The book was MUCH better than the movie.

Many of King's works didn't translate to the screen as well as they were in print. I think the best example of this was "Cujo". The book was awesome but the movie could not capture the horror experienced by the trapped woman and her child.

Fred Gwynne was a decent actor (I had seen him on Broadway in the role of Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and he did a wonderful job) but somehow seeing Herman Munster in "Pet Semetary" was a distraction.