9 Classic Stephen King Movie Villains Who Chill You To The Bone

7. Cujo - Cujo (1983)

Cujo the dog is probably the world's most iconic villainous canine. He wasn't always that way inclined - he was a gentle, easy going St Bernard until he incurred a bite from a rabid bat on his nose. He isn't very well for a bit and then he morphs into a savage, violent, bloodthirsty beast. There is a dull plot line in the movie about a marriage breaking down brought into the story unfaithful wife Donna and her son Tad go to Cujo's household and find that Cujo has killed his owner. He is on the loose and pretty peeved, and the only shelter for Tad and Donna is their car. The movie does a really good job of portraying a sweltering hot imprisonment during summer in an automobile from which there is absolutely no way out due to a rabid dog loitering in the vicinity which wants to tear the occupants' throats to shreds. Cujo manages to viciously kill the sheriff who comes visiting after he gets suspicious and Donna is forced out of the car due to the threat of Tad dying from heat stroke and dehydration. She is forced to participate in an epic battle to the death with the maniacal mutt. Cujo takes an immense amount of punishment before he croaks it, and then it all ends relatively happily when Donna's estranged hubby comes along. Sometimes it just takes a rabid dog to sort out a marriage. Cujo is a fantastic villain, especially as he is a St Bernard, a breed of dog is usually associated with mountain rescues and barrels of rum/brandy tied around their necks. Obviously Cujo had to be this size of breed to be an effective monster - you can kick a rabid Jack Russell terrier out of the way, but a rabid St Bernard would be a real force to be reckoned with. There's added terror because a rabid dog on the loose is a plausible scenario. Dog is man's best friend, but Cujo is your worst canine nightmare.