CUJO (1983)
Would you believe I had never seen Cujo until last night? Makes no sense, especially considering how I love dogs and Stephen King adaptations alike. I haven't read the source material. Of course, King doesn't remember writing it, so at least we're on level playing field. He's on record as enjoying this flick, and I'd put it in the top five or so if we're ranking King adaptations from the 80's. I was taken aback by its intensity. The effects crew managed to turn a fluffy St. Bernard into a frothing, mud-soused monster. That couldn't have been easy. Fan favorite Dee Wallace Stone gives a tense performance as a conflicted mother who can't leave her car for the entire second half of the film. The "plot," if you can call it that, totally worked for me. I will say, I didn't care for the adultery subplot. In the end, it didn't add anything beneficial to the narrative, unless you're really into uncomfortable sex scenes. I don't mind a flawed protagonist, but it just came off as distasteful.
Danny Pintauro is believable as Dee's son. I'm sure the characters have names, but I've gone this far without doing any research. Normally, forgetting names would be a red flag. However, Dee Wallace is always Dee Wallace to me. She's too pure for this world, I tell you. Director Lewis Teague keeps the pace cracking. He also keeps the fog machine industry afloat. I almost expected to see Christopher Lee emerge from the shadows, cape and all. Speaking of Dracula, when are we getting Cujo vs. Zoltan? And where is the fundraising campaign to stop Netflix from remaking Cujo? There has to be an anti-kickstarter somewhere. Anyway, good movie. That's the review.
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