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Cujo

  • 19831983
  • RR
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
45K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,351
205
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Cujo (1983)
Home Video Trailer from Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:29
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Thriller

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

IMDb RATING
6.0/10
45K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,351
205
  • Director
    • Lewis Teague
  • Writers
    • Stephen King(novel)
    • Don Carlos Dunaway
    • Barbara Turner
  • Stars
    • Dee Wallace
    • Daniel Hugh Kelly
    • Danny Pintauro
Top credits
  • Director
    • Lewis Teague
  • Writers
    • Stephen King(novel)
    • Don Carlos Dunaway
    • Barbara Turner
  • Stars
    • Dee Wallace
    • Daniel Hugh Kelly
    • Danny Pintauro
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 207User reviews
    • 137Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Videos3

    Cujo: 25th Anniversary Edition
    Trailer 1:29
    Cujo: 25th Anniversary Edition
    'Cujo' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:09
    'Cujo' | Anniversary Mashup
    Jane Levy of "Castle Rock" Is Bringing Pennywise to Your Next Party
    Video 1:48
    Jane Levy of "Castle Rock" Is Bringing Pennywise to Your Next Party

    Photos103

    Cujo (1983)
    Danny Pintauro and Dee Wallace in Cujo (1983)
    Dee Wallace in Cujo (1983)
    Danny Pintauro, Daniel Hugh Kelly, and Dee Wallace in Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)
    Cujo (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dee Wallace
    Dee Wallace
    • Donna Trentonas Donna Trenton
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    • Vic Trentonas Vic Trenton
    Danny Pintauro
    Danny Pintauro
    • Tad Trentonas Tad Trenton
    Christopher Stone
    Christopher Stone
    • Steve Kempas Steve Kemp
    Ed Lauter
    Ed Lauter
    • Joe Camberas Joe Camber
    Kaiulani Lee
    Kaiulani Lee
    • Charity Camberas Charity Camber
    Billy Jayne
    Billy Jayne
    • Brett Camberas Brett Camber
    • (as Billy Jacoby)
    Mills Watson
    Mills Watson
    • Gary Pervieras Gary Pervier
    Sandy Ward
    Sandy Ward
    • Bannermanas Bannerman
    Jerry Hardin
    Jerry Hardin
    • Masenas Masen
    Merritt Olsen
    • Professoras Professor
    Arthur Rosenberg
    Arthur Rosenberg
    • Roger Breakstoneas Roger Breakstone
    Terry Donovan-Smith
    • Harryas Harry
    Robert Elross
    • Mearaas Meara
    Robert Behling
    • Fournieras Fournier
    Clare Torao
    Clare Torao
    • Lady Reporteras Lady Reporter
    • (as Claire Nono)
    Daniel H. Blatt
    • Dr. Merkatzas Dr. Merkatz
    Robert Craighead
    Robert Craighead
    • Joe MaGruderas Joe MaGruder
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Lewis Teague
    • Writers
      • Stephen King(novel)
      • Don Carlos Dunaway
      • Barbara Turner
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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... —Miguel Cane <Stepford@yahoo.com>
    • rabies
    • killer dog
    • rabid dog
    • boy
    • hiding in a car
    • 109 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Now there's a new name for terror...
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Five St. Bernards were used, one mechanical head, and a guy in a dog costume.
    • Goofs
      During the first night that Cujo has Donna and Tad trapped in the car, Cujo becomes enraged by the ringing phone and crashes through the window to attack it. When the phone stops ringing, Cujo remains in the window, and you can see the trainer's hand come up and pull the dog down from the window.
    • Quotes

      Donna Trenton: Fuck you, dog.

    • Crazy credits
      The film's title appears out of a pool of swirling blood.
    • 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.
    • Connections
      Edited into Doggiewoggiez! Poochiewoochiez! (2012)

    User reviews207

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Pretty good Stephen King adaption
    1983 was a bit of a bumper year for cinematic versions of Stephen King novels. In that year alone we had Christine and The Dead Zone as well as Cujo. It would probably not be unfair to say that Cujo is the least good of the three but in all honesty there isn't a great deal in it, with all being pretty effective and nicely varied horror films. Out of those three, and unlike most King horror films in general, Cujo is not a supernatural horror movie and is based on a plausible idea. A woman and her young son become trapped in their broken down car in a remote junkyard when a St. Bernard dog, made rabid by a bite from an infected bat, lays siege to their vehicle in a murderous mood.

    This one could be described as a high concept movie given the very basic nature of its set-up. In order to pad things out to feature length and to add some depth, we have quite a bit of character development in the first half of the movie, which focuses mainly on a dysfunctional family and the dramas that surround them. Once the action moves to the junkyard though, most of this is largely forgotten and the film essentially becomes an 'animal-attack' horror-thriller. Dee Wallace does some good work as the mother who has to deal with the trauma while having to comfort her young son, who it has to be said is involved in some pretty intense looking scenes which may have been quite full on for the young actor involved. But the scary scenes were often achieved by very clever editing, after all a St. Bernard is hardly the most threatening of beasts to base a horror movie on. The fast and clever edits do make this creature seem genuinely menacing. Less successful though was the soundtrack which compromised of a considerable amount of really terrible music which would have been better suited to a daytime TV melodrama than a suspenseful and thrilling feature film. But on the whole, this is a pretty decent and lean effort that gets the job done quite effectively.
    helpful•15
    2
    • Red-Barracuda
    • Aug 5, 2016

    FAQ8

    • Were actual dogs or other animals harmed in any way in the making of this film?
    • What is 'Cujo' about?
    • Is 'Cujo' based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 12, 1983 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Куджо
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Rosa, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Sunn Classic Pictures
      • TAFT Entertainment Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $21,156,152
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,114,899
      • Aug 14, 1983
    • Gross worldwide
      • $21,156,152
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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