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:

Who Let The Dog Out?

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though it got middling reviews, Stephen King was very fond of this adaptation.

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Goofs

When the camera is turning around Donna who is standing by the car when she arrives at Camber's house with Tad, the light appears from the space in between boards of the garage gate. It looks like something that was blocking it was removed, and it's too high to be Cujo.

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Quotes

Donna Trenton: Damn this car!

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Crazy Credits

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

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Spooked: Brotherly Departed (2014)

User Reviews

Realistic horror

I think of Cujo as "realistic horror" because it is something that could really happen. People really do get killed by rabid dogs...this film just exaggerates the truth a bit. I can't say I really enjoyed this film as it is not what I look for in horror films. It's a very good film - well acted, well directed, suspenseful and emotional, but it's not really "fun" to watch. It starts off with the dog getting infected, and from then on tension is built up slowly as you sense the dog is getting angrier and angrier. Eventually it snaps and starts killing people. The bulk of the film focuses on when Donna and her son are trapped in the broken down car because Cujo attacks whenever they try to leave. You can feel all the desperation, pain and isolation of Donna and her son as they lay trapped inside. It makes you think twice about dogs and certainly what you would do in such a situation. Would you run, attack the dog, or wait until help arrives?

This is not a fun, campy or cheesy horror film, so don't watch if you're a fan of cheese. It's for those who want to feel suspense, fear and pain.

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