Evil bites when a monstrous canine terrorizes a helpless family in this legendary cult classic based on the bestseller by supreme shiver-giver Stephen King (Misery, It, Needful Things). Starring Dee Wallace (The Howling, E.T., I’m Dangerous Tonight), Daniel Hugh Kelly (Nowhere to Hide), and Ed Lauter (The Longest Yard), Cujo unleashes the ultimate in unrelenting terror. In rural Castle Rock, Maine, Vic and Donna Trenton (Hugh Kelly and Wallace) struggle to repair their crumbling marriage, while their young son Tad (Danny Pintauro, TV’s Who’s the Boss?) befriends a hulking, lovable, 200-pound St. Bernard named Cujo. With Vic away on business, Donna and Tad take their decrepit car to be fixed at the remote farm of their mechanic (Lauter). As their aging Pinto sputters to a stop and dies, Cujo appears. But the once docile dog has undergone a hideous transformation—and becomes a slavering, demonic killer possessed by almost supernatural strength…and unholy cunning. So get ready for Cujo, an irresistible movie force from the King of Horror, directed by Lewis Teague (Alligator, Cat’s Eye) and shot by Jan de Bont (Die Hard). It will have you glued to your seat…and foaming at the mouth!

For thoughts on Cujo, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/8LVGW1SoP0U?si=B7XfHVlNPDqIUvaD&t=2181]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Cujo with a 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer for the first time on 4K UHD Blu-Ray sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. While the film is a substantial improvement over the dated Olive Blu-Ray from a decade ago, certain factors keep it from being a perfect release. First and foremost, this seems to be another remaster handled by Paramount that suffers from some degree of grain reduction off the top. Natural film grain remains, but it feels like it has been reduced to a level that is not quite natural. The other issue is the “set it and forget it” approach to the encoding that does not seem to optimize the film from scene to scene. The former issue is the biggest, but a tidy encode could have helped improve on some of the source deficiencies. The transfer is often very pleasing, but you can’t shake the feeling this is not the “ultimate” presentation of the film.

This may have Dolby Vision, but you should not expect candy-coated colors to flow out of the screen thanks to the aesthetic of the picture. Outside of a handful of elements in scenery, the film is light on anything that would be classified as “beautiful” colors. The hues are incredibly bold and complex which reveals their optimal state. Where the Dolby Vision shines is in the contrast. Black levels are robust and nuanced with little left to be desired in shadow detail and in resolving crushed blacks. There are a few moments that begin to crush, but it is not a significant problem. When the picture gets a bit brighter, the highlights are stable with no evidence of blooming.

Even with some management likely at play, the level of detail is improved. This transfer has also cleaned up nearly all instances of stray specks and dirt. Outside of the aforementioned moments when the encoding could be optimized more favorably, there does not appear to be much in the way of jarring digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such nuisances. The texture on display in the outfits and within the environment is notable. Gory details present with grotesque clarity. This presentation from Kino Classics serves as the best version of the film on the market, but it is not the home run it deserves to be.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in English that handles this material decently, although there are caveats to note. The 5.1 surround track is effective for those looking to engage all of their speakers. In a perfect world, the 2.0 stereo track would reflect the original theatrical audio, but unfortunately, Kino has provided a downmix of the original track. While this does not mean that the audio is an abomination, if multiple tracks are going to be offered, it would be nice to have the theatrical audio somewhere on the disc. Without this option, you might as well stick with the 5.1 track since artistic purity is already compromised.

Based on what we do have, the track provides a fine listening experience. The score from Charlie Bernstein is used perfectly to set a tone for this story, and the track handles every note admirably throughout the film. There is never a moment when it threatens to overshadow competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. The low end is not engaged unnaturally, but it provides texture when the scene calls for it. The environmental sounds of the snarling dog and other key elements are clearly defined and rendered well alongside everything else. There are not any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. While not perfect, Kino Classics has given this film a solid audio presentation that translates the soundscape effectively. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentaries: A trio of audio commentary tracks is provided in which the subjects discuss the production of the film, how this fits into the pantheon of Stephen King adaptations, the adherence to the source material, the visual aesthetic of the picture, the shooting locations, the themes of the film, the backgrounds of the performers, the legacy of the feature and more.

- Audio Commentary #1: Director Lewis Teague (2007)

- Audio Commentary #2: Director Lewis Teague (2013)

- Audio Commentary #3: Lee Gambin, Author of Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of CUJO

Cujo Revisited: A 22-minute roundtable discussion from 2014 with stars Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, Daniel Hugh Kelly; and Director Lewis Teague. In this piece, the trio reminisces about the production of the movie, bonding on set, getting injured, their experiences watching with an audience, and more.

Dog Days – The Making Of Cujo: A 43-minute archival documentary featuring interviews with the cast and creative team along with some film historians who dissect the genesis of the film, its legacy, the journey to the screen, and more.

Interview with Dee Wallace: A 42-minute interview with the lead actress who discusses how she came on board to this project, the difficulty of the production, the issues with the initial director, working with director Lewis Teague, her relationship with the young actor, and so much more.

Interview with Composer Charlie Bernstein: A 36-minute interview with the composer in which he discusses why this film was a gift, what he wanted to accomplish with the score, how the music interacts with the sound effects, and more.

Interview with Stuntman Gary Morgan: A 26-minute conversation with the stuntman in which he discusses how he landed the job, what his role on the film was, getting in the mindset of a dog, the most challenging stunts, working with the performers, and more.

Interview with Stuntwoman Jean Coulter: A 21-minute interview with the stuntwoman in which she discusses being a stuntwoman for Dee Wallace, working with the dog trainer, the direction of Lewis Teague, the difficult moments on set, and more.

Interview with Casting Director Marcia Ross: A 20-minute interview with the casting director in which she discusses the beginning of her career, getting involved with Cujo, working with the original director during the casting process, crossing paths with Sarah Jessica Parker during the casting process, securing the key roles, and more.

Interview with Visual Effects Artist Kathie Lawrence: A 14-minute conversation with the visual effects artist in which she discusses working with the dogs to sculpt a replica, what materials were used to construct the replicas, her time as a costume designer, working with her creative team, and more.

Interview with Special Effects Designer Robert Clark: A 13-minute piece with the special effects designer in which he reflects on the production, working with the canines, the construction of the replica dog, and more.

Interview with Dog Trainer Teresa Miller: A 28-minute conversation with the daughter of the dog trainer in which she reflects on her father’s work on Cujo, how her father approached the project, and much more.

Radio Spots: A minute-and-a-half collection of radio spots is provided here.

TV Spots: A nearly two-and-a-half-minute collection of TV Spots is provided here.

Trailers: The two-minute trailer for Cujo is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Misery and Needful Things.

Final Thoughts

Cujo is a story that has broken beyond any particular medium and integrated itself into the cultural consciousness. Nearly everyone can conjure up a terrifying image just by uttering the title, but the actual film itself proves to be slightly less exciting than that core idea. The attention paid to developing the characters before putting them in an extreme situation is admirable, but the balance struck never feels quite right. The latter half of the movie is thrilling, but it takes a bit too long to get there. We recently reviewed The Pack, and that effort delivers more consistent thrills even if it sacrifices a small bit of the thematic resonance. The film is a good effort, just not consistently great. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a mixed bag of an A/V presentation and a dazzling array of supplemental features. If you are a fan of the film, this is the best version on the market. Recommended

Cujo is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.