “British cuisine” and “U.S. foreign policy.”
LMAO! I’m copying this comment so I won’t forget it. 😃
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### Author:  [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/16 "2006-02-13T04:25:58Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#):
>
> But cats are evil to begin with, right?
No, that would be people who don’t appreciate cats. 😉
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/17 "2006-02-13T05:05:29Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#):
>
> But cats are evil to begin with, right?
Not all of them. Just the best ones.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/18 "2006-02-13T09:19:50Z")
**QTM** nailed it; it’s precisely the same reason Prodigy didn’t have a hit singing “I’m a firestarter; _kindly_ firestarter”
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### Author:  [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/19 "2006-02-13T09:38:15Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> Because if they’d come back all nice and friendly, King wouldn’t have had much of a book now, would he? 😉
Just cause you’re an established poster and you used a smiley doesn’t mean that this isn’t thread shitting. You’re doing exactly the same thing as the people who go into Star Wars threads threads and post “It’s just a movie!”
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2006, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/20 "2006-02-13T09:45:30Z")
> [@Silentgoldfish](#):
>
> Just cause you’re an established poster and you used a smiley doesn’t mean that this isn’t thread shitting. You’re doing exactly the same thing as the people who go into Star Wars threads threads and post “It’s just a movie!”
Why so? Is it unreasonable to suggest that authors include things in their stories _simply because the story doesn’t work without them_ and that, sometimes, those elements may not have any foundation beneath that of their simple necessity?
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