Growing up in Ludlow, Maine,
Pet Sematary was a place kids like me learned about death.
But hundreds of years ago,
it was used in a very different way.
The local Mi'kmaq tribe built it to call on animal spirits
to protect them from an ancient evil in the woods.
It had lived there forever, beyond the Pet Sematary,
just past Little God Swamp.
We built a dead fall to keep people out,
but the evil would whisper to those seeking to spend one more day
with the ones they love.
And that was where I learned my real lesson about death.
A lesson you can only learn in Ludlow.
Sometimes, dead is better.
Shit.
â™ª I see the bad moon a-risin' â™ª
â™ª I see trouble on the way â™ª
â™ª I see Earthquakes and lightnin' â™ª
â™ª I see bad times today â™ª
â™ª Don't go around tonight â™ª
â™ª Well, it's bound to take your life... â™ª
Try look a little less happy I'm leaving, Dad.
Never thought I'd see the day a Crandall would leave Ludlow.
This girl's a good influence.
Peace Corps was Mr. Crandall's idea.
I just gave Jud a nudge.
You forgot one.
Oh, no. I'm... I'm keeping that one.
Mmm, it's time for the British to retreat.
Those bands have kids doing the marijuana.
Norma says that drugs, uh, pacify the...
I don't know. What is it? What is it?
Chill is a societal ill, Mr. Crandall. Yeah.
Come on, Jud. Yep.
â™ª Don't go around tonight â™ª
â™ª Well, it's bound to Take your life â™ª
â™ª There's a bad moon On the rise â™ª
Judson.
That's a nice photograph.
Timmy, you and Manny.
Good old days, huh?
Hey, Mr. Baterman.
Hi, Norma.
I'll give you a hand with the...
Oh. Yeah. Course.
Having a party, or, uh...
No. Haven't you heard the news?
My Timmy's back.
Back from Vietnam? Already? Yeah. Yeah.
Honorable discharge. Silver Star.
Boy came back to be a real hero.
I'm proud of him. Yeah.
What you been up to all this time?
Oh, uh, Norma and I are going to Michigan tomorrow.
We are joining the Peace Corps.
Peace Corps? Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
Well, God never did call a Crandall's number.
We're all the same.
You enjoy your peace.
Everything okay?
Huh? Yeah. Yeah, all good.
We're good. Let's go.
new communist campaign in Vietnam...
I don't understand why you had to get rid of everything today.
I mean, it's not like you're never coming back, right?
Mom.
Kathy. Can we change the subject, honey?
I saw Bill Baterman today.
Timmy's back.
He has an honorable discharge.
A Silver Star.
Everything.
How much did that little piece of silver cost him?
He's a hero.
Thank God that Timmy came back to him
in one piece.
Old Bill's heart probably stopped beating
the day his only son left.
Speaking of which,
we better get going if we're going to make the tryouts.
I have a lot to do before I leave tomorrow, Dad.
I don't think I can. Come on.
The last night with my son at the rink,
like the good old days.
Remember your tryouts? Mmm.
You, Timmy, Manny.
These kids are good, but you boys were special.
You know, Ma's right.
It's not like I'll never come home.
I gotta get out there, Dad.
I gotta do something, you know?
I wanna help people.
Well, maybe you shouldn't come back.
Once this town gets in your blood, you'll never leave.
You say that like Ludlow's cursed.
Ludlow's Ludlow.
A man can dream his son will cast a bigger shadow.
Good luck to all you boys. The future Ludlow Beavers.
And, um, one more thing, everyone.
The draft lottery just came in,
and we've posted the names on the cork board behind me,
so you can check on your way out.
God bless, everyone. Shit.
No, no, no.
It's the fourth time I've been skipped over.
Well, you can thank your mother for that.
All that praying was good after all, huh?
You don't think Bill Baterman did his fair share of praying?
Course.
Just reckon Mother's got a more direct line.
You told Manny you're leaving yet?
Well, Son, most of us only get one life
and it's too short for unfinished business.
Give me a moment.
Marjorie, Sheriff found an open grave.
Big enough for a dog.
At least.
We're on watch tonight.
Jud Crandall.
Mayor Benson. Marjorie.
Well, if it ain't the first Crandall that left Ludlow
since the first damn settlers.
Your dad's mighty proud of you.
Really?
Feels like he smokes more on his porch
than he talks to me, you know?
Not telling his children shit is half a father's job.
My daddy was the same way.
But Danny loves you.
Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
Well, you two take care of him while I'm gone.
Don't let him eat those jelly doughnuts at the diner.
Nice to see you, Mayor Benson, Marjorie.
I love you!
Take care of each other.
I love you, Judson.
Where do you think they're gonna station us?
Asia? Africa?
Wherever.
As long as I can serve in some way.
Will you smile?
No. No?
I can't. You can't?
I don't... Oh, yeah?
Just enjoy every second
of getting the heck out of Ludlow!
Jesus. Norma, you okay? You okay?
Honey.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay.
It flew out of nowhere. I didn't see it.
The hell?
Is that the Batermans' dog? What?
Jud, did you hit him?
Oh, no. No, no.
He's filthy.
He sounds like he's sick or something.
Maybe we should give him some space, Jud.
Let's just walk him back. We're not that far.
Come on, Hendrix. Come on, buddy.
What the hell's all this?
Can't hear the customer's racism
over whatever the hell this is.
It's moon music, bro.
White Noise. "Love Without Sound."
Yeah, I'd love if I couldn't hear it.
Well, it's better than the depressing acoustic
you listen to.
It's different.
Been dreaming them all week.
My pillow is my muse.
You all right, Donna?
I don't really know what they mean yet.
See, old Norse shamans and warriors used animal masks
to channel their spirits.
Do I look more like a warrior or a healer?
More like a freak.
You hear Jud Crandall left Ludlow?
956 people in this Podunk town.
You think I don't hear it when someone across the street rips one?
Yeah.
Peace Corps. Big deal. So what?
Well, don't you think it's about time
you got outta here too, man?
Nice dream. I'm serious.
I submitted a piece to a gallery in Buffalo.
They want me to do a show.
All my own stuff.
What, so now you're leaving now too?
I want you to come with me.
So I can tag along
and hide in the corner of your fancy shows
like I already do at your parties?
I mean, shit, Donna.
I'm not... I'm not...
I'm not you.
Bullshit.
That's my brother you're talking about.
What's that?
Manny?
What the fuck?
I'm too high.
Manny!
Ow.
What the... Holy shit.
Oh, my God. Donna.
Do...
There's something wrong with him.
Just get him home.
Timmy!
Where'd he go?
Where's the dog?
Hendrix. Boy, come here.
Just get him back to the porch.
Get out of here as quick as we can, okay?
Hey. Jud Crandall.
Timmy.
Listen, we saw your do... Yeah.
I heard that you were trying to join the Peace Corps.
Yeah. We're actually on our way out now. Yeah.
Hey.
You think you would have lasted one day in real combat?
Because I think that you'd piss yourself so bad
that you'd set off a minefield.
And that you're lucky
that old Dan Crandall paid off that doc
to keep you out the war.
Yeah. Yeah.
No war for Jud.
There's no war for Jud Crandall.
I think that's a lie, Timmy.
I'm lying? Look at me. Yeah.
Well, only children tell the whole truth, but I'm not lying.
I'm not.
Okay.
Really glad you're back in one piece, Timmy,
and it was really good to see you.
I think we're gonna be going now.
You take care of yourself.
Hey! Hey!
Norma! Norma!
Timmy, get your dog!
Timmy!
Call your dog!
No!
Norma? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
It's okay. It's okay.
Fuck! Hold on. Hold on.
What the fuck?
Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
It's okay. That's it.
We're gonna go to the hospital, okay?
Come here, put your head up.
It's okay. It's okay.
Look at me.
Okay?
Norma! Norma!
Timmy, get your dog!
Hey. Hi.
Hi.
Stay down.
How you feeling?
I am sore. Yeah.
Doctor said this could've been a lot worse.
But he wants to keep you here for a few nights.
Okay. Then we'll get to Michigan.
Then the world.
Jud, this wasn't your fault.
I'm gonna let you rest. Okay.
I'll be back tomorrow.
Sorry. Fucking hey, man.
What happened to your hand?
Bird-watching incident.
Hey, uh, Manny.
Can we go somewhere and... and talk?
What, you trying to ask me out?
Come on, out with it.
You're avoiding me.
I'm just... I'm just trying to...
What, say goodbye?
Is that it?
What's the point? Bye.
All right, have fun with Norma.
Well, actually, we're not going yet.
Norma got attacked by Timmy's dog.
Shit. Is she okay?
Mm-hmm.
I think.
Timmy just watched.
Like he was looking right through it. Like...
Like he wasn't there or something.
You know, Donna saw him.
He was just mumbling to himself,
like, a bunch of names.
And he just passed her by, like she wasn't even there.
I think something's wrong.
He probably killed people in 'Nam.
It's like, what do you expect?
The same kid that we used to sneak beers with
in your tree house.
Hey, Timmy. It's Jud.
Timmy.
Benson.
Anderson.
Jesus.
Crandall.
Right, uh, Timmy...
What are you doing here?
Mr. Baterman.
Where's Timmy?
Um...
I-I came to see Timmy.
We were here earlier, and Hendrix attacked Norma.
He's a good boy.
He wouldn't attack without a reason.
Can I see Timmy? Is that possible, please?
Timmy's not taking any visitors right now.
He needs time to adjust.
I'm worried about him, sir.
Okay.
I'm worried about him.
We all are, Manny, Donna.
There's something different. He's... He's...
He's different.
You haven't been friends with my boy for years.
Why don't you just enjoy that peace
your daddy bought for you, and...
That Dan Crandall wouldn't want you mixed up
in any such low business
as a boy coming back from the war, now would he?
My dad? What?
Okay. All right. Okay.
Just... Will you tell him that I said goodbye, please?
Kill 'em. Kill 'em all.
You're back.
Yeah, I'm back. I'm back.
I don't understand. What happened?
Norma was attacked by the Batermans' dog
on the Baterman farm.
Is she okay?
Yeah. Shit.
It's a long story.
She's okay. She's all right.
Oh, that's awful.
She's gonna be fine,
but we have to be here a few more days.
Guess that messes with your plan
to get me out of Ludlow, Dad.
I should make Norma a pie.
You know, Bill Baterman knows
that you have been pushing me to leave. Why?
You're hiding something. Just tell me.
Do you know what you are? You are a hero without a cause.
It's kind of like being a rebel without a cause but worse.
Is that what you told Doc Weitz?
Paid him to lie for me. What was it? Bone spurs?
Fallen arches? What?
Everything we've done in our whole goddamn lives
has been to protect you. Okay, okay.
I... I... I don't need you to protect me, Dad.
You do...
if you won't get the hell out of Ludlow.
Marjorie Washburn.
Sheriff Anderson.
Mayor Benson.
Dan Crandall.
Jud Crandall.
Manny Rivers.
Donna Rivers.
Kill 'em all before they kill you.
The ones who know.
Kill them all now.
Kill them all now,
before they kill you.
Mmm.
Hendrix, how you doing, boy?
I got some jerky for you.
Here.
Timmy.
I heard you were home.
Am I home?
'Cause I don't know.
I'm starting to think home is just another box.
You know, like a mailbox or like a coffin.
Just a place to store our shit
and pretend that we're not nothing
for the little time we got left.
'Cause that's...
That's what your dad said right before he hung himself, huh?
Yeah.
That must be hard, huh?
Taking his mail route and all,
walking in his footsteps every day.
Every day wondering if today's the day that you hang yourself too.
Yeah.
It's some shit Timmy Baterman said,
and I can't shake the feeling
we've got bigger problems than animal control.
Timmy Baterman couldn't have quoted your daddy's suicide note.
You really think Bill buried Timmy?
This is how it starts, just stirring up shit.
Yeah, you're right. That's how it starts.
Stir shit up...
knowing your secrets, your darkest thoughts,
playing with its food.
Then people start dying.
Then people start fucking dying.
Jesus, it's back.
I'll call a meeting.
You know you shouldn't be such a drag, man.
You're bumming out the chickens.
I'm a drag. Found my purpose.
Smart-ass.
Why don't you take a cue from Mom and Dad?
Go join the American Indian Movement.
Mom said there's a group going to take over Alcatraz Island
in the name of all American Indians.
Reclaiming a rock? That's an upgrade.
Sure, start tomorrow.
Come on.
You hear that?
Come on, dance with me.
Hey. Come on.
I'm your big sister,
so that means I get to tell you what to do.
There an expiration date on that?
Mmm, no.
â™ª Yeah, I'ma should've known it From the very start â™ª
â™ª This girl would leave me With a broken heart â™ª
â™ª Oh, listen, people What I'm telling you â™ª
â™ª A-keep away From Runaround Sue â™ª
â™ª Yeah, I'ma miss her lips And the smile on her face â™ª
â™ª The touch of her hand And this girl's warm embrace â™ª
â™ª So if you don't wanna cry Like I do â™ª
Will you dance with me, Donna?
Um...
There's no music, Timmy.
Timmy?
What are you seeing in those dreams, Donna?
Manny and Donna.
You know those masks aren't gonna save you, right?
I think you should go, Timmy.
Manny. Manny, stop.
Can you hear 'em?
Past the forest.
In the tunnels.
Their voices.
Look, man, I'm sorry for everything
that happened to you over there, all right, truly, but...
you're freaking everyone out.
Come on. Get up.
Let's get you home.
Manny and Donna will never get out.
You'll die here.
Here you are, Dan. Enjoy.
Where's Marjorie?
Well, let's go ahead and get started.
Marjorie. What... Oh, my... What happened?
I killed Baterman's fucking dog.
Now we gotta get Timmy.
Manny, those dreams I've been having all week
have turned to nightmares.
They don't really make sense but they feel real somehow.
Nightmares tend to feel real, Donna.
That's what makes them nightmares.
No.
These are different, Manny. They're like a warning about Ludlow.
Grandma told me our people built the Pet Sematary
to protect them from evil.
What kind of evil?
This whole planet is old, Manny.
And it's filled with good shit and bad,
and we don't know where it comes from.
That's not Timmy.
Something's talking through him.
â™ª My prayer â™ª
â™ª Is to linger with you â™ª
â™ª At the end of the day â™ª
â™ª In a dream that's divine â™ª
What the...
Judson.
Manny!
Oh, come on, man.
What are you... Never point a gun at an Indian.
Jesus, Manny.
Oh, God.
Fuck.
Just use the front door.
Are you okay? Here. I'm good.
Oh, shit, why are you sexy?
Can't believe this is happening, man.
Well, it is.
So what the hell we do?
The hell we do, Jud? I'm kinda freaking out here.
We get to the bottom of it. We find answers.
We figure out what the hell is causing this.
Why did it have to be Timmy, man?
Could have been any one of us.
The church.
It has all the old town records. Let's go there.
Now. Let's go.
Manny?
Manny, are you home?
Hello?
Timmy.
Timmy, this isn't you.
Remember...
Remember when you used to come over
and I'd make you those sandwiches?
And I'd cut off your crust
because you saw Jud's mom do it once for Jud,
and you always wanted a mama like that.
That Timmy ain't here.
How can I help you, boys?
Couple of years into my post here...
found those hidden in the organ.
Someone wanted a man of God to find them. Screw 'em.
Who wrote all this?
Goddamn survivors of the original settlers.
Most of it's written by Williams' translator.
A priest.
It's been four months since Ludlow's message.
Ludlow and his men were tasked with finding fertile land,
and he found something.
Commander Williams, and myself and the men,
have been traveling inland for seven days now,
hoping to find Ludlow.
I still don't understand, Williams, sir.
If the natives don't believe they own the land,
they belong to the land,
then why are they movin' from the land to which they belong?
They suffered from crop rot.
Our men grow weary and paranoid of the land.
They tell me they hear whispers in the woods,
and I've had nightmares
about the symbols and masks we've encountered.
Looks like an animal burial ground.
They believe animal spirits offer them protection.
Protection from what?
We're almost there.
The air feels sour here and smells of death.
And while there is abundant water,
the further we go,
the more the crops begin to die.
I can't help but believe it's related to Ludlow's last message.
Death is different here.
Death is a gate to eternal life.
What happened here?
Find Ludlow and any survivors.
Father, ask him where the others have gone.
My man, where is Ludlow?
Ludlow?
Awakened something ancient and...
evil.
Ludlow!
Chief claimed that they guarded the land for generations.
He said the woods were like the mouth of evil,
and anything buried there would come back to life,
swallowed by hell itself.
They called it a mouth
because it would whisper to those most likely to feed it.
Because it was always hungry for more.
"Like the Mi'kmaq, some of our men called on animal spirits for protection,
while others resorted to spirals and pagan symbols
when it seemed God wouldn't listen.
But nothing could help us.
"We were on our own."
They named the town Ludlow to remind them of their sins.
Daniel,
I was 15 the first time I saw it happen to a person.
He was the first, but he wasn't the last.
I wish I could say it won't happen to you.
They hear things. Know things.
Our darkest secrets. And they like you knowing they know.
The more days that go on,
the more they need to kill and kill,
and feed the mouth of hell.
You must aim for the eyes, son.
It's the only way to kill them.
This journal is now yours.
One day, it will be your son's.
Hey, Timmy, is that you?
I didn't hear you come in.
Where's Hendrix?
Dead.
Is that his blood?
Nope.
Timmy...
Timmy ain't home.
Catch up with you later, Manny.
Hey, Kathy.
Nice to see you, Manny.
The founding families.
Ludlow, Washburn, Anderson, Benson, Bouchard...
Crandall.
That's us.
It's our family.
There have always been good forces and bad in Ludlow.
We're all connected in a spiral.
A chain that goes back to our maker.
And on our end, we give the chain a tug.
We call on our maker and all that he's made.
What is that?
It'll do that.
Gets in your head. Messes with your mind.
That's why it prefers the dead.
Put up less of a struggle.
It's evil. Evil's evil, Jud.
Your great-grandfather built that dead fall
to keep people out of the woods.
We've been battling with this for generations.
Me, Marj, the sheriff, Benson.
Our families made a pact when this town was founded.
This thing is like a sickness.
We have to stop it from spreading.
I'll get the sheriff, Marjorie, all of them. We'll tend to this.
Dad, I...
Just be careful, okay?
I will.
Donna?
Donna!
Thank you.
Donna?
You know this girl?
What happened?
I'm going to go get the doctor.
Donna.
Donna, can you hear me?
Okay. Okay.
Okay.
You're freezing.
Come here. Come here.
Hey. You're in shock.
You're safe now.
Donna, what happened?
Such a good girl.
Always a good girl, pretending to love Jesus.
But not you.
No.
You hate the poor and the rich
and all the rest of us so beneath you.
So beneath you.
But we all look the same when we're beneath the ground, Norma.
Shriveling.
Sir, please help me.
Please. Please! Where are you going?
Hello?
Hey, will you help me?
No!
No! No!
Donna. Donna, please.
Please.
No, please. No, come on.
Please! No!
No, no, no. No!
Now, Bill, we can do this the hard way or the harder way.
Get off my property.
Bill.
What have you done?
I thought it only fair it give me back my son.
Let me help you.
Norma!
Norma?
Manny. Where's my fucking sister, man?
You shouldn't be here, son.
Shit.
Judson, I told you to stay away.
Norma's in there. I'm going in. No.
I'm going in! Dad... No.
Dad. Hell no. It's too dangerous.
I'm going in with you.
You stay by my side.
All right, listen up. Here's the plan.
You go inside, grab the girls and get on out.
I'll go in and I'll hold Timmy while you set the fire.
Bill...
I held him the day he came into this world...
and I'm gonna hold him the day he goes out.
You just burn this fucking place to the ground.
Here.
Bill, we'll take the barns.
Got it?
You aim for their eyes. That's the only way to end this.
I'll take upstairs.
Bill?
Watch this door.
What? What is it?
Nothing.
Let's go.
Let's keep moving.
Hey. You stay here.
You do not move until I come back.
Manny.
These are Donna's.
Where's Donna?
Where's Norma?
Donna.
Where's Manny?
Donna.
He's nowhere.
He's nothing.
He'll always be nothing.
Back up. Back up.
Hey. Hey! Back up!
Don't you fucking shoot her, man.
Manny.
Remember when we were kids...
Manny. ...and we used to dance?
Don't fucking shoot her.
Back up! Back up! You should dance.
Don't you fucking shoot her.
That's not Donna! That's not her.
That's not her, Manny.
Back up! God!
I'm gonna shoot her! You're better off dead.
Back!
Manny.
Donna. Donna.
Look at me. Look at me.
Donna. It's okay.
Hold on now.
Donna, Donna.
That wasn't Donna anymore, son.
Sometimes dead is...
Dad? Dad?
Hey. Dad?
I'm sorry, Jud.
Place is on fire. We got to get out of here.
There's a cellar. We can wait it out there.
Come on.
How long you think we can survive down here?
Where does this go?
I don't know.
Timmy must have dug that.
Wait.
This is Norma's necklace. This is Norma's.
She's in that tunnel. We can't go in there.
Well, wake up, Peace Corps.
Manny.
You guys can end this.
Oh, shit.
She could be anywhere.
We should split up.
You take down there.
Jud.
What if I find Norma like... like Donna?
Well, you won't.
Timmy!
Go away!
Hey.
Timmy!
Jud.
It's Timmy.
Timmy.
Timmy!
Jud.
Oh, Jesus.
What the hell? What the hell?
Jud, what do we have left?
There's nothing left. We have a flare gun and we...
Manny!
Manny.
Hey. Stop, stop, stop, stop.
Don't move.
Don't move. Hey.
Man, if I get up,
we're both getting blown to shit.
Light up the flares.
If I don't come back, you fire that.
Someone will come save you.
You're my brother.
And I'm gonna end this, and you're gonna get out.
Sorry, Timmy.
No! No! No! No!
No!
Timmy?
Norma. Jud.
Don't you think it's about time you got out of here too, man?
I want you to come with me.
â™ª Son of the sun â™ª
â™ª Son of the earth â™ª
â™ª The soul of life â™ª
â™ª Children of the world â™ª
You sure about this, Norma?
Am I holding you back?
We wanted to serve.
â™ª Brothers of nature â™ª
â™ª Brothers of old â™ª
â™ª Brothers of legend â™ª
â™ª Like the story untold â™ª
â™ª I had a dream â™ª
â™ª Of my own accord â™ª
â™ª We laid to rest â™ª
â™ª The gun and the sword â™ª
â™ª Buried the hatchet â™ª
â™ª Buried the stake â™ª
â™ª Bowed to each other â™ª
â™ª Peace to make â™ª
â™ª The Earth supplies â™ª
â™ª And nature feeds â™ª
â™ª But we turn and quake â™ª
â™ª For artificial needs â™ª
â™ª Come down to earth â™ª
â™ª And stay a while â™ª
â™ª The sun is shining â™ª
â™ª Just sit there and smile â™ª
â™ª I'm a bronze-skinned man â™ª
â™ª That's what I am â™ª
â™ª Got a guitar and a drum â™ª
â™ª That's where I come from â™ª
â™ª Spirit of the sun â™ª
â™ª Spirit of the sea â™ª
â™ª Worthy of a shadow â™ª
â™ª Come shine down on me â™ª
We can never bury that evil,
the crimes of our fathers and theirs.
We can only take care of the fucked-up land we created.
A man grows what he can, and he tends it.
And I shouldn't be telling you this.
Maybe this place is just telling me to
because it knows you won't stay away.
You'll make up the sweetest reasons
because anything's better than dead.
But believe me when I say...
sometimes, dead is better.
Stay the fuck out of Ludlow.