Arthur Rosenberg, Billy Jayne, Christopher Stone

This 1983 adaptation of the Stephen King horror novel is the anti-Beethoven, the story of a rabid St. Bernard that terrorizes a community, tears up a few folks, and goes after a woman and her s...( read more  read more... )on. Once the point has been made that big, lovable Cujo has been bitten by a rabid bat, there isn't much more to say. The film is essentially a linear progression of doggy violence, though director Lewis Teague (The Jewel of the Nile)--building on King's implication that we all know what it's like to be afraid of a big, scary pooch--succeeds at making the fear almost primitive for an audience. --Tom Keogh

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55% liked it

18,091 ratings

R, 95 min.

Directed by: Lewis Teague

Release Date: August 12, 1983

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DVD Release Date: August 21, 2001

Stats: 1,890 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,890)


  • July 27, 2009
    Cujo is a movie that will scare the hell out of dog owners, to say the least. It's very frightening and very underrated, and for most of the movie, there is no sign that it is a horror movie. However, Cujo is very frightening, mainly because these kind of things do happen, a lot ...( read more)of people (kids in particular) are bitten by dogs every day.

    The leading lady of 80's horror movies, Dee Wallace Stone, plays a woman who is trapped in her car with her 5 year old son, as a rabid St. Bernard terrorises them.

    The tension in Cujo takes a long time to build up, but when it starts, it never lets up. Under no circumstances should young kids watch this movie, they'll be wetting their beds for weeks.
  • April 4, 2009
    Stephen King does killer dog. The film's not bad but it's kind of just, boring. What was really needed was to build upon the relationship between Cujo and his family. The most frightening aspect of this film is a beloved family pet turning against the ones it loves. Cujo never se...( read more)ems THAT loved. The family don't even notice the gigantic bat bite on his nose. The most memorable part is Dee Wallace's performance, of special note the scene where she screams at her son when they are being attacked. It's a perfectly honest and rare reaction of a parent in such a film. Despite being just 90 minutes it seemed very long. Perhaps a St. Bernard isn't as enthralling for me as Vampires, Clowns or Aliens.
  • July 11, 2008
    Man, Cujo is an evil dog...
  • May 19, 2008
    scared the bejesus out of me when i was little
  • March 3, 2008
    The book is better. They changed the ending which I hate. The acting is not so hot in my opinion either. Disappointing.
  • October 26, 2009
    old fashioned horror flick
  • October 24, 2009
    i love this movie! every time i wacth it i still am waiting & wanting & hoping the boy turns out ok & he does!! because of this movie i can honestly say i have grown to have trust issues with what some call mans best friennd. lol
  • October 23, 2009
    Not a brilliant adapatation but worth watching.
  • October 11, 2009
    somewhat dated now,but classic adaptation of stephen king novel...
  • October 7, 2009
    Stephen King is the only person who could make a Saint Bernard seem evil! I love the man. His books are mostly better than the movies, this one's no exception.

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  • ButtonFilms
    February 19, 2008
    people actually complain about the character development in the first half? christ, the mtv generation is retarded. if all you wanna see is a crazy dog kill a bunch of people go rent man's best friend or some other pile of shit. this movie is a classic for reasons other than a crazy dog. say it with me.....character development.
  • ZeMolesWife
    April 7, 2007
    Great Movie. I'm Definatly Getting A St. Bernard Now.
  • soadrocks125
    February 10, 2007
    This movie is so awesome. Crazy dogs and a weird lesbian-lookin chick? So cool...

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Cujo Trivia


  • Stephen King, Dee Wallace-Stone & a St. Bernard?  Answer »
  • This Stephen King movie was about a rabid dog...  Answer »
  • In the Stephen King movie,Cujo, what type of dog is Cujo?  Answer »
  • True or False? Cujo was a pug.  Answer »

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