Louis Creed, a doctor from Boston, Massachusetts moves to the small town of Ludlow, Maine with his wife Rachel, their two young children, Ellie and Gage, and Ellie’s cat, Church. Exploring the woods, Ellie stumbles across a funeral procession of children taking a deceased dog to a cemetery called Pet Sematary. Jud Crandall, their neighbor, warns them that the woods are dangerous.
At the university hospital, Louis is left shaken after failing to save the life of Victor Pascow, a student who was fatally injured after being struck by a vehicle. He later experiences a vivid dream in which Pascow leads him to the back of the cemetery and warns him not to “venture beyond.” Louis awakens to find his feet and bed sheets caked in mud, suggesting that the events were more than just a nightmare.
On Halloween, Church is killed by a truck. Jud takes Louis to the Pet Sematary, then farther to an ancient burial ground to bury Church. The next day, Louis is stunned when Church returns home alive, although he is more aggressive, violently ripping open a bird. Jud tells Louis that the burial ground brings things back from the dead and is believed to be inhabited by a spirit known as the Wendigo. After Church attacks Gage, Louis attempts to euthanize him. However, he decides against killing the cat and instead sets him free.
