History YMMV / PetSematary

* ValuesResonance: Louis' decision to resurrect Gage is an IdiotBall that is being driven by evil psychic forces. However, Louis and Rachel (who thinks Louis' just thinking about ForWantOfANail scenarios) both agree that they would still love their son and take care of him even if he were mentally and physically disabled instead of the CheerfulChild they know, and raising him themselves instead of placing him in a healthcare facility, even though their use of the word "retarded" [[ValuesDissonance hasn't aged as well]]. This sentiment resonates more in the age of debates about disability rights and what the quality of life should mean.

** PosthumousCharacter George Anderson. He lost a leg in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and lost all of his money in the stock market. Then, he, Jud, and two friends went to confront Timmy Baterman, who CameBackWrong after being buried in the burial grounds and taunted everyone else with information gleaned from his new psychic powers. Timmy said George's his beloved grandchildren were only nice to their grandfather because they excepted to inherit his money, as he kept his financial woes secret, and that they derisively called him "Old Wooden Leg" behind his back. This (almost certainly true) claim devastated George, and makes him even more pitiable due to how two of his companions had genuine {{Dark Secret}}s about stuff ''they'' did, and the third committed an act of spousal abuse out of anger after learning his wife cheated on him. George was just a kind, well-meaning man who only wanted to do his duty as postmaster but suffered just as badly as the others, though Jud stresses that all of them had some good qualities. [[note]] This is possibly downplayed when the resurrected Gage tells Jud that his wife cheated on him with a man named George, but given the disparity in their ages, that might have been a different George and it's also unclear if Gage is lying.[[/note]]

* ValuesResonance: Louis' decision to resurrect Gage is an IdiotBall that is being driven by evil psychic forces. However, Louis and Rachel (who thinks Louis' just thinking about ForWantOfANail scenarios) both agree that they would still love their son and take care of him even if he were mentally and physically disabled instead of the CheerfulChild they know, even though their use of the word "retarded" [[ValuesDissonance hasn't aged as well]]. This sentiment resonates more in the age of debates about disability rights and what the quality of life should mean.

* RealismInducedHorror: In a lot of ways, the scariest part of ''Pet Sematary'' isn't the titular corpse-reanimating graveyard. It's the scene where three-year-old Gage Creed gets run over by a truck while playing in the street. It's described in gruesome detail, and puts readers in the shoes of a parent watching their child die, unable to do anything about it.

* ValuesDissonance: As mentioned above, the Creeds let Church roam around outside on his own, and have had him for years without getting him fixed; Rachel did make an appointment for it when they were still living in Chicago, but Louis cancelled it because he felt that it would destroy Church's 'go-to-hell' personality that he rather likes. Nowadays the attitude towards cats has shifted much more in favor of only letting them go outside with supervision, and it's very difficult to adopt a cat who ''hasn't'' been neutered or spayed already (as most people now get cats from shelters, which by and large no longer adopt out intact animals).

* ValuesDissonance: As mentioned above, the Creeds let Church roam around outside on his own, and have had him for years without getting him fixed. Nowadays the attitude towards cats has shifted much more in favor of only letting cats outside with supervision, and it's very difficult to adopt a cat who ''hasn't'' been fixed (as most people get cats from shelters, which by and large no longer adopt out intact animals).