After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
Director:
Rob Reiner
Stars:
James Caan,
Kathy Bates,
Richard Farnsworth
In 1960, seven pre-teen outcasts fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown.
Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.
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>
Star Dee Wallace said she has often been praised by parents for the scene where a hysterical Donna screams at Tad in a moment of frustrated terror. She said it's a scene in which only a parent could identify. See more »
Goofs
At the beginning of the movie, Cujo runs after a rabbit and it goes into a cave of bats. Cujo sticks its head in the hole, and bats fly around. Watch the top right hand corner when one bat is flying around, just before he gets bitten, and you can see the string that is holding it up. See more »
The films title appears out of a pool of swirling blood. See more »
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. See more »
A normally friendly St. Bernard named Cujo gets rabies and goes on a killing spree. Eventually a mother (Dee Wallace) and her young son (Danny Pintauro) crosses paths with the monster and soon they're trapped in their car unable to go anywhere. CUJO isn't a complete success but there are enough effective moments to make it worth sitting through. I'm not familiar with the Stephen King story so I can't comment on how close this movie follows it but I think there are a few problems here. One problem is that we're given a pretty worthless subplot involving the wife having an affair on her husband (Christopher Stone). I'm not sure if this played a bigger part in the book but here it just basically adds minutes to the running time and in the end it really adds up to nothing. Another problem I have with the film is that it's not nearly as intense as it should have been. In order for a film like this to succeed I think it needs to keep the viewer in constant terror as soon as everything starts to happen. That doesn't happen here, although there is one attack sequence inside the car that is quite chilling. Finally, the biggest problem with the picture is that it's simply way too predictable. With that said, Dee Wallace is extremely good in her role as the mother who is forced to fight this creature to try and save her son. Pintauro is also very good in his role as the child and it's fun seeing Stone, although his role isn't that well written. As I said, there's one attack scene inside the car that is quite thrilling but the rest of them are only mildly entertaining. The final showdown does manage to be quite exciting, although by this point you're ready for anyone to win just as long as the movie comes to an end.
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Cujo (1983)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
A normally friendly St. Bernard named Cujo gets rabies and goes on a killing spree. Eventually a mother (Dee Wallace) and her young son (Danny Pintauro) crosses paths with the monster and soon they're trapped in their car unable to go anywhere. CUJO isn't a complete success but there are enough effective moments to make it worth sitting through. I'm not familiar with the Stephen King story so I can't comment on how close this movie follows it but I think there are a few problems here. One problem is that we're given a pretty worthless subplot involving the wife having an affair on her husband (Christopher Stone). I'm not sure if this played a bigger part in the book but here it just basically adds minutes to the running time and in the end it really adds up to nothing. Another problem I have with the film is that it's not nearly as intense as it should have been. In order for a film like this to succeed I think it needs to keep the viewer in constant terror as soon as everything starts to happen. That doesn't happen here, although there is one attack sequence inside the car that is quite chilling. Finally, the biggest problem with the picture is that it's simply way too predictable. With that said, Dee Wallace is extremely good in her role as the mother who is forced to fight this creature to try and save her son. Pintauro is also very good in his role as the child and it's fun seeing Stone, although his role isn't that well written. As I said, there's one attack scene inside the car that is quite thrilling but the rest of them are only mildly entertaining. The final showdown does manage to be quite exciting, although by this point you're ready for anyone to win just as long as the movie comes to an end.