A woman and her son are trapped in a pinto during a summer heatwave by a hulking, rabid St. Bernard at an isolated farmhouse. Nobody's home, except the dog. The movie starts out slow, but once Dee and Danny arrive at the farmhouse, the movie kicks into high gear and the wait pays off. "Cujo" is jam-packed with sweat-inducing tension that never lets up once it gets going. The special effects are also superb- no CGI used whatsoever. "Cujo" did not recieve the marketing or attention that other King adaptions received, but is now finding more and more of an audience. I for one do not understand the negative criticism heaped on this movie- like I said, the acting and effects are amazing, especially for the time. You can't deny the film's power to disturb- it really does stress you out, especially with Danny Pintauro screaming at the top of his lungs during the last half of the movie. "Cujo" is not a cheesy horrorfest whatsoever- it's a realistic and unflinching creature feature. This could happen, within reason. And "Cujo" dares to include something rarely found in most horror movies- character development.
Some complain of nothing happening in the first 45 minutes or so, yet I see it as allowing the audience to really get to know these characters. Dee Wallace is so likable in this role (or any other, for that matter...), that by the time the showdown between Dee and Dog occurs, it only makes us that more scared. Dee and Danny bring depth and resonance to the film. I love this movie. It is one of my favorite of King's novels and screen adaptions. A lost classic of the 80's, "Cujo" ranked #58 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. The 25th Anniversary Edition DVD contains a fascinating 3-part documentary- "DOG DAYS: The Making of Cujo" that explains how they pulled off some of those unforgettable stunts
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