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

Director:

Lewis Teague
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Popularity
4,673 ( 43)
1 win & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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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 Kaiulani Lee ... Charity Camber
Billy Jayne ... Brett Camber (as Billy Jacoby)
Mills Watson ... Gary Pervier
Sandy Ward ... Bannerman
Jerry Hardin ... Masen
Merritt Olsen Merritt Olsen ... Professor
Arthur Rosenberg Arthur Rosenberg ... Roger Breakstone
Terry Donovan-Smith Terry Donovan-Smith ... Harry
Robert Elross Robert Elross ... Meara
Robert Behling Robert Behling ... Fournier
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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... Written by Miguel Cane <Stepford@yahoo.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

His bite is worse than his bark. Much, much worse... See more »

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The pinto was a 1978 Ford Pinto Runabout. See more »

Goofs

Several shots during the opening scene appear to show the lighter portions of Cujos fur stained red. This suggests that these shots were filmed after later portions of the film. See more »

Quotes

Brett Camber: Something's wrong with Cujo, mom!
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Crazy Credits

The films title appears out of a pool of swirling blood. See more »

Alternate Versions

Most DVD prints are missing a closeup shot of Donna's face as she climaxes during a sex scene with Steve. The scene was intact in video versions. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash (1992) See more »

User Reviews

 
A film that tells you that your demons will come back to haunt you.
16 July 1999 | by baumerSee all my reviews

We all know Cujo is a giant St. Bernard that has to kill because he is rabid. The film works as a horror film because of that concept, but this film and the story writer behind it believe that paybacks are a bitch. Retribution is always around the corner and when it is your time, you don't know if it is going to from a guy in a hockey mask, a massive great white shark,a 58 red and white Plymouth Fury, some idiot with long finger knives or a lovable Saint Bernard. Whatever it is though, sin always accounted for. Cujo subscribes to that theory.

Everyone that dies in this film, with the exception of maybe one, does so because they are not very likable people to begin with. They are all tainted and when Cujo gets a hold of them, we are almost glad that he wants their blood. But it is the climax of the film that is the most intriguing. Because here we have a woman who has gotten rid of her sin. But she now has to face the music not for what she is doing, but for what she has done. And if you read the book, you will see that it sticks to that theory and message much more than the film does. It is understood that Cujo has to have a happy Hollywood ending, and that is fine, but the book tells a much more clear yet paradoxically convoluted tale of a boy, his dog, and how sin is never really forgiven.

What is also great about Cujo is how it shows the dog coming unravelled. We see the transformation from lovable suck of a family dog, to vicious killing machine that has an insatiable need for blood. We see his nose get more wet, we see how certain noises bother him more and we see how much saliva this dog has stored up in his nasty mouth.

Cujo is a good movie. It is scary, especially the last half hour and it actually has a point. It also does a fairly good job of bringing King's vision to life. It is not easy to do that, after all King has a very vivid imagination. But Cujo comes close. Very close


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 August 1983 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Cujo See more »

Filming Locations:

Utah, USA See more »

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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
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (alternate)

Sound Mix:

Mono | DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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