# 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:** 4
### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/61 "2006-02-14T08:02:00Z")
> [@monster](#):
>
> Please say this is a joke. There is no way anybody could think Showgirls was a WONDERFUL movie.
See? This kind of presumption of the truth of the bandwagon is precisely why I, for one, felt it necessary to take another Doper to task for judging a movie without having seen it. In that other thread. Or two.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/62 "2006-02-14T08:07:01Z")
> [@monster](#):
>
> Please say this is a joke. There is no way anybody could think Showgirls was a WONDERFUL movie.
Oh and, monster, [here](http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=1171)’s a good overview of the case for _Showgirls_. A lot of critics are coming out of the woodwork to acknowledge that there’s a lot more going on in this movie than anyone was willing to admit when it was new.
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### Author:  [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/63 "2006-02-14T08:15:18Z")
> [@Xploder](#):
>
> So does that explain why you think that **Showgirls** is such a WONDERFUL movie? Because you said so? Your answer is a non-answer.
Thread after thread after thread exists that explains why **Showgirls** is at the very least an interesting exercise in satire, and those explanations aren’t always written by lissener. Lots of respected critics think so, and lots of respected Dopers think so. lissener is hardly alone in his regard for the movie. Unless someone hasn’t been paying attention at ALL, it’s obvious that **Showgirls** isn’t considered a wonderful movie by many just because _lissener_ says so. This just seems like blatant lissener-baiting.
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/64 "2006-02-14T08:45:33Z")
This thread, however, is about Stephen King.
Hijacking is NOT good. Yes, sometimes our threads do wander a bit, but we’re taking this one back to Stephen King and the undead.
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### Author:  [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/65 "2006-02-14T11:47:25Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> **Terrifel** , you mean LOUIS, not Victor. Victor was the kid who died on the operating table, who came back to warn Louis not to fuck around with the burial ground.
Gah… and here I was so thrilled with myself for being able to remember the names of the wife and cat. Thanks for the correction… LOUIS Creed is the dad from _Pet Sematary_, whereas VICTOR Creed is “Sabretooth” from the \*X-Men \* comic books. I always get those two confused.
I wonder what would happen if Sabretooth were buried in the Pet Sematary.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/66 "2006-02-14T13:15:46Z")
> [@Terrifel](#):
>
> I wonder what would happen if Sabretooth were buried in the Pet Sematary.
He gets a future in US politics.
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### Author:  [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/67 "2006-02-14T14:12:50Z")
I don’t understand why people keep returning to this “there is no answer” point anyway, when not only is there one, it’s been cited, and then there are other ‘reasons’ as well being explored. Just because Stephen King once said that there are creatures in his world that simply exist on their own accord doesn’t mean that everything he ever writes is given no backstory.
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/68 "2006-02-14T14:17:45Z")
> [@cthiax](#):
>
> I don’t understand why people keep returning to this “there is no answer” point anyway, when not only is there one, it’s been cited, and then there are other ‘reasons’ as well being explored. Just because Stephen King once said that there are creatures in his world that simply exist on their own accord doesn’t mean that everything he ever writes is given no backstory.
I don’t understand either. Since in any fictional story, _everything_ that happens does so because the author decided it would, giving that as an answer is a non-answer.
BTW, I agree with your earlier analysis of the symbolism of the events in the novel.
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### Author:  [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/69 "2006-02-14T17:54:55Z")
> [@lissener](#):
>
> Even if you trace the “reason” asked for in the OP back, eventually you reach a point where the ONLY answer left is “because King said so.”
I can’t tell from the tone of your posts if you think this is a fault in King’s work, or if it’s just one of the many things you hate about him.
I mean, I’m aware that you hate King, and lord knows I’m not trying to paint him as a contemporary Dickens or anything, but I guess I’m not particularly swayed by efforts to make me think “because he said so” is a flawed reason. Yeah, a lot of the stuff in his books happens because he said it happens. So what?
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/70 "2006-02-14T21:05:48Z")
> [@Interrobang!?](#):
>
> I can’t tell from the tone of your posts if you think this is a fault in King’s work, or if it’s just one of the many things you hate about him.
>
> I mean, I’m aware that you hate King, and lord knows I’m not trying to paint him as a contemporary Dickens or anything, but I guess I’m not particularly swayed by efforts to make me think “because he said so” is a flawed reason. Yeah, a lot of the stuff in his books happens because he said it happens. So what?
No, as I meant to suggest, that’s inevitable in any fantasy work. My problems with King are not that he writes fantasy.
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### Author:  [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/71 "2006-02-14T21:31:50Z")
> [@lissener](#):
>
> No, as I meant to suggest, that’s inevitable in any fantasy work.
Ah. When your dissatisfaction with King collided with your quite right answer to the question, I thought maybe you were extending your dissatisfaction to all such authors.
Tone problem, probably mine.
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### Author:  [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/72 "2006-02-14T21:37:25Z")
Please disregard my comments vis-a-vis Showgirls. I apparently read something into **Liberal’s** response that wasn’t there.
Now back to bashing Stephen King. Or not. Hey, whatever turns you on.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/73 "2006-02-14T21:55:38Z")
> [@Xploder](#):
>
> So does that explain why you think that **Showgirls** is such a WONDERFUL movie? Because you said so?
No . . . _Showgirls_ is a wonderful movie because of boobs. Any more questions? 🙂
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/74 "2006-02-14T21:57:59Z")
> [@Interrobang!?](#):
>
> I mean, I’m aware that you hate King, and lord knows I’m not trying to paint him as a contemporary Dickens or anything . . .
Hold it right there! King at his worst is a **much** better writer than Dickens!
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### Author:  [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/75 "2006-02-14T22:04:08Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> Hold it right there! King at his worst is a **much** better writer than Dickens!
I meant to comment on that as well. The only writer I’d paint as a contemporary Charles Dickens is Danielle Steele.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/76 "2006-02-14T22:43:50Z")
> [@Interrobang!?](#):
>
> Ah. When your dissatisfaction with King collided with your quite right answer to the question, I thought maybe you were extending your dissatisfaction to all such authors.
>
> Tone problem, probably mine.
Yeah, I’m usually blameless when it comes to tone problems.
What?
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/77 "2006-02-14T22:46:28Z")
> [@Xploder](#):
>
> Please disregard my comments vis-a-vis Showgirls. I apparently read something into **Liberal’s** response that wasn’t there.
>
> Now back to bashing Stephen King. Or not. Hey, whatever turns you on.
Liberal has not participated in this thread.
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### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2006, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/78 "2006-02-15T02:29:16Z")
> [@lissener](#):
>
> Oh and, monster, [here](http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=1171)’s a good overview of the case for _Showgirls_. A lot of critics are coming out of the woodwork to acknowledge that there’s a lot more going on in this movie than anyone was willing to admit when it was new.
In all fairness, that’s because it wasn’t in there when the movie was new. It was only after the movie was panned that Verrhoeven took it and buried it in the Pet Sematary that people realized something evil was going on.
What came back was **Showgirls: The Directors Cut DVD**
I’m… sorry. I tried not to. I really did.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2006, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/79 "2006-02-15T02:35:26Z")
> [@Scylla](#):
>
> In all fairness, that’s because it wasn’t in there when the movie was new. It was only after the movie was panned that Verrhoeven took it and buried it in the Pet Sematary that people realized something evil was going on.
>
> What came back was **Showgirls: The Directors Cut DVD**
>
> I’m… sorry. I tried not to. I really did.
FYI, there is no “director’s cut” of _Showgirls_, only the original released version. It’s also the only Verhoeven movie on DVD without a director’s commentary.
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### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-pet-cemetary-turn-dead-things-evil/344187/80 "2006-02-15T02:38:01Z")
> [@lissener](#):
>
> FYI, there is no “director’s cut” of _Showgirls_, only the original released version. It’s also the only Verhoeven movie on DVD without a director’s commentary.
I was just kidding.
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