Stephen King’s novel Pet Sematary was first published in 1983.
Doubleday released the novel in November 1983. Its story follows Louis Creed, a doctor who moves with his family to Ludlow, Maine, where an ancient burial ground has terrifying consequences. King drew on fears surrounding death, grief, and the limits of medical control.
Pet Sematary is often associated with King’s own life because he and his family lived in Maine, but the novel is fiction rather than a direct account of real events. The title deliberately uses the misspelled wording found on the children’s cemetery sign in the story.
The book was later adapted into films released in 1989 and 2019. Those adaptations changed some plot details, so the novel’s publication date should not be confused with either film’s release year.