Stephen King Called 'Cujo' 'Terrific'. It Deserved a Better Rotten Tomatoes Score

The 1980s are often seen as the high point for Stephen King film adaptations, from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining to titles like Creepshow, Christine and The Dead Zone. In that crowded year, Lewis Teague's Cujo, released in August 1983, was easily lost among more celebrated King projects.

King made uncredited contributions to the screenplay and personally selected Teague to replace Peter Medak, impressed by Teague's work on Alligator. The film follows a mother and her son besieged by their St. Bernard after it contracts rabies, with the most harrowing scenes unfolding inside the car as Donna (Dee Wallace) and Tad (Danny Pintauro) seek shelter.

Teague's staging, tight camerawork and Wallace's performance create sympathy for both the family and the infected dog, qualities that sit uneasily with Cujo's 60% Rotten Tomatoes score and 46% Popcorn Meter rating. The jump scare of the dog lunging at the passenger window remains one of the film's most memorable moments.

stephen king, cujo, lewis teague, dee wallace, danny pintauro, rabies, rotten tomatoes, popcorn meter, 1983, st. bernard