Pet Sematary, the book that evenStephen Kingwas hesitant to publish because of its dark tones. If you’ve seen the 1989 film adaptation, then you recognize the truck that cut poor little Gage’s life so short. But what happened to the truck after the film was done? Apparently, it’s still around and haunting the people of Maine.
According to Reddit userMoxieSauce, the truck is located in a small Maine town called Princeton. The truck is parked on a piece of property owned by Murray Laplant & Sons Inc., a timber transport company. The owners of the truck used the vehicle to haul timber for the company, and also took it to shows on some occasions for King fans to enjoy. A few years ago they considered selling it, but have decided instead to simply park the truck in a junkyard on their property, where it sits to this day.
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The Unstoppable Force
Pet Semataryis considered a classic among fans of Stephen King. The film follows Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) as he and his family move to a new house next to a busy road that has killed multiple neighborhood pets, which have all been buried in the nearby ‘Pet Sematary’ by the local children. The truck, custom-built for the film, can be seen in several shots speeding up and down that very street, an omen for things to come. When the family cat falls victim to the fast cars on the road, the Creed’s new neighbor Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne) guides Louis to an ancient Mi’kmaq burial ground beyond the Pet Sematary and tells Louis to bury the cat. As they say, the cat came back the very next day, but with odd side-effects. But the Creed daughter is none the wiser about her beloved pet’s demise, so all is well.
That is, until Louis’s son, Gage (Miko Hughes), also falls victim to the road. The sequence, which can be viewed below, shows the truck in its full glory as an unstoppable force. The scene is played out as both a tragedy and horrific accident. The film then follows Louis as he succumbs to grief and buries his son in the soured burial ground, and all hell breaks loose because of it.
When the rights forPet Sematarywere bought for film, one of King’s conditions was that the film had to be shot in Maine. King is famous for his attachment to the state, most of his books take place there. King himself was involved in the production as a consultant for director Mary Lambert on any deviations from the script or changes to the story. The film is still considered a cult classic among both King and horror fans, bringing about asequel in 1992also directed by Mary Lambert. In 2019 a new adaptation was released which has currently launched a prequel that is currently in development. Not much has been released on the prequel, but Jackson White has been cast as a young Jud.
Meanwhile, the truck of the 1989 film is still resting in that town in Maine. While it hasn’t been run, in quite some time, the memories of it continue to haunt fans of the first film to this day. In a way, it’s kind of fitting.
