- "Fuck you, dog."
- ―Donna Trenton
| Cujo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | Cujo |
| Genres: | Horror |
| Directed by: | Lewis Teague |
| Written by: | Don Carlos Dunaway; Lauren Currier; Stephen King |
| Produced by: | Daniel H. Blatt; Robert Singer; Neil A. Machlis |
| Music by: | Charles Bernstein |
| Cinematography: | Jan De Bont |
| Edited by: | Neil Travis |
| Production | |
| Distributed by: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Released: | August 12th, 1983 |
| Rating: | R |
| Running time: | 93 min. |
| Country: | USA |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $5,000,000 |
| Gross: | $21,200,000 |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | — |
Cujo is an American horror film of the predatory animal subgenre. It is based on the 1981 novel Cujo by author Stephen King. The film was directed by Lewis Teague and produced by Daniel H. Blatt, Robert Singer and Neil A. Machlis for Warner Bros. Pictures. It was released theatrically in the United States on August 12th, 1983.
The plot of the film focuses on a St. Bernard dog named Cujo who becomes rabid after being bitten by a bat while chasing a rabbit into it's warren. As the movie advances, the dog grows progressively more savage, turning on his master, Joe Camber and killing several people in the town of Castle Rock, Maine. A woman named Donna Trenton and her ill son, Tad, become trapped inside of their car on the Camber's property while Cujo terrorizes them in the midst of a terrible heat wave.
Plot[]
Cujo is a St. Bernard dog that, despite being scary for its size, is extremely docile and playful. The dog lives on a large farm, located in Maine. His family is very poor, with Joe being the only one to support the house with his work as a mechanic, which is carried out in the garage of the farm itself. One morning, Cujo is running freely through the farm's fields, when he spots a rabbit and starts chasing it, starting what for him should just be a fun hunting game. Afraid of being caught by the dog, the little rabbit runs towards its den to hide. Unable to get through the hole, Cujo starts barking as he watches his target go deeper and deeper into the hole. But, unfortunately for the dog, and everyone around him, the den is infested with bats that are woken up by the dog's barking. The bats become extremely agitated and try to get out of the hole, but Cujo's head is covering the only exit. At that moment, one of the bats ends up biting Cujo's snout, who starts crying in pain, and pulls his head out of the hole.
To be added...
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Dee Wallace | Donna Trenton |
| Danny Pintauro | Tad Trenton |
| Daniel Hugh-Kelly | Vic Trenton |
| Christopher Stone | Steve Kemp |
| Ed Lauter | Joe Camber |
| Kaiulani Lee | Charity Camber |
| Billy Jacoby | Brett Camber |
| 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 |
| Claire Nono | Lady reporter |
| Daniel H. Blatt | Doctor Merkatz |
| Robert Craighead | Joe MaGruder |
Notes[]
- Cujo (1983) redirects to this page.
- Cujo was released theatrically in the UK on November 18th, 1983.
- The 25th Anniversary edition of Cujo was released to DVD by Lions Gate Entertainment on September 25th, 2007. It was released on Blu-ray on November 24th, 2009.
- Producer Robert Singer will go on to become one of the executive producers on the CW Network television series Supernatural.
- In the film, Tad survives, but in the novel, he dies from heatstroke.
- Actors Danny Pintauro and Daniel Hugh-Kelly not only share the same first name, but they were also both born in New Jersey.
- Actor Jerry Hardin has been in dozens of films and television projects, but he is probably best known for playing the mysterious Deep Throat on season one of the Fox Network television series The X-Files.
- Producer Daniel H. Blatt makes a cameo appearance in the film as Doctor Merkatz.
- Robert Craighead is uncredited in the film for his portrayal of Joe MaGruder.
- Veteran voice actor Frank Welker was credited for doing the vocal effects for Cujo.
- As with most film adaptations, there are notable differences between the movie treatment and the original novel. One of the most radical departures from the novel is the fact that Tad survives the experience. In the novel, he eventually succumbed to heat stroke. The manner in which Cujo dies is also slightly different. In the novel, Donna Trenton beats Cujo to death with a baseball bat. In the film, she bludgeons him with the bat, but finishes him off by shooting him in the head.
- This is the first horror film work for assistant camera man Alexander Witt.