Stephen King’s ‘Cujo’ Starring Dee Wallace Is Streaming on Shudder July 1

Cujo, the 1983 adaptation of Stephen King‘s novel of the same name, is set to be added to the must-have streaming service for horror fans. Starting July 7, Cujo will be available on Shudder, and King’s fans will have the chance to stream one of the author’s best adaptations of the 1980s. Other titles being added to Shudder include The Last Breath, Lake Placid, The Ruins and Swallow.

Cujo was written by Don Carlos Dunaway and Lauren Currier and directed by Lewis Teague, who also directed the underrated Stephen King anthology Cat’s Eye. The film stars Dee Wallace, famous for playing the mother in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and films like The Howling and Critters. Danny Pintauro joins her. Both play a mother and son who become prey to a rabies-infected St. Bernard. Per the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of the film:

In this tale of a killer canine, man’s best friend turns into his worst enemy. When sweet St. Bernard Cujo is bitten by a bat, he starts behaving oddly and becomes very aggressive. As Cujo morphs into a dangerous beast, he goes on a rampage in a small town. Stay-at-home mom Donna (Wallace) gets caught in Cujo’s crosshairs on a fateful errand with her son, Tad (Pintauro). Stuck in their tiny car, Donna and Tad have a frightening showdown with the crazed animal.

Why Cujo Has One of the Scariest Shots In Horror Movie History

Jan de Bont set a high bar for the horror genre with his 360 degree shot in the claustrophobic climax of the 1983 adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo.

The film had moderate success at the box office, grossing over $21 million from a $6 million production budget. The reviews by critics were mixed, and today the film sits at 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the audience score sits lower at 46%, the critics’ score is one of the best for King’s filmography in the 1980s.

Should Stephen King’s ‘Cujo’ Be Remade for Modern Audiences?

Cujo-1983-St-Bernard-Dog-Outside-Garage — Warner. Bros

The following contains spoilers for Cujo.

King’s novel of 1981 is set to get a modern remake under the Netflix umbrella. Rumors put Academy Award-nominated director Darren Aronofsky as the favorite to remake the “nature bites back” thriller, although nothing else has been confirmed. A modern Cujo would join the other Stephen King adaptations currently in development during the recent resurgence of the author, who remains as prolific as ever.

One of the questions about this remake concerns the film’s tone and ending. The original 1983 film was merciless when depicting the brutality and gore of Cujo’s attacks. Teague relied on good editing and great creature effects to make us think that there really was a St. Bernard on a deadly rampage. But the ending featured a major change, one that King was completely in tune with.

It’s hard to imagine modern audiences coping with the original conclusion, one of the most heart-wrenching endings of King’s book collection. In today’s climate of films “designed” to appeal to audiences, it seems unlikely that the original ending will be used. However, if Aronofsky ends up making Cujo, we only have to look back at Mother! to understand he’s not afraid to challenge audiences. Some viewers are still thinking of the baby scene in the controversial film starring Jennifer Lawrence.

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