Stephen King: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best
19. Cujo
Remembered as the killer dog movie, Cujo is actually a lot more complex than that summation gives it credit. In fact, the novel is one of Stephen King's most unrelentingly bleak novels, one of the handful written during his time under heavy drugs and alcohol abuse that's worth reading. It's just genuinely, no-holds-barred nasty. It's a brutal, uncompromising film, too, fully committing to that premise and never quite shying away from it. The titular pooch is the St Bernard who gets bitten by a rabid bat and goes nuts, with Donna Trenton and her young son Tad trapped in the family car whilst their beloved pet tries to get in and tear them apart. The husband is gone, having learnt of Donna's affair with an ex-boyfriend, and they have no way of calling for help. Killer dog movie is a cheesy premise, but it's executed as a really claustrophobic, tense thriller that ultimately has a much happier ending than the book. Probably for the best.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
