80sfilms

Cujo (1983) is one of those films that was terrifying when I was a child, but now seems rather tame. Of course, watching it when I was in my early teens while at a slumber party with a bunch of screaming friends probably made it a whole lot scarier.

In re-watching it as an adult, the claustrophobia aspect is much more disturbing to me than the dog.

The story, based on the novel by chill-master Stephen King, is simple in premise. Dog gets bit by a rabid bat, turns rabid, and starts tearing people up. A woman and her son get caught in the dog’s wake, and end up trapped in their inoperable car in the hot summer sun while the dog stalks them.

Cujo starred Dee Wallace-Stone, who played the mother, Donna Trenton, and Danny Pintauro, who played her son, Tad Trenton. It was directed by Lewis Teague, who also helmed The Jewel of the Nile (1985) and Cat’s Eye (1985).

Wallace-Stone also starred in Secret Admirer (1985), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and The Howling (1981).

Maybe it’s because I love dogs, or maybe it’s because I think, in Cujo,the owner of Cujo was to blame for the horrific turn of events (in other words, don’t let your dog run wild, keep your dog properly vaccinated, etc.), but to me, Cujo is more of a public service announcement about pet vaccinations than a horror flick. 

Chalk it up to being an adult, but to me Cujo is all bark and no bite. 

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