Cujo

  

A dog is a man's best friend right?  Just ask Cujo, the town's rabid and demonic Saint Bernard.  He is not your average one let's just say.  You may never look at Saint Bernards the same way again. However, Cujo wasn't always like this.  What changed this docile and amorous mush into a monster that wreaks havoc on the town of Castle Rock, Maine?  Was it the venomous vampire bats that infected him into madness?  Or was Cujo always predisposed to destruction but was just waiting for the right time to attack?

They all say a dog can be loving and loyal or dangerous, all depending on how you raise them.  They need love and nurturing just as children do and without it, they act out putting themselves or others in harm's way.  Cujo appears to be warm and friendly with Bret Camber.  However, he may have a close eye on owner Joe Camber who is abusive towards his wife Charity.  It may come off as a low class environment where love isn't much of an object. And trust me, a canine can sense when something is amiss.

Meet another Castle Rock family, the Trentons. The Trentons seem to have their own issues.  Donna is sleeping around on Vic, who seems more committed to his Advertising Agency rather than his wife and son Tad. Donna is miserable, Vic and Tad sense it. Tad suffers from nightmares. Now here comes the very "non judgmental"opinion on adulterers. A typical housewife needs love and attention that her husband is giving to his career rather than her.  Does it make it ok to cheat however?  Is Vic cheating on Donna in his own way?  Do a good majority of housewives feel their husbands pull away when they come back home from a long hard day of work, bringing home the bread, but too tired to make love?  So instead of communicating the problem, they impulsively seek affairs.  Are women that needy?  Or do men just somehow forget that it's not the money their wives are in need of, it's them.  Unless the wife is a gold digger, she will never yearn for intimacy with money the way she does with her husband. 

Where is Cujo intertwined with all of this?  It seems that Cujo was more than just traumatized from the rabid bat bites.  His newfound dangerous canine instincts seemed to have "knowledge" attached to them.  What I mean by that is there was something Cujo just knew about the people he attacked.  He seemed drawn to sinister qualities and guilt.  He fatally attacks the Camber's alcoholic and belligerent neighbor, then attacks Joe and kills him as well.  As mentioned above, Joe was dominant and abusive to his wife and son.  Did Cujo want to teach Joe a lesson he will never live to learn?

Then Donna's Ford Pinto breaks down as she drives to the Cambers to have it repaired. Now Cujo has her and Tad trapped.  Was this a mere coincidence or was it a rabid demonic canine "entrapment"?  Did Cujo want to punish Donna for being an adulterer and a selfish mother?  The sinister look Cujo gave Donna when looking into her eyes made it was very obvious that Cujo just knew.  You dirty slut, you can't get past your own selfish needs, you don't care who you hurt as long as you get what you want. A couple of hours of satisfying your carnal cravings leading to a lifetime of pain and suffering, but you don't care. But guess what? I don't care either because this is all a game to me.  I am succeeding in feeding off your guilt by tormenting your guilty conscience.  Ah yes, can you hear Cujo's thoughts right now?  While the showdown is still taking place, Tad dehydrates into unconsciousness.  See what you did now, you dirty cheap adulteress?  After Donna's guilty conscience has been tormented enough, she begins to fight Cujo back, eventually stabbing him.  But Cujo isn't quite dead yet. After Donna revives Tad back home, Cujo comes back to attack and this time Donna kills him for good.  Showdown is over.

A man's best friend is always his canine.  And a guilty conscience is always a canine's.