Cujo (1983) ***1/2

1983 was a really good (probably the best) year for Stephen King film adaptations. Lewis Teague's Cujo arrived in August, followed by David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone (review) in October, then John Carpenter's Christine (review) in December. It had been a long time since I'd watched Cujo and, while it's my least favorite of those three movies, it was better than I remembered. 

Cujo does a wonderful job of developing characters without ever being boring or unnecessary. The film is anchored by fantastic, dedicated, and believable performances by Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro. It's stylishly and inventively shot by Jan de Bont and beautifully and dramatically scored by Charles Bernstein. The single-setting canine siege that comprises the latter half of the picture is an incredibly tense exercise in horror, fueled by relentless motherly dedication. 

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