1989’s original movie adaptation of Pet Sematary leaves Louis Creed’s final fate ambiguous, but 1992 sequel Pet Sematary 2 clears things up. Pet Sematary is one of Stephen King’s most treasured novels, and also one of his scariest works of all time. King even said he almost didn’t finish writing it because he was scaring himself. Pet Sematary of course got a high-profile movie remake in 2019, one which drew mixed reviews from critics – just like the original – but earned a tidy profit at the box office.
It doesn’t seem likely that Pet Sematary 2019 will usurp director Mary Lambert’s 1989 film adaptation in the overall public consciousness though, which continues to be pretty well liked, despite some noticeable flaws. Just like its remake, Pet Sematary 1989 was way more popular with audiences than critics, and proved to be a big hit. Hollywood being what it is, Pet Sematary 2 arrived three years later, in 1992, despite King never writing a sequel to the book.
Pet Sematary 2 had very little connection to the first film, outside of a few offhand references, and the fact that it was set in the same Maine town and made use of the same cursed burial ground to bring back the dead. Edward Furlong starred in Pet Sematary 2, fresh off his signature role in Terminator 2, while Anthony Edwards played his father, a few years prior to hitting it big with ER. It’s during a scene with Edwards that a brief dialogue exchange reveals Louis Creed’s fate.
Pet Sematary 2 Reveals What Happened to Louis Creed
Edwards plays Chase Matthews in Pet Sematary 2, a veterinarian. After Chase’s son Jeff (Furlong) and his friend Gus use the burial ground to bring back Gus’ dog, Chase is perplexed by the fact that the animal appears to have no heartbeat. He ends up seeking out a previously unseen character who used to be the vet in Ludlow, Maine. He’s somehow aware of the Creed story, and makes mention of how Church came back from the dead, and, most importantly how Louis Creed’s wife Rachel was dead “on the night she was killed for the second time.“
This confirms that, despite the ending of Pet Sematary 1989 making it look like a newly returned Rachel Creed was about to murder her husband, he instead was able to kill her again. So, at least according to Pet Sematary 2, Louis Creed survived, and was presumably around when his daughter Ellie returned home. Sadly, nothing further about Louis’ life afterward is revealed, although it’s unlikely he was able to mentally recover anytime soon, if ever. After all, he’s now killed both his wife and son, after already having them die once before. If he’s anywhere during the events of Pet Sematary 2, Louis Creed might well be up at the Juniper Hills mental hospital seen in another iconic Stephen King story, IT.
