Cujo (1983)

Cujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.

Director:

Lewis Teague

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Don Carlos Dunaway

Stars:

Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Danny Pintauro

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dee Wallace	...	Donna Trenton
Danny Pintauro	...	Tad Trenton
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Vic Trenton (as Daniel Hugh-Kelly)
Christopher Stone	...	Steve Kemp
Ed Lauter	...	Joe Camber
Kaiulani Lee	...	Charity Camber
Billy Jayne	...	Brett Camber (as Billy Jacoby)
Mills Watson	...	Gary Pervier
Sandy Ward	...	Bannerman
Jerry Hardin	...	Masen
Merritt Olsen	...	Professor
Arthur Rosenberg	...	Roger Breakstone
Terry Donovan-Smith	...	Harry
Robert Elross	...	Meara
Robert Behling	...	Fournier

Storyline

Donna Trenton is a frustrated suburban housewife whose life is in turmoil after her husband learns about her having an affair. Brett Camber is a young boy whose only companion is a Saint-Bernard named "Cujo", who in turn is bitten by a rabid bat. Whilst Vic, Donna's husband is away on business, and thinking over his marital troubles, Donna and her 5-year-old son Tad take her Pinto to Brett Cambers' dad's car shop... the car fails, and "Cujo" is very, very sick...

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Plot Keywords:

boy | rabies | hiding in a car | killer dog | rabid dog | 

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Taglines:

From Stephen King's novel comes a chilling tale of a quiet New England town and a horrible evil in the dead of Summer

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tad has a stuffed St. Bernard in his room, seen clearly in his first bedroom scene.

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Goofs

Cujo smashes the passenger side window of the car. However, a little later, it is back intact. It then changes through the movie.

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Quotes

Vic Trenton: There are no real monsters.
Tad Trenton: Except for the one in my closet.

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Crazy Credits

The films title appears out of a pool of swirling blood.

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Alternate Versions

The original VHS release of the film, as well as the television version, omitted some early scenes in the film establishing the characters. Among the scenes cut are a scene of Vic Trenton and Steve Kemp playing tennis, a scene where Vic picks up Tad from daycare, and a scene where Donna and Steve are in bed and Steve starts playing a trombone while Donna gets up and goes to dress in the next room. This last scene replaces the more subtle scene of Donna and Steve making love that is featured in the VHS release.

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Connections

Referenced in Martin: All the Players Came (1995)

User Reviews

Hardcore horror.

Hardcore horror fans won't be disappointed (although for a while they may think they will be) with this extremely bloody and gruesome shocker. The attack scenes are about as intense as possible - the director almost pushes them TOO far. But the first half of the movie is plodding, filled with unnecessary scenes, and the kid's constant whining (although justified) is sure to get on your nerves. (**1/2)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 August 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cujo

Filming Locations:

Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,114,899, 14 August 1983

Gross USA:

$21,156,152

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,156,152

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sunn Classic Pictures, TAFT Entertainment Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 86 min (alternate)

Sound Mix:

Mono DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1