Cujo 1983 is a horror movie about a rabid St. Bernard dog that terrorizes a small town. The movie focuses on a mother and her son who are trapped inside their car while Cujo stalks them outside. The tension builds as the hot summer sun beats down on them, and Cujo’s relentless attacks make escape seem impossible. With each bite, the mother and son become weaker and more desperate, until finally they must fight for their lives against this fierce beast.
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Review
Cujo: A Masterpiece of Tension, Horror, and Suspense
Stephen King is the master of horror, and Cujo is one of his most iconic works. If you haven’t seen the 1983 movie adaptation directed by Lewis Teague, then you’re missing out on a chilling tale of terror, trauma, and survival that will leave you breathless.
Cujo is a massive St. Bernard dog who lives in a small town with his loving family: Joe Camber (Ed Lauter), his wife Charity (Kaiulani Lee), and their son Brett (Billy Jacoby). Cujo is a friendly and beloved pet, but everything changes when he gets bitten by a rabid bat while chasing a rabbit in the woods.
As the days go by, Cujo’s physical health deteriorates rapidly as the virus spreads through his body. His behavior becomes erratic and aggressive; he kills both his owner and their neighbor when they try to help him. Meanwhile, Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace) is dealing with her own crisis.
Donna is a housewife who feels lonely and frustrated in her marriage to Vic Trenton (Daniel Hugh Kelly), an advertising executive who’s often away from home. She also has an affair with Steve Kemp (Christopher Stone), her ex-boyfriend who’s now a successful writer.
Donna decides to bring her car to Joe Camber’s auto repair shop to fix some issues with her Ford Pinto. Unfortunately for her, Cujo attacks her car while she’s waiting for repairs to be done. As the days go by, Donna realizes that she’s trapped inside her car with no food or water while Cujo waits outside for his chance to pounce.
What follows is a harrowing tale of survival as Donna tries to outsmart Cujo and find a way to escape before she succumbs to heat exhaustion or dehydration. Meanwhile, Vic starts suspecting that something’s wrong with his wife and hires a private investigator to find her.
The tension in Cujo is palpable from the start, and it never lets up until the climax. The movie does an excellent job of building up the characters’ backstories, motivations, and relationships before throwing them into a nightmare scenario. You care about Donna, Vic, and their son Tad (Danny Pintauro) because they feel like real people with real problems.
Dee Wallace delivers a nuanced performance as Donna; she’s not just a damsel in distress but a complex character who’s struggling with her own demons. Daniel Hugh Kelly also shines as Vic; he could have been a one-note jerk, but he’s given enough depth to make you root for him as well.
The child actor Danny Pintauro is adorable as Tad; his scenes with Cujo are heartwarming before turning into heart-stopping. In fact, the scenes with Cujo are some of the most effective moments in the movie. The dog is both cute and monstrous, and his growls and barks will chill your bones.
The cinematography by Jan de Bont is also noteworthy; he uses close-ups, POV shots, and slow-motion to create a sense of claustrophobia and urgency. The editing by Neil Travis is sharp and tight; he knows when to cut away from or linger on certain shots for maximum impact.
The score by Charles Bernstein is hauntingly beautiful; it combines orchestral themes with electronic sounds to create a sense of dread and unease. The sound design by Linda Folk is also impressive; she used actual dog growls and snarls mixed with other animal sounds to create Cujo’s distinctive voice.
Cujo was not well-received by critics when it was released in 1983; some called it exploitative or unrealistic. However, it has since gained a cult following among horror fans who appreciate its uncompromising tone, pacing, and atmosphere.
The movie was also a commercial success, grossing over $21 million against a $5 million budget. It spawned merchandise, parodies, and homages in other media; it even inspired a beer brand named after the titular dog.
Cujo is not just a movie about a killer dog; it’s a movie about human frailty, fear, and resilience. It’s a movie that will make you sweat, scream, and sob. It’s a movie that will stay with you long after the credits roll. Watch it if you dare.
Technical Data
- Runtime : 93
- Release : 1983-08-10
- Genre : Horror, Thriller
- Cast : Dee Wallace as Donna Trenton, Danny Pintauro as Tad Trenton, Daniel Hugh Kelly as Vic Trenton, Christopher Stone as Steve Kemp, Ed Lauter as Joe Camber
- Crew : Judith Holstra as Casting, Jan de Bont as Director of Photography, Stephen King as Novel, Neil Travis as Editor, Charles Bernstein as Original Music Composer
- Popularity 29.104
- Budget : $5,000,000
- Revenue : $21,200,000
- Company : Sunn Classic Pictures, TAFT Entertainment Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures
- Summary : A friendly St. Bernard named “Cujo” contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.
- Tagline : Now there’s a new name for terror…
