Cujo (1983)

"Cujo" is the 1983 adaption of Stephen King's novel of the same name. This was during the time when stories by King were still a new, hot commodity and were being developed adapted at a startling rate. "Cujo", while having it's moments of pure intensity also has more than it's fair share of slow, dull, dragging moments that typically don't fare well with a horror hungry audience. The reason for this is because the story treats the main character, the large St. Bernard name Cujo as realistically as possible. There isn't anything uncanny in the story to add extra scares other than the frightening possibility of a small child dying from dehydration. This story also has one of the more predicable but satisfying endings that King has ever written.


Donna and her young son Tad take their faulty car out to a mechanic who lives on a secluded farm. Unfortunately the mechanics pet St. Bernard has been infected by rabies and starts killing anything that moves, including the mechanic and his neighbor. When Donna is attacked by the large dog, she discovers that her car has completely failed and that she and her son are trapped. Her husband comes home early from a business trip when she doesn't answer the house phone, fearing that she left with a family friend that she had been having an affair with. He finds that his house has been trashed, by the former lover, but the suspect has no idea where Donna or Tad are. Meanwhile, Cujo attacks the car repeatedly until the door handles are broken and the windows are smashed. As Tad passes out and doesn't respond to Donna's pleas, Donna makes a last ditch effort to get to the house and call for help, willing to do anything to save her son.