Cujo (1983)
…………………………………………………
Cujo Movie Review
Cujo is a 1983 horror film directed by Lewis Teague and starring Dee Wallace. It’s a solid and sometimes quite effective, but mostly empty movie.
………………………………………………….
“Fuck you, dog“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
The film follows a rabid St. Bernard who traps a mother and her child inside their car without food or water during a heat wave, and their desperate attempts to survive. This movie was based on a Stephen King novel and, needless to say, the concept is as strong as ever. The execution not so much, but the premise itself is original and quite memorable.
First and foremost, I have to congratulate the movie for that opening sequence which is by far the most unforgettable moment in this picture, and easily the best and creepiest one. So the movie opens with this St. Bernard chasing a rabbit on the field, but when the bunny goes though a cave, the dog follows it, sniffs the cave and a bunch of bats attack him, spreading him rabies.
That opening is so impressive that the rest of the movie suffered in comparison to it. I did of course love those trapped in the car horror thrills. Those scenes are also very effective and realistically executed. The entire flick is surprisingly grounded in reality for such a wild premise.
The humans are unfortunately terrible for the most part. I loved the mother and her son central relationship and their scenes are very emotional. Dee Wallace killed it in the main role and is the acting/character standout here for sure. But as I’ve said, all of the others are so weak and mediocre with the human drama itself being tired and boring.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
Cujo definitely has a fun story and some good chills, but it’s rarely truly creepy, and it lacks any sort of sophistication to it. I needed also some emotion when it comes to the dog and his portrayal, but still having a murderous dog was both different and creepy in its own way. The film is well shot, but mostly weakly paced as the premise is spread too thin, and not particularly suitable for a feature-length treatment.
Cujo is thinly scripted overall and it doesn’t have a single thought in its mind, but the Stephen King premise alone is so strong that it carried it through the finish line along with a strong central performance by Dee Wallace. There are some boring moments to be had here, but the car scenes are great and that opening sequence was both chilling and instantly memorable.
