Cujo (1983)

I have waited a looooooong time to see this film get the special treatment it deserved. For years, the only way I had to view this classic horror treat was on an old DVD release with cropped edges, horrible picture, and NO special features at all.....not to mention the ugliest DVD artwork ever for a Stephen King release.

Lionsgate has now given us Cujo as it has never been seen on home video. I was blown away by how clear the picture is, and how vibrant the colors are. The old transfer just seemed washed out and faded. I watched this on my PS3, which upscales it to hi-def, and I never dreamed this film could ever look this good. I'm also glad that there was no effort to try to create a surround sound track for this film, since most of it takes place inside a car. You have the choice of watching it in the original mono, or a 2 channel stereo mix. While this is not a film I would choose to show off my surround system, it is very effective for what is happening on screen. Not only do we get treated to a remastered copy of the film, but Cujo also has some really good special features. The 3-part documentary runs about 45 min. total, and is very informative about the way the film was made. Both Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro take part in the documentary. The director, Lewis Teague, also provides a good commentary track. I only have two minor complaints: 1st, there is no trailer for Cujo and 2nd, with it being the 25th anniversary edition, I would rather have seen the artwork from the original movie poster as the cover. I'm not complaining too much about the artwork since it is a huge improvement over the previous version, I just think the poster with the white picket fence and the word "Cujo" in blood was a great poster.

Bottom line: If you own the original DVD version of Cujo, put it in the doghouse. You will be glad you upgraded to this fantastic version of what I think is one of the best adaptations of Stephen King's work on film.

2013 Blu ray UPDATE:

I just got my new copy of Cujo in the mail, and thought I would add this to my previous DVD review.

Of course, the one thing you want to know; is this worthy of a double dip?? Well, that depends on how much you like this movie. I'll break it down into a list of pros and cons, then you can make your own decision.

PROS

* FINALLY, we get cover art from the original movie poster. This packaging is AWESOME!!! Original artwork is also reflected on the disc itself.

* New commentary from director Lewis Teague. This is a really entertaining track.

* Sound seems to be remastered.

* When I saw the video of the 25th anniv. of Cujo, I thought it couldn't get better. I have to admit that I was wrong. This is the best Cujo has ever looked!!! The HD transfer has obviously been remastered

since the 25th anniv. edition. The picture looks gorgeous!!!!

* On-screen menu also uses original poster artwork.

CONS

* No other extras included other than commentary

* Price is a little high for a bare bones movie.

BOTTOM LINE: In the case of the new 30th anniv. edition of this film, it really comes down to how much you're willing to pay for a new commentary track and some awesome artwork. If you do decide to double dip on this one, I would definitely save the previous 25th anniv. edition. That way you have the complete extra features.

Actually a fairly good Stephen King translation, I remember being genuinely frightened a few times when this played theatrically. But my fondest memory of the movie was its poster: a beautiful sun-bleached drawing of a very east-coast summer house, surrounded by a picket fence splattered with blood in the form of Cujo's name. Warner home video used this artwork when intially releasing the video over a decade ago, and now? This picture of a clownish lip-sticked overly-reddened St. Bernard and his teeth is clearly not even a shot from the movie! I have always questioned/doubted the wisdom of revisionist cover-art for video releases, but this one takes the cake as the most artless piece of junk I've ever seen.

Buy Cujo (1983) Now

If I had read the book first I would have probably known what I was in for when I sat down to watch this movie. I have a deeply rooted fear of confined spaces and possibly an even bigger fear of being eaten. So basically, this movie scared me to no end! Now I have to admit much of the story (and acting) moved along fairly slowly, until the mother and son were stuck in the middle of nowhere, in a station wagon, with a large, rabid Saint Bernard attempting to get inside! It was this portion of the movie that got my skin crawling! When Cujo starts attacking the car and you just get this feeling that nobody is getting out of there alive, that's good Horror entertainment! Strangely enough I never felt that Cujo should die or that he was a "monster". I just kept thinking that all of us are victims of circumstance, and not one of us has control over the events in our lives. That concept alone is terrifying! The acting of the mother and son were perfect and I'd really like to know how they got the dog who played Cujo to act so mean! To me, a claustraphobe, this was one nightmare of a movie. If I had been younger I would have probably developed a serious fear of dogs to boot. But dogs are great, as long as you make sure they've had their shots! You don't want your dog going Cujo on you, now do you! One of the scariest movies I've ever seen!

Read Best Reviews of Cujo (1983) Here

To all you folks that are complaining about a Saint Bernard being the wrong choice for this role, and that it was "too cute" to be scary, um that was the point. Sheesh. How could so many people miss that? It's the fact that a big, loveable dog has suddenly become a threat that makes this film so spooky. Man's best friend has suddenly become a monster. Had they used a Doberman or Rottweiller, everyone would have been like "Well, yeah, they're killers. No suprise it turned on them." Most good horror works on the premise of the benign becoming the terrifying. This movie is the epitome of that. Also, a Doberman or Rottweiller wouldn't have been that threatening. Doberman's especially are small enough to send rolling with a well-placed kick. They needed a large dog that would be able to dent a car door with it's massive skull, and take three hits with a baseball bat. Get a clue folks.

Want Cujo (1983) Discount?

When you think of successful early "adapted from a Stephen King novel" films, a few come to mind. From the greatest:Carrie, The Shining, Pet Sematary to the not-so-bad:Salem's Lot, Children of the Corn, Christine. But nessled right in the middle should be Cujo. For my generation, after this film was released anytime you saw a large strange dog in the near distance, your mind raced with the thoughts of this film.

While still pretty effective, this film about a mother and son trapped inside their broken down Ford Pinto while a rabies-infected Saint Bernard terrorizes them from the outside in, still has plenty of scares even 25 years later. While not as classic as other Horror films of it's time, it did forever become the grandaddy of all maniac dog movies. So on that level alone, it comes from me to any Horror fan very suggested.

However, it does have a few faults. Even though it was shot and released in 1983, this movie looks and feels like it was actually done in say 1976, down to it's starring car and ABC-Movie Of The Week musical score. Another is the 30 minutes of set-up at it's beginning showing the trials and downfalls of suburban marriage and family life at the time. Not that those 30 minutes hurt the movie, it actually sets up the characters for concern quite nicely, but to new fans of the movie they might wonder what drama film got accidently put in this Horror DVD's case.

But once Cujo gets things a foamin' about 40 minutes in, all Hell breaks loose and let the intense claustrophobia begin. As for extras, there's a nice 50 minute documentary called "Dog Days:The Making Of Cujo" from 2007 that has crew and actors telling about how things were done quite informatively. Seeing a now 30 year old Danny Pintauro talking about his role when he was just six is nice to see a former child actor who can still remember the work much less live to tell about it. Also a directors commentary & an anamorphic picture with a high bit-rate, this is a worthy addition to any classic Horror collection. Despite purists who say that it changed certain aspects for the film not originally in the King novel (all of which were approved by King), this is one film that will make most say "The movie was better than the book".

(RedSabbath Rating:8.0/10)

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