Nope, Nothing Wrong Here

“It’s not a monster . . . it’s just a doggy . . . .” No American horror film did more to spike cat adoptions than Cujo (1983). Based on Stephen King’s psychological thriller about a rabid dog, the terror story remains forever etched into the minds of filmgoers, as well as in the grip marks on many theater seats. Lee Gambin analyzes the film scene by scene, including exhaustive coverage of the production from its problematic early days with originally-assigned director Peter Medak to the final edit by ultimate director Lewis Teague. Drawn from interviews with Teague, screenwriter Barbara Turner, and cast and crew, including Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Danny Pintauro, Jan de Bont, Jennifer Jason Leigh, composer Charles Bernstein, and stunt man Gary Morgan. With its sophistication and deep subversive intelligence, Cujo is a biting critique on the breakdown of the American family, an electric take on the “woman in the storm” story trope, a personal and introspective ecologically themed horror film (a subgenre usually socially and politically motivated), and a perfectly realised example of the power of circumstance. It also thoroughly scrutinizes fear—both real and imagined—in a sharp and magnetic manner. Index. Illustrated with over 200 pictures (most never before seen). About the Film historian Lee Gambin has written for Fangoria, Shock Till You Drop, Delirium, and Scream Magazine , among others. His previous works include Massacred By Mother Exploring the Natural Horror Film , and We Can Be Who We Movie Musicals of the 1970s . He is the director of Melbourne-based film collective, Cinemaniacs.