Review of Cujo (1983) by Stanley B — 16 Oct 2012

A family begins using a local man on an old farm as their new mechanic instead of the city shop. Their dog is bitten by a rabid bat and slowly begins to turn. The wife of the family, who has been sleeping around with the husband's best friend drives to the farm to have her car checked out. Unknown to her, part of the family has skipped town with lottery money and the others are dead to the now fully rabid dog.

Dee Wallace is great here, bringing home the terror of the claustrophobic space and the monster dog to life. We experience her emotional paid due to the terror from the monster and the agony of her child being in harm's way.

I like how the film shows the transition of the dog through the first half of the movie. It is sad to watch the majestic creature slowly descend into madness, something King often explores in his characters, done here with an animal. The special effects were well done, not too over the top, but enough really bring home the changes.

I was really surprised at how much I got locked into this film. I found myself not able to break away until the film was over as I was captivated by the tension as the car pulled in and got attacked. This elevated the film above a goofy fun horror film, to something much better.