PET SEMATARY Podcast: How Stephen King’s 1989 Film Shows Gen X Parenting & the Birth of Millennials

A woman wearing a bunny mask walking down the street.

Stephen King had been on a decade long tear of financially successful horror films and 1989’s Pet Sematary would be one of his biggest moneymakers. But was it good? Hmmm. Yeah. So, on its 30th Anniversary, there’s a new Pet Sematary! Is it any good? We get into that…but what is already evident is that it’s a money maker. One week into its release, the Pet Sematary remake with Jason Clarke and John Lithgow is already in King’s Top 10.

But, 1989’s Pet Sematary reflects something the new one doesn’t: Gen X parenting. The oldest Gen Xers were just starting to have children by the end of the ’80s – and, basically, everything that goes down in the Creed family only happens because of the new hands-on parenting that Gen Xers had adopted. Check out our take on our ’80s Movies: A Guide to What’s Wrong with Your Parents podcast…you’ll see the film in an entirely different light . And remember: little Ellie is a future Millennial.

PET SEMATARY: Why It Matters & Why the 2019 Remake Works