In the annals of Stephen King books, Pet Sematary ranks pretty highly. It helps that horror fans took to the 1989 movie adaptation, as well as the 1992 sequel. Both films had their flaws, but people invested in the concept of reanimated humans and animals in Ludlow taking a mental and physical toll on innocent people. What helped build the mystique was the idea of the ancient Native American burial ground that brought dead things back to life.
Now, Paramount+ is hyping fans for Halloween as it has released Pet Sematary: Bloodlines as a prequel to the 2019 remake. This time, there’s a lot more depth added to King’s foundation. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that to update the property for a modern audience, a few creative liberties have been taken. Still, with that in mind, here are some of the biggest changes from Stephen King’s book.
In King’s book, he alluded to the Native tribe known as the Mi’kmaq. They were said to have worshiped at the ground, but grew fearful of the Wendigo spirit around. Bloodlines piles on the nuance, affirming the tribe saw the land as a gift at first. They thought it could bring the dead back as a blessing.
They also figured maybe reanimating dead warriors and animals could help them fight the evil in the woods. But they soon learned these zombies would be evil and uncontrollable. In addition, they didn’t want the zombies feasting on the people, so they grew wary of the land. Seeing as the soil was similarly not fertile for crops and the harvest, Bloodlines adds at the Mi’kmaq people decommissioned the place and left it on its own, knowing it would try to call out and corrupt them.
The tribe’s source material is further changed into another addition to King’s lore: the Ludlow Founders. When the natives left, a man named Ludlow came upon the land, wrote about it being a supernatural gateway and sent letters back to his settling team. His people eventually found him dead and buried him at the macabre site in the 1600s. However, they had to kill Ludlow when he was resurrected.
They’d officially become a cabal, naming their new settlement after Ludlow. It would remind them of their sins and what the “sour Earth” unearthed in the Bloodlines prequel. Jud’s ancestors were part of this crew. It woud pass down to his father, Dan, and many others who had to keep it all tight-lipped. They didn’t want anyone disturbing the dark spirits or bringing the dead back to life, knowing what they would do. This adds purpose to the Crandall clan, rather than the convenient arc King had with Jud being a random protector.
In King’s lore, as well as the earlier film adaptations of Pet Sematary, there is no set rule on how to kill murder the resurrected creatures. People can shoot or chop them up however they see fit. The same applied for the 2019 remake. Bloodlines, however, is specific on how to obliterate the zombies: one has to shoot them directly in or between the eyes.
It’s the property’s way of saying shooting them in the head guarantees there’s no life left. It holds true in Bloodlines‘ gory ending, when people forget the rule, allowing the zombies to pop back up and maul them. It’s the franchise’s way of nodding to other zombie properties, such as The Walking Dead, that has similar laws about ending the “walkers.”
The novel had Bill Baterman’s son, Timmy, departing to fight Nazis in World War II. He would die and be returned home. Everyone knew about the funeral, with Jud being a pallbearer for his friend. It’s why people would be creeped out when Timmy reappeared. He would start spilling nasty secrets as well, which was the Wendigo using telepathic powers to break the population. Bloodlines changes this by first sticking to a change the 2019 reboot had: Timmy died in the Vietnam War.
Additionally, Bill tries to lie and say Timmy had an honorable discharge. This pads the story for when the townsfolk spot a cold, pale Timmy roaming around, acting weird and spewing hateful stuff. This ties into Marjorie’s change as well. In the book, when she saw Timmy’s “ghost,” the mail woman wondered if it was a hallucination. But in Bloodlines, Pam Grier’s Marjorie knows off the cuff that this is indeed a zombie they’re seeing. It’s due to the Founders passing down notes in their legacy, making Timmy’s secret tough to hide.
Stephen King’s book focused on an older, lurid Jud, who often paid women for sex and cheated on Norma. It’s revealed when the possessed Timmy drops the secrets of the town, all to scare Jud. That Jud was horrified because he wanted to know how someone could know all this. By contrast, Jud is younger in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, and in a committed relationship with Norma.
There’s a lot of love there, not to mention they both want to leave Ludlow and see the world. They have an egalitarian feel to them, thinking the Peace Corps can help them attain these dreams of traveling and helping people. They’re completely devoted, but in time, Jud sees Timmy’s dog, which throws them down the zombie rabbit hole filled with unsurprising gory content.
The book had Timmy as the only zombie that rose up, exposing Ludlow to the curse of the burial ground. He commits small, sinful acts, torturing animals and whatnot. Not to mention, he taunts people with their secrets. But in Bloodlines, Timmy kills a lot, including Donna. He even buries and brings her back to life.
Donna — a new addition to the lore — then becomes a murderer in the Paramount+ prequel, only to be put down by her brother, Manny. Sadly, Donna always urged Manny to leave town, but he neglected the thought. He flees when all the horror is done, as he hates the grief, trauma and pain that Ludlow offered in a very smart tweak to the source material.
The novel had Bill killing Timmy with his gun. He would then shoot himself and burn the house down. The old movies followed this path but made the source of the flames a mystery. Bloodlines changes things drastically, however, as Manny has to kill Timmy after the latter murdered his own father and so many others. Manny does so with a flare in Timmy’s face, saving Jud. The survivors then oversee the burning of the house to remove evidence of the slaughter, and to try to exorcise the memories of Bill and his boy.
It’s quite emotional as Jud has sentimental connections to everyone here. He only wanted what was best for Timmy and Manny. Timmy’s rampage is more gruesome, though, as he took out his own father, Jud’s father and all the other Founders. This leaves Jud and Norma as the final two in town. They decide to stay and become the new guardians, giving them a more endearing, hidden purpose King never did, thanks to Timmy’s crusade.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is now streaming on Paramount+.
