stephen king – My Geek Wisdom

“Sometimes dead is better.”

From: Jud Crandall

Genre: Movies/Books

Who said it?: Pet Sematary (both films and the book)

The story behind the quote: This week quote comes from Pet Sematary, one of Stephen King’s most popular horror novels. The book was adapted into film twice, once in 1989 and another two decades later, in 2019. The book and the films focus Louis Creed, a man who learns about a mysterious plot of land just beyond the pet cemetery where, if you bury something that died in that area, will come back to life… but not in the way you remember it.

In each iteration, the quote is given by Jud Crandall, a longtime resident of the area, while he tells a story about something that was buried in the so-called Pet Sematary. In the first film, the character is played by Fred Gwynne and he tells the story of a man named Timmy Baterman who died during World War II. Timmy’s father buried him in the Pet Sematary and the boy came back to life but he didn’t come back as a normal human being.

In the 2019 movie, Jud Crandall (now played by John Lithgow) explains that he thought that Louis Creed’s cat would not come back as evil as the other creatures that were buried in the Pet Sematary.

Geek wisdom: It may be painful to let go but, ultimately, it’s best that you do. You can hold on to the memories but you ultimately cannot let things control your future. You will have to accept the way things are.

“You’ll float, too!”

From: Stephen King’s It, both the television miniseries and the 2017 film

Genre: Movies/Books

Who said it?: Pennywise the Clown and Georgie

The story behind the quote: This week quote comes from Stephen King’s horror novel, It. The book was adapted a couple of times, once in a 1990 miniseries and a big blockbuster 2017 film. The quote appears in both version but said by different people… somewhat.

In the 1990 miniseries, the quote is said early on. When Georgie loses his paper boat in the sewer, Pennywise the Clown (played here by Tim Curry) shows Georgie the boat. The devilish clown entices the boy to get the boat and also informs the child that there are all sorts of things, such as balloons. When Georgie asks if they float, Pennywise grabs the boy and delivers the quote.

In the 2017 movie, the quote is said also during the early parts of the film. Georgie’s older brother, Bill, is mourning his brother’s death. One night, he hears a noise and follows it to the basement. Here, he sees Georgie. However, the boy is actually Pennywise (here played by Bill Skarsgard) and makes “Georgie” deliver the quote several times.

Geek wisdom: Just because something sounds cool, that doesn’t mean you have to ride the bandwagon. It may seem cool to “float” but it actually means something scary and frightening. Always think for yourself and not just go along with the crowd because it’s the current fad.