Cujo

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Cujo

R

1983

1h 33m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

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 (Dee Wallace) gets caught in Cujo's crosshairs on a fateful errand with her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). Stuck in their tiny car, Donna and Tad have a frightening showdown with the crazed animal.

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Critics Consensus

Cujo is artless work punctuated with moments of high canine gore and one wild Dee Wallace performance.

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

Sep 5, 2019

The movie is as nasty and single-minded as Cujo himself: It's simple, and it works.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Oct 4, 2017

"Cujo" no doubt presented fewer difficulties for a novelist than it does for a movie director.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

A dull, uneventful entry in the horror genre.

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Dec 18, 2023

3/4

The raw performances by Danny Pintauro and Dee Wallace are key here, as they effectively embody abject terror and desperation, respectively.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 8, 2023

2.5/4

Director Lewis Teague does what he can in an attempt to maximize tension, but there’s only so much he can do with such a limited setting and such a sparse story.

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Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

Apr 12, 2023

A truly absurd film that never found the conductor thread of its story... transporting the facts from the novel wasn't enough. [Full review in Spanish]

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Robert P

@Superbad 1 day ago

Cujo based on a Story by Stephen King = a *3* star movie!

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B P

@Bradster69 5 days ago

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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C.K. B

@C.K.Blackwood Jun 5, 2026

Just one of those stories that cannot be properly translated from book to film.

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Ian R

@RT23899272 Apr 20, 2026

A rabid Saint Bernard dog in a small American town isn't enough to support the plot of an entire film. The first half of the movie is extremely slow and the marital problems of the protagonist family are dreary. When Cujo, the monster dog emerges, I didn't particularly care who he killed.

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Feb 23, 2026

Definitely one of the best Stephen King movies of all time!

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Jan 30, 2026

This really was a poor quality horror film, especially for a Stephen King movie. Everything about it was just plain disappointing. The effects were just the worst of the eighties where you see nothing as it happens off-camera and then you see that person lying down with some fake blood over them. That is the most imaginative that it gets. It really is bad. There were also so many holes in the plot and errors in the filmmaking. This is not scary at any point. If you really use your imagination then you just about feel scared for the characters. That is too much hard work though to make this rubbish palatable. Unless you are afraid of dogs then maybe you will be able to relate to the fear.

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Lewis Teague

Director

Dee Wallace

Donna Trenton

Danny Pintauro

Tad Trenton

Daniel Hugh Kelly

Vic Trenton

Christopher Stone

Steve Kemp

Ed Lauter

Joe Camber

Cujo: Official Clip - Breathe!

2:13

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Cujo: Official Clip - Cujo Won't Hurt Him

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Cujo: Official Clip - Get Back in That Barn, Damn You

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Cujo: Official Clip - You're Rabid!

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Cujo: Official Clip - What's the Matter?

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Cujo: Official Clip - It's Just a Doggie

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Cujo: Official Clip - A Bat Bites Cujo

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Cujo: Official Clip - Donna Is Bitten

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Synopsis

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 (Dee Wallace) gets caught in Cujo's crosshairs on a fateful errand with her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). Stuck in their tiny car, Donna and Tad have a frightening showdown with the crazed animal.

Director: Lewis Teague
Producer: Daniel H. Blatt, Robert Singer
Screenwriter: Stephen King, Don Carlos Dunaway, Lauren Currier
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment, Warner Home Vídeo, Republic Pictures, Warner Bros.
Production Co: TAFT Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 3, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 33m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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