Stephen King is one of the most adapted authors ever. Over the course of 50 years, his deep library has served as inspiration for over 100 TV shows and movies, dozens of which are favorites in their respective genres. And it turns out that famed author has a few favorites, including an iconic horror film that is among his most devastating, and it just found a new streaming home.
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If you want an emotionally devastating movie, then Lewis Teague’s Cujo, based on King’s 1981 novel of the same name, will check that box. The movie, which King has credited as being among his favorite adaptations of his works, relies on fear and desperation rather than just slasher-style violence as it tells the story of a mother and her young son trapped inside their broken-down car in the scorching heat, desperately fighting for survival against a friendly St. Bernard turned into a relentless, rabid monster. Cujo joined the Paramount+ streaming lineup on April 1st.
Stephen King Praised Lewis Teague’s Cujo Adaptation
King has frequently lauded Stand By Me as his favorite film adaptation of his work, but he has also credited Cujo as one of the best. Asked by Rolling Stone in 2014 what he considers the best adaptation of his books, King called Cujo “terrific” while also singing praise for other films, including Stand by Me, Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile, and Misery. He even once named Cujo as one of three movies he’d take with him to a desert island. One aspect King likes most about Teague’s Cujo film is its ending, which without giving anything away, is very different from the book’s ending, which, resulted in King receiving “more hate mail for anything else I’ve done.”
Unfortunately, critics and fans don’t necessarily agree with King’s stance on Cujo. While the movie is one of the most iconic King adaptations, it sits in the bottom 20 of King’s films on Rotten Tomatoes with a 60% critic score and 46% audience rating. While critics and audiences praised Dee Wallace’s desperate performance and the film’s suspenseful, slow-burn atmosphere, many felt the film focused too heavily on drama in the first half before the horror elements came into play and took issue with the slow, repetitive pacing and a lack of the book’s psychological depth. As for the ending, that largely split viewers, with some welcoming the change while others welcomed the change.
Other Horror Movies Now on Paramount+
Cujo was one of several horror films to join the Paramount+ catalog in April. The movie joined the lineup on April 1st alongside other horror titles like Paranormal Activity movies, Shutter Island, and The Woman in Black. Paramount+ will continue to grow its horror lineup in May with additions like Scary Movie 4 and Scary Movie V ahead of the theatrical release of Scary Movie 6 in June.
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