Over three decades ago, Mary Lambert’s Pet Sematary hit the scene, adapted from a Stephen King novel. The film itself followed the day-in-and-day-out of the Creed family and how their pet Cat, Church, becomes a doorway to something sinister. But without Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed, Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed, Blaze Berdahl as Ellie Creed, and Miko Hughes as Gage Creed, the vision and story of the only known ‘King of Horror’ in ‘Pet Sematary’ would never have been brought to life.
Following its 1989 release, the movie grossed $57.5 million on a budget of $11.5 million but received mixed reviews from critics. However, it built a legacy over the years as one of King’s best adaptations, leading to a sequel in 1992, a documentary in 2017, and a remake in 2019. It is nostalgic for fans looking back at the classic and cast who gave us a terrifying experience in a pet cemetery; here they are:
Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Dale Midkiff plays Louis Creed, the patriarch of the Creed family and protagonist of the story. He exemplifies a rational father who deeply cares for his wife, Rachel, and two young children, Ellie and Gage, ready to do anything to make them happy. However, everything around him turns topsy-turvy when he enters the forbidden “Pet Sematary,” a breeding ground for evil.
Midkiff had a steady run on TV and film since his career began with the role of a pimp in Joan Freeman’s 1985 thriller Streetwalkin. He landed one of his biggest TV roles as Elvis Presley in Elvis and Me and played Buck Wilmington in the 1998 CBS Western TV series The Magnificent Seven. Additionally, he had minor appearances on TV in the 2000s before he starred as Rosemary Carrie in Hell’s Kitty and Coach Chris Forbes in 21 Outs.
Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Denise Crosby portrays Rachel Creed, Louis’ loving wife and protective mother of Ellie and Gage, in the film. She does things any mother would do to ensure her kids’ safety. However, several in her family bring out a darker side to her. It affects all aspects of her life, especially her marriage. Still traumatized by the death of her sister Zelda, when Gage dies, she becomes upset with Louis.
Born into a family of entertainers, Crosby learned to act from her grandfather, Bing Crosby, who introduced her to the trade when she was young. Her early film appearance was uncredited in 10 (1979) before playing Lisa Davis in her first TV role in Days of Our Lives the following year. She gained notoriety for portraying Tasha Yar in season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation and has appeared in many films and TV shows in a career spanning four decades.
Blaze Berdahl as Ellie Creed
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Blaze Berdahl stars as Ellie Creed, Louis, and Rachel’s daughter. Through her character, the audience meets a girl about nine, who is curious, intelligent, and sensitive. She always wants to know more about death.
Berdahl was raised in a showbiz family and landed the supporting role of Ellie in ‘Pet Sematary’ when she was 8, marking her starting point in entertainment. Two years later, she portrayed Lenni on the PBS children’s TV series Ghostwriter. She stepped away from acting because it was too demanding for her as a teenager, and she switched to doing voice-overs for several platforms such as HGTV, the DIY Channel, the Nickelodeon networks, and radio imaging for radio stations as an adult.
Miko Hughes as Gage Creed
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Miko Hughes was introduced to the entertainment world when he was barely two years old and got his first role in ‘Pet Sematary’ as Gage Creed. As the youngest child of the Creed family, he was cheerful and innocent. Unfortunately, that innocence was stripped away when he was resurrected as something sinister after a truck hit him to death.
Thereafter, Hughes appeared in many films, including Wes New Nightmare, Apollo 13, and Mercury Rising in the 1990s. While on TV, he features in Full House, Beverly Hills, 90210, and The Nanny; he will play Tom Wilson in the upcoming movie The Conjuring: Last Rites. Apart from acting, he is a musician with two albums, including Halloween Haunts.
Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Fred Gwynne portrayed Jud Crandall, the white-haired, easygoing, and friendly neighbor of the Creeds when they relocated from Chicago to Ludlow, Maine. He knows the community well enough to become a guide to Louis and his family, but he got one thing wrong: introducing him to the Pet Sematary. Sadly, he’ll pay a price in the end.
Gwynne had a varied career that cuts across TV, film, and theater and first gained national popularity playing Francis Muldoon in NBC’s comedy series Car 54, Where Are You? But his role as Herman Munster, a Frankenstein parody in the mid-1960s CBS’ The Munsters, sets him apart as a global star. Gwynne succumbed to complications of pancreatic cancer 4 years after Pet Sematary’s release in 1993 at the age of 66.
Brad Greenquist as Victor Pascow
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Playing Victor Pascow in Pet Sematary is one of Brad Greenquist’s significant roles that created many opportunities that would come subsequently. As Pascow, he is the first victim of a truck that hits and kills mysteriously; the same truck that hits and kills the Creeds’ Catch and later Gage. Before his death, he warns Louis about the Pet Sematary and returns as a ghost to warn him again.
Besides this film, he was a Star Guest on several Sci-fi TV shows such as Stargate SG-1, Heroes, and Moonlight. He also appears in 4 separate Star Trek series, including Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and twice in Enterprise. When he is not in front of the camera, Greenquist spends his time teaching acting.
Michael Lombard as Irwin Goldman
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Michael Lombard portrayed Irwin Goldman, Rachel Creed’s strict and overbearing father in Pet Sematary. Rachel’s relationship with him was rocky, mostly because she was still carrying the trauma of her sister Zelda’s death. He didn’t handle it well, and his cold attitude only made things harder for her, leaving emotional scars that never really healed.
Even though his role in the film is minor, it gained him some popularity. Before that, he was well-known for his TV and stage performances, appearing in productions like The Mary Tyler Moore Show Hour, Filthy Rich, Poor Bitos, The Devil, and The Gingerbread Lady. He retired from acting in 2013 and passed away in August 2020 at 86.
Chuck Courtney as Bill Baterman
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Chuck Courtney made a name as a stuntman before taking TV and film roles, and one among many of his onscreen performances was as Bill Baterman in Pet Sematary. It was a minor role, but significant enough to the foundation of the plot. In the movie, Jud Pascow reveals that Baterman buried his son, Timmy, who was killed during World War II, in the Pet Sematary to bring him back to life.
Courtney’s first TV appearance was as Dan Reid in The Lone Ranger in the 1950s. Soon after, he appeared in many films and TV series, such as The Virginian, The Wild Wild West, and Star Trek. Unfortunately, he later succumbed to a series of strokes and decided to take his own life in January 2000 at the age of 69.
Andrew Hubatsek as Zelda Goldman
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
You don’t get to see a lot of Andrew Hubatsek’s character, Zelda Goldman, in Pet Sematary since she only appears in a handful of flashbacks. She’s Rachel’s sister and Irwin Goldman’s daughter, who died after a painful struggle with spinal meningitis. Despite the limited screen time, Zelda is worth mentioning since her death leaves a lasting mark on Rachel’s life and emotional state.
Word on the street is that Hubatsek was given the role, as the filmmakers couldn’t find a woman skinny enough to fit in. He has also appeared in a few shows, including Blue Steel and Human Resources. The actor joined the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in 2000 and has been playing different characters, likes Touchstone in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Stephen King as Minister
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
There’s something special about seeing the King of Horror himself pop up in movie versions of his own stories. In Pet Sematary, Stephen King makes a brief but memorable cameo as the minister presiding over a tragic funeral service in the film. It’s a quiet moment that adds weight to the film’s heavy themes of grief, loss, and the heartbreak of losing a loved one.
King is no stranger to the screen — he’s made cameos or taken on small roles in several other adaptations of his books, adding a personal touch that fans always appreciate. He plays the farmer, Jordy Verrill, in The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill’s in 1982’s Creepshow, the cemetery caretaker in 1992’s Sleepwalkers, and the pharmacist in 1999’s Storm of the Century. His 1980 short story The Monkey has been adapted into a movie and will be released in February 2025.
To witness the sppoky misadventures of the Creed family, Pet Sematary is available for streaming on Apple TV+.
