CUJO

I recently viewed this 1983 Stephen King horror movie and was as delightfully frightened now as I was way back when I first saw Cujo. Dee Wallace (Elliot's mom in E.T.) plays the mommy role very well, although she does engage in some hanky-panky at the beginning of the movie.

The St. Bernard chosen to play the leading role of Cujo, a family pet gone mad, did an outstanding job. He's huge, of course, which makes him even more of a threat to all he encounters after contracting rabies. The disease, however, makes him far more than just another rabid animal. It turns the docile pet into an evil entity in the film, with all the cunning of something possessed by demons.

There are plenty of "jump" scenes and the movie allows the viewer to imagine for him or herself just what a day-long ordeal in a hot car, trapped by such an evil dog, could really be like. It also translates the complete desperation of Ms. Wallace's character as her son grows ever weaker from the heat and dehydration.

Even though this movie is 24 years old, it still holds enough horror to satisfy anyone who loves to have their heart jump-started with fear.

Definitely not a movie for children, though, due to the utter terror produced by the dog and the language and sexual innuendo in the movie. It's a far cry from Beethoven!