Random Interesting Revelations From Documentary 'Unearthed and Untold: Path to Pet Sematary' (14 items)

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  (#4) The Novel Was Only Published Because Of A Contractual Agreement

  Stephen King really didn't want to release Pet Sematary. After he wrote it, he put it in a drawer and tried to forget about it before moving on to write something new. The story came back to life in the '80s after King moved from his first publisher, Doubleday, to Viking. Due to his previous contract with Doubleday, there was a pile of money withheld from King, and in order to access it, he had to give them one more book. In 2019, King explained to Entertainment Weekly: 

  The money had piled up enough, so I said, "Well, what do I do about this?" And [King's lawyer] said, "You'll have to give them another book, and make it part of the agreement that they can publish the book under their bullsh*t terms. But they have to break the investment fund."

  According to the documentary, Doubleday didn't want the book from King while he was still working with them. However, after moving to Viking, they were hungry for another King hit so they agreed to his terms. 
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  (#7) King Stipulated That 'Pet Sematary' Should Be Filmed In Maine

  Stephen King really wanted Pet Sematary be filmed in Maine. Even people with only a cursory knowledge of King know that he lives in Maine and that his books are usually set in the state. Throughout the '70s and '80s, however, movies adapted from his work were usually filmed in Los Angeles, which made King bristle. His desire to have Pet Sematary filmed in Maine turned into a roadblock for the production. King said that the location added credibility to the film, but that he also wanted to financially help the state. 

  In 1990 King explained, "A movie like Pet Sematary, a movie like Graveyard Shift... should serve as commercials for the state as much as all of the movies made in California, Los Angeles, New York have served as commercials for those places." 
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  (#11) Fred Gwynne Lost A Child Himself, And This Inspired Him To Take The Role Of Jud

  There may be reanimated creatures and ghastly nightmares moving through Pet Sematary, but the real horror of the story is the Creed family's tragic loss of their son Gage. The emotions that come with losing a child hit home with the film's star Fred Gwynne, who plays Jud, because he lost his 10-month-old son in 1963 when he fell in the family pool. 

  The film's emotional stakes inspired Gwynne to take the role, and he wasn't afraid of letting people know why he was so enthralled with the work. He told the film's DP, Peter Stein, that Pet Sematary wasn't just a horror movie, but a film about life and what happens after life. It's clear that the role is important to Gwynne and he shines on screen. 
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  (#8) Charlie Sheen And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Visited The Set

  Filming in Maine had its charms - one of them being that people from around town were comfortable just stopping by the set and checking things out. But it wasn't just the locals who were popping by the Pet Sematary set to watch the newest King adaptation become committed to celluloid; there were also some legitimately famous folks who were interested in the production, as well. 

  Charlie Sheen stopped by one day to greet David Anderson, the makeup artist, after wrapping Wall Street. Basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hung out around set thanks to his friendship with one of the film's producers. This wasn't the last time that Jabbar crossed paths with King, either - he went on to appear in The Stand a few years later. 
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  (#14) The Ramones Wrote The Theme Song In Less Than An Hour

  Aside from the existential dread threaded throughout the film, one of the most important factors going into the movie is its soundtrack. Like many King adaptations, Pet Sematary features music by the Ramones, who wrote a track specifically for the film. The Ramones were huge fans of Stephen King (and vice versa), so they jumped at the opportunity to contribute. Marky Ramone explains: 

  Stephen King's a big fan, and he wanted Ramones songs in the movie so he chose "Sheena" and then he gave the book to Dee Dee Ramone to read, and [Dee Dee] wrote it in 40 minutes, "Pet Sematary," the main song... it was very simple. We met Stephen at his house in Maine, had dinner at his house, and one thing led to another and that was it.

  The song became a fan favorite and a mainstay of the group's live shows. They recorded a follow up song, "Poison Heart," for Pet Sematary II. "Pet Sematary" is so intertwined with the film that it was covered by Starcrawler for the 2019 remake. 
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  (#6) Three Classic Horror Novels And One Short Story Directly Inspired 'Pet Sematary'

  Stephen King is a major proponent of gothic literature, and while much of his work is indebted to the stories of H.P. Lovecraft, Pet Sematary draws heavily from three major 19th-century English horror novels. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Jekyll & Hyde, and Dracula all loom heavily over the resurrection narrative for a couple of reasons. Each of these novels is about something unnatural interrupting the natural flow of life and ruining everyone involved, as well as the secrets that men keep. 

  King was teaching a class on gothic horror while living next to the pet cemetery, and these themes were on his mind while he was sitting in front of the typewriter. Aside from these landmark novels, King was also inspired by the short story The Monkey's Paw, a tale about a deceased monkey's paw that grants wishes with disastrous consequences. The documentary states that King has claimed that Pet Sematary is simply a retelling of that short story. 

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