This is another of her great “Mom” performances, and King considers it the greatest in all of his movies, including Kathy Bates’ Academy Award-winning performance for Misery. The standout performance of the film is Donna, played by Dee Wallace, who in the previous year had played Elliot’s mother in E.T. When Cujo is attacking Donna, there are more than a few moments where Donna believes that Cujo is smiling at her.Ĭujo would be directed by Lewis Teague, and featured a cast that included Daniel Hugh Kelly (Hardcastle & McCormick) as Vic Trenton and Danny Pintauro (Who’s the Boss) as son Tad. It is heavily implied that the presence is as much responsible for Cujo’s violence as the rabies, and may be the last evil remnants of serial killer Frank Dodd, who was killed in The Dead Zone. The movie is 100% set in reality, but in the novel, Tad is tormented by an evil presence that lives in his closet. I understand why this early stuff was cut from the screenplay, but it also makes it easier to forget that Cujo himself is a victim in this story.Īnother element of the novel that doesn’t make it to the screen is the supernatural element. In the film, Cujo is bitten by the bat in the first few minutes, and we don’t see much of him until he’s completely rabid.

He’s fiercely loyal to his family, and the updates as the rabies begins to take over his mind are downright heartbreaking. Cujo’s thoughts are kept simpler than most of the cast, and are probably most similar to four-year-old Tad’s. We get extensive characterization, of the Trenton family, of the Camber family, and even of Cujo himself. Like much of King’s work, it’s written in a very dynamic style that keeps the reader interested. I ended up breezing through Cujo over the course of a week.

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