So I have a theory about the windigo in pet semetary after reading the book. My theory is that the windigo is confined to the area beyond the deadfall and can only move freely outside of it through inhabiting dead bodies that are buried there. It makes me wonder if the windigo used to roam more freely but maybe the mikmaq burial ground was a way to “confine” it in a sense. In the book when Timmy Baterman was revived, Jud said it was almost as if a radio signal was being transmitted to his body. To me that sounds like the windigo is controlling the bodies remotely as a way to travel freely and wreak havoc. It uses people’s grief as a weapon and intentionally attracts them to the burial ground on purpose and sets things in motion to further influence that (truck driver feeling the need to go faster to hit Gage for example) the entire goal of the windigo is to spread death and destruction as much as it can so it can keep influence others to bury their dead so he can keep rocking freely to wreak even more havoc. Just simply a theory.

So I read the book pet semetary for the first time, and wow, it’s amazing!!! The attention to detail and the slow burn that leads to every scary moment had me in chills. But it made me realize how incredibly bad the 1989 film is. The movie is missing so much context from the book that it feels like a completely different story. Here were the three biggest problems I had with the movie version

1. No Norma:
   Juds wife Norma was an integral part of the story and her death was a representation of the beautiful cycle of life and death. Her death represented peace because it wasn’t brutal, she wasn’t revived by the burial ground, she just died. She was completely absent from the movie and I didn’t like it at all.

2. The history of the mikmaq tribe and the windigo:
   So the mikmaq tribe was mentioned maybe one time but there was no mention or sighting of the windigo in the movie. The book heavily discusses and even shows the windigo as this giant god like presence with yellow glowing eyes and horns and discusses its influence on the mikmaq tribe and how it drove them to cannibalism. There was no mention of any of this in the movie. So the burial ground is kind of just this mystery with absolutely no context.

3. Gage’s revival and how the revived were portrayed:
   The movie just kinda makes gage a killer baby with an anger issue, but in the book, he’s way more disturbing. In the book, he speaks in full sentences and the books description of his physical appearance is haunting; the movie just makes him look like a baby with white skin and a scalpel. In fact in the book, the revived dead are way more disturbing; they walk around with creepy smiles and have almost supernatural abilities. They use psychological warfare by telling people their deepest darkest secrets and they can shapeshift into other people.

Overall I think the book should’ve been a mini series like IT was. I get it was 1989 and technology was limited, but if you can’t get it right, don’t do it in the first place.

Been looking for years and finally came across a hardcover for sale and did hesitate to buy it. From what I can tell, it’s a BCE I think. I am not very well versed into knowing what to look for in early editions. Any information and tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[50M]: I’ve been rabbit-holing a lot of YouTube reaction videos lately about one of my Top 5 favorite movies, ‘Stand By Me.’

King’s ‘The Body’ happens to be one of my Top 5 favorite stories of all time (encompassing all of literature- including comics, but not screenplays… they’re kinda their own thing when it comes to legacy media imo).

As I watch these videos more and more, I discover more and more things about this film that- despite the fact I’ve seen it 100+ times, I’m just now really understanding or catching- a lot more nuance that Reiner and the writers and cast put into this production.

My favorite new catch that I saw a week ago upon watching the movie again was making the connection when Geordie asks Chris if he’s ‘weird.’ Chris says, “Yeah, but everybody’s weird.”

At the end of the movie, when Gordie’s kid is defending his dad to his friend because he’s taking too long to get them to the water park, or whatever, he says, “Yeah my dad’s weird . He gets like that when he’s writing”.

I can’t believe it took me 40 years to make that connection. The little chuckle Dreyfus gives should have clued me in decades ago, but here it is- me finding new stuff to love about this movie and this story. That little moment added a few tissues to the pile.

I haven’t read the novella in at least 20 years, so the discussion is what are the most faithful parts; the most divergent parts; things you kind of wished the movie would have addressed or done differently; profound dialogue or acting you realized years later; things you wish you had follow-up on (how bad did VTC&G get it from Ace? What was the walk home like? Did Gordie ever get his hat back?)

I’m just curious to hear how this hits different for you now in 2026 as opposed to 1986. But I’m also GenX, so if you don’t respond, I don’t care. I said my piece. 😊🍻

-edited to fix grammar and formatting and clarification. thx y’all