It has long been universally excepted that Dogs are Man’s best friend, so of course the Horror Master himself Stephen King turned that idea wildly on its head in the best-selling novel Cujo in 1981. Just two years later, Director Lewis Teague brought the terror to life in the film adaptation that was not only ahead of its time but also brought us another stellar performance from Scream Queen Dee Wallace who at the time was fresh off of the success of E.T the Extra-Terrestrial.

Cujo‘s premise is simple: a truly loveable St. Bernard named Cujo is bitten on the nose by bats that are infested with rabies and slowly turns into a vicious killer. However, what makes this a truly remarkable and gripping story is Donna Trenton (Wallace) battle between suffering through a rocky marriage and then being thrust into a fight for survival in a car with her and her young son Tad slowly succumbing to the burning heat whilst also being stalked by a furry nightmare.

At 93 minutes, the film takes quite a while getting started with a few plot strings introduced that, as someone who hasn’t witnessed the source material, felt very flimsy and unnecessary until the eventual and somewhat understandable payoff towards the final act. However, the true star and defining factor of the film was the titular character Cujo. As the audience are presented with the backstory of the Trenton family, Cujo’s transformation and descent into madness is interspliced in creating a growing sense of dread and are easily the most appealing aspects of the film especially considering the special effects on the dogs (which include non-St Bernard’s being suited up to look like Cujo and dog heads soaked in puss and blood) were far ahead of its time of 1983. These special effects are definitely enhanced by the fact that this particular presentation of the film on Blu-Ray brings new life and looks honestly magnificent for its entire runtime. Throughout the film, a fair portion of it tells its story and characters progression through the wonderful score by composer Charles Bernstein. For example, the opening scene is almost exclusively dialogue-less and relies on its music to set the narrative.

Stephen King himself has come out and stated that this is one of his favourite adaptations which could be down to the fact that it is faithful to the source material, but the glaring difference is the polar opposite ending which, even though the book version was controversial, unfortunately, left the conclusion feeling incredibly lacklustre and unrewarding considering the journey we, as an audience, and Donna as our protagonist had just ventured through.

At its core, Cujo is a solid Stephen King adaptation that starts of slow but is worth the admission alone for the chaotic and action-packed second act along with some truly breath-taking practical special effects that still hold up to this day but is ultimately let down by a sudden and dissatisfying ending to an otherwise entertaining horror thriller that has been wonderfully restored on the Blu-Ray format.

Special Features:

For the Cujo faithful, the Blu-Ray restoration of 1983’s Cujo is packed full of incredibly interesting and in-depth special features including up-to-date interviews with various cast and crew members who worked on the project over 35 years ago. So many fascinating tidbits of information are revealed within these interviews and are a crucial watch for die-hard fans of Stephen King’s work. The inclusion of these special features add to great package that is a must own for Stephen King fans and general horror fans.

(Special Features presented by EUREKA! Classics:)

Disc 1:

• FEATURE LENGTH AUDIO COMMENTARY BY LEE GAMBIN (AUTHOR OF NOPE, NOTHING WRONG HERE: THE MAKING OF CUJO)
• INTERVIEW WITH DEE WALLACE (“WHAT A TOUR DE FORCE PART FOR A WOMAN”) [41:34] – a recent in-depth interview with Lead Actress Dee Wallace about her memories of filming CUJO.
• INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES BERNSTEIN (“A COMPOSER REALLY CAN’T ASK FOR ANY MORE”) [35:37] – composer Charles Bernstein remembers creating the score to CUJO.
• INTERVIEW WITH GARY MORGAN (“I DID THE THINGS THAT THE DOG WAS TOO SMART TO DO”) [26:10] – stuntman Gary Morgan sheds light on what it was like to play the role of CUJO during scenes that the dog couldn’t perform due to various reasons.
• INTERVIEW WITH JEAN COULTER (“IT WAS ALL JUST A GAME”) [21:09] – stuntwoman Jean Coulter talks about her time working on CUJO as the stunt actress for the character of Donna.
• INTERVIEW WITH MARCIA ROSS (“THE CIRCUS LEAVES TOWN”) [20:03] – the casting director of CUJO talks about how she found all of the talented cast members.
• INTERVIEW WITH KATHIE CLARK LAWRENCE (“THE PASSION WAS PRESENTED TO ME”) [13:55] – CUJO’s SFX artist recalls working on the film and creating the practical effects seen in the film.
• INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT CLARK (“A DOG ON A DOLLY”) [12:50] – SFX artist Robert Clarke discusses his time working on CUJO and with the various animals on set.
• INTERVIEW WITH TERESA ANN MILLER (“INSIDE THE DOG’S HEAD”) [28:14] – the daughter of the (now sadly deceased) animal trainer Karl Lewis Miller talks about her dad and his love and commitment to training animals.
• TRAILERS & TV SPOTS: Original Trailer [1:49], TV Spot #1 [0:30], TV Spot #2 [1:29]
• DOG DAYS: THE MAKING OF CUJO [42:48] – an in-depth feature taking a look at the creation, inception and adaptation of Stephen King’s legendary story.

Disc 2 (Exclusive to the Limited Edition version):

• DEE WALLACE Q&A (FROM CINEMANIACS & MONSTER FEST 2015), MODERATED BY LEE GAMBIN [1:40:53] – a feature-length Q&A panel with CUJO’s leading lady Dee Wallace.
• KIM NEWMAN ON CUJO [27:03] – a new interview with Critic and Author Kim Newman on the influence and impact of CUJO and Stephen King adaptations as a whole.

CUJO / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: LEWIS TEAGUE / SCREENPLAY: DON CARLOS DUNAWAY, LAUREN CURRIER / STARRING: DEE WALLACE, DANIEL HUGH-KELLY, DANNY PINTAURO, CHRISTOPHER STONE, ED LAUTER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW