Stephen King Said Thank You: How One Actress Changed the Movie "Cujo" Forever

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The writer was so pleased with the different ending that he personally wrote to the actress and told her "thank you".

What seemed like a simple story about a woman, her son, and a rabid dog turned out to be something much more—a tale of how one actress had the courage to rewrite the ending to save not just her character's life, but audiences' sanity too.

In an episode of the "Still Here Hollywood" podcast, actress Dee Wallace, who played the mother in "Cujo" (1983), revealed exactly how she fought to change the film's finale.

In Stephen King's original novel, the child dies. But Wallace was adamant: "The kid can't die."
A Saint Bernard dog stands in the grass with a bat with an open mouth nearby
Scenes from "Cujo"
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This is the '80s. We're going to put the audience through hell, and if the kid dies at the end—that's just too much, she explained. To her surprise, the producers and director Lewis Teague listened.

Later came a letter from himself: Thank you for not killing the kid. I never got more angry letters than I did after that book came out.

What the movie's about

"Cujo," released in 1983, follows a mother (Dee Wallace) and son (Danny Pintauro) trapped inside a car that's under siege by a rabid Saint Bernard.

While the playful, friendly Cujo initially posed no threat, a bat bite transforms him into a source of nightmare—for both the characters and viewers.

Without water, food, or contact with the outside world, the dog's owners find themselves in a living hell. This isn't horror in the traditional sense—it's more of a slow, suffocating descent into terror.

What critics say

The original film received mixed but mostly positive reviews.
Writer Stephen King wearing glasses next to actress Dee Wallace holding a boy in her arms
Stephen King and the main characters from the "Cujo" adaptation
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On Rotten Tomatoes, "Cujo" holds 60% "fresh" from critics and 46% from audiences—possibly because many expected more "standard" horror fare.

On IMDb, the rating's slightly higher at 6.1 out of 10. The film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film.

Personally, I've always loved this movie. Over the years, I've come to appreciate its intimate setting, atmosphere, and psychological depth even more. Especially that changed ending, since I'm not a fan of outright "cruelty" in cinema.

What happened next

Decades later, "Cujo" hasn't faded away. In 2024, Stephen King's new collection "You Like It Darker" included the novella "Rattlesnakes"—a direct sequel to the original novel.

And now, according to Ew.com, Netflix is preparing a new adaptation, and none other than Darren Aronofsky—the director behind "Requiem for a Dream"—is eyeing the project.

We'll see if he can breathe new life into "Cujo." Earlier, we at zoomboola.com covered why the new adaptation of "The Stand" could become the best Stephen King film yet.