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Is Cujo based on a true story?
'Cujo' Was Inspired by A Mean St. Bernard King was inspired by an actual St. Bernard he met in 1977. He met the nasty pooch at a motorcycle shop after bringing his bike to the mechanic. Real Cujo didn't tear King apart, but it did growl a lot at him. The dog's owner said that he was normally never like that.
What is the story behind Cujo?
Donna Trenton is a frustrated suburban housewife whose life is in turmoil after her husband learns about her having an affair. Brett Camber is a young boy whose only companion is a Saint-Bernard named "Cujo", who in turn is bitten by a rabid bat.
What is the message of Cujo?
As Teague states, “the theme of Cujo is that people should only be afraid of real fear” and though we like to get thrills from seeing humans battle supernatural forces, there's something truly unsettling in the thought that the family pet could suddenly turn so nasty.
What made Cujo go crazy?
Cujo was once a friendly and playful companion, but when he contracts rabies from a bat bite, he went insane and was turned into a vicious killer that attacked anybody who came near him.
Was Cujo a real dog?
What Happened to Cujo? Five different Saint Bernards were used during production alongside one mechanical head replica and — slightly less impressively — a man in a dog costume.
Is Cujo mentioned in Pet Sematary?
That's the story old-timer Jud Crandall tells Dr. Louis Creed when he first regales him with the story of the misspelled “pet sematary” that's in the woods behind his new home. It's a reference to Cujo, of course, although the killer dog isn't buried in that woodland graveyard.
Is Cujo a metaphor?
While readers may have interpreted Cujo as a sad story about man's best friend gone bad, it can actually be viewed as a metaphor for addiction.
Is Cujo a good metaphor for addiction?
Not because of Cujo, or not directly; but due to dehydration. As I say, it's all one giant metaphor for King's addiction. Metaphor is there in all fiction if you look for it, of course, but this book aches with symbolism. On the outside, Cujo is cuddly, pleasant, likable.
How did they make Cujo look rabid?
There were also mechanical Saint Bernards, and mechanical dog heads – created by special visual effects makeup artist Peter Knowlton – to handle the more dangerous stuff like the shots that had Cujo ramming his head into the car. And of course, stunt man Gary Morgan also doubled for Cujo in certain scenes.
What does Cujo mean in English?
whoseBritish English: whose /huːz/ PRONOUN. You use whose to explain who something belongs to. He shouted at the driver whose car was blocking the street. American English: whose /huz/
Do rabid dogs act like Cujo?
Rabies is a very nasty disease and can cause all sorts of erratic behavior, and like Cujo, animals can become aggressive. Most people think that since rabies prevention plans in the US are so good that they don't have to worry about rabies, but it is still out there.
Is Cujo and Beethoven the same dog?
“But 'Cujo' was not a story about a rabid Saint Bernard. It was a story about a rabid dog that happened to be a Saint Bernard.” When Miller was contacted about training another Saint Bernard for “Beethoven,” he jumped at the opportunity to paint a brighter portrait.
What is wrong with Tad Cujo?
After Cujo held Tad and his mother captive in a car, he died from heatstroke in the book, but survived in the film.
What does Cujo break through to get to him?
Brett Camber (Billy Jacoby) is a young boy and a son of a mechanic, Joe, (Ed Lauter) whose only companion is a St. Bernard named "Cujo." While chasing a rabbit into a cave, Cujo is bitten by a bat with rabies and his behavior begins to change.
What disease did Cujo?
rabiesCharacters. Cujo: a friendly Saint Bernard that becomes murderous after contracting rabies from a bat bite.
What happens to Cujo at the end of the movie?
However, they can't stay in the car forever either, as it's a hot summer day, and they have no water on hand. Donna is eventually able to temporarily overtake Cujo, and ends up shooting him with a shotgun. Tad is on the verge of death due to dehydration, but Donna is able to revive him.
Storyline
Donna Trenton is a frustrated suburban housewife whose life is in turmoil after her husband learns about her having an affair. Brett Camber is a young boy whose only companion is a Saint-Bernard named "Cujo", who in turn is bitten by a rabid bat.
Did you know
Five St. Bernards were used, one mechanical head, and a guy in a dog costume.
What is the book Cujo about?
Cujo ( / ˈkjuːdʒoʊ /) is a 1981 psychological horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983.
Who is Cujo based on?
Cujo's name was based on the alias of Willie Wolfe, one of the men responsible for orchestrating Patty Hearst 's kidnapping and indoctrination into the Symbionese Liberation Army. Stephen King discusses Cujo in On Writing, referring to it as a novel he "barely remembers writing at all." King wrote the book during the height of his struggle with alcohol addiction. King goes on to say he likes the book and wishes he could remember enjoying the good parts as he put them on the page.
Why was Cujo's head removed?
Donna is rushed to the hospital, and Cujo's head is removed for a biopsy to check for rabies prior to the cremation of his remains. The novel ends several months later with both the Trenton and Camber families trying to move on with their lives.
What books does Cujo appear in?
On the official Stephen King website, Cujo is listed as a character in numerous other novels, including Needful Things, The Body, The Dark Half, and Pet Sematary.
Where does Cujo break down in the Cambers?
The car breaks down in the Cambers' dooryard, and as Donna attempts to find Joe, Cujo appears and attacks her. She climbs back in the car as Cujo starts to attack. Donna and Tad are trapped in their vehicle, the interior of which becomes increasingly hot in the summer sun.
What is the cujo?
For other uses, see Cujo (disambiguation). Cujo ( / ˈkjuːdʒoʊ /) is a 1981 psychological horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983.
What happened to the dog in the book King and the Dog?
Although the mechanic stopped the dog from harming King by hitting the dog's hindquarters with a wrench , King was still startled by the encounter. This incident, as well as a story published in a Portland, Maine, newspaper about a young child who was killed by a Saint Bernard, provided inspiration for the novel.
Overview
Cujo is a 1981 psychological horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983.
Background
Cujo's name was based on the alias of Willie Wolfe, one of the men responsible for orchestrating Patty Hearst's kidnapping and indoctrination into the Symbionese Liberation Army. Stephen King discusses Cujo in On Writing, referring to it as a novel he "barely remembers writing at all." King wrote the book during the height of his struggle with alcohol addiction. King goes on to say he likes the book and wishes he could remember enjoying the good parts as he put them on the pa…
Plot
The story takes place in the setting for many King stories: the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Revolving around two local families, the narrative is interspersed with vignettes from the seemingly mundane lives of various other residents. There are no chapter headings, but breaks between passages indicate when the narration switches to a different perspective.
In the summer of 1980, the middle-class Trentons have recently moved to Castle Rock from Ne…
Characters
• Cujo: a friendly Saint Bernard that becomes murderous after contracting rabies from a bat bite.
• Donna Trenton: wife of Vic Trenton. She becomes trapped in the car after arriving at the auto shop where the rabid Cujo lurks.
• Vic Trenton: Donna's husband. He is on a work-related trip when his wife and son encounter Cujo at the Camber auto shop.
Critical reception
Upon its initial release in 1981, the novel earned and maintained a high position on bestseller lists in the United States. Some critics have criticized the novel for its ending. The 1983 film adaptation of the novel featured a more optimistic conclusion.
Cujo received the following accolades:
• Locus Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Novel (1982)
Allusions and connections to other King novels
• There are allusions to Cujo in King's other works, which often reference the Saint Bernard and refer generally to the incident of the summer of 1980 when the rabid dog killed three people in Castle Rock, Maine.
• On the official Stephen King website, Cujo is listed as a character in numerous other novels, including Needful Things, The Body, The Dark Half, and Pet Sematary.
External links
• Stephen King.com: Cujo