Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of Cujo

by Lee Gambin

“It’s Not A Monster…It’s Just A Doggy…” Based on the bestselling novel by prolific author Stephen King, Lewis Teague’s masterfully conceived, created and performed film adaptation of Cujo hit theatres in 1983 – a year that became a benchmark for King adaptations with both The Dead Zone and Christine also terrifying audiences around the same time. Cujo would impress critics and fans alike, and would be regarded as one of the most successful of King’s stories brought to the screen during the eighties. The film would also showcase a phenomenal performance from star Dee Wallace, who throws herself into the rich and complicated part of alienated adulteress Donna Trenton, making it a true tour de force role for a woman. Along with Wallace’s poignant and dedicated control of the protagonist, this horror classic would feature some of the most thrilling and exhilarating animal action ever put to screen. Lead by dog trainer Karl Lewis Miller, the multiple St. Bernards used to portray the titular rabid canine would terrify hardened horror devotees with brilliantly orchestrated attack sequences during the film’s climactic siege sequence that would see Dee Wallace trapped inside a dead Ford Pinto with child actor Danny Pintauro along for the harrowing ride. With it’s sophistication and deep subversive intelligence, Cujo is a biting critique on the breakdown of the American family, an electric take on the “woman in the storm” story trope, a personal and introspective ecologically themed horror film (a subgenre usually socially and politically motivated) and a perfectly realised example of the power of circumstance. It also thoroughly scrutinizes fear – both real and imagined – in a sharp and magnetic manner. Lee Gambin’s book analyses the entire film scene by scene - and along with the academic input there is exhaustive coverage of the production. This is the ultimate in “making of” books , where no stone has been left unturned. From the film’s problematic early days with originally assigned director Peter Medak being fired, to detailed insight into screenwriter Barbara Turner’s take on the source material, to Lewis Teague being brought in to take over as director along with cinematographer Jan de Bont and beyond, this definitive tome features over thirty candid interviews with cast and crew such as stars Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh Kelly and Danny Pintauro, director Lewis Teague, composer Charles Bernstein, as well as stunt man Gary Morgan who played Cujo in many scenes (care of a St Bernard costume). There are many more additional voices who were on set represented in the book such as Danny Pintauro’s parents as well as some highly deserving and loving insight about the late great animal trainer Karl Lewis Miller, from his daughter Teresa Ann Miller. With over 200 pictures (most of which have never been seen), this is the perfect tribute to a modern classic – a pure celebration of eighties horror, Stephen King, dogs in film, powerhouse performances from women and much more. The bottom line here is this…everything you have ever wanted to know about Cujo is in this book!

Genres: Animals

502 pages, Hardcover

Published June 30, 2017

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 stars knocked down to 3 due to some really lackluster editing and the same info repeated multiple times (often by different interviewees but sometimes by the same person!). Overall the whole thing would have been a lot tighter if it had been trimmed by about 20%, IMO. Still . . . worth a read for sure, if you're a fan of the film (which I consider to be one of the most underrated of the '80s).

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Stephen King’s novel Cujo made it to the big screen, it made a huge impact. Man’s best friend had betrayed us, and even more so because it was the lovable St. Bernard breed, renowned for helping people. I’m sure that after watching Cujo, people were taking a second look at dogs and wondering. The terror was all the more real because the rabid bite that turned Cujo into a beast wasn’t supernatural. I’m a huge fan of books that take you behind the scenes of horror movies. Lee Gambin brings us an incredibly in-depth look at the movie with Nope, Nothing Wrong Here. That title is a phrase that makes multiple appearances throughout the movie.

The author takes us through the film scene by scene, examining the action and the wider cultural references around it, interspersed with interviews. The comprehensive nature of the book covers the soundtrack, the cinematography, and no stone is left unturned.

Besides the author’s examination of the film and discussion of the making there are some great images. Some of the gems include pages from Stephen King’s original screenplay draft, deleted scene stills, lobby cards, sheet music, and lots of behind the scene photographs. There are interviews with much of the team behind the movie. Gambin talks to director Lewis Teague, composer Charles Bernstein, makeup artists, and camera assistants. There are also extensive interviews with the cast including Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, and Daniel Hugh Kelly. The interviews all throughout the book provide fascinating insight into the film, the characters, and what they were trying to do with the film. I especially enjoyed hearing about directions that the plot was going to go in but didn’t for the final production. The part I was most looking forward to was the discussion of the pivotal siege scene where Cujo stalks a mother and son trapped in their broken down car.

At over 500 pages, you may be worried that such in-depth examination of one single movie might be boring. It didn’t launch a franchise, and there is no wider world built around it. However, that is absolutely not the case. It’s a fascinating read. You really get to know all the actors and crew. If behind the scenes books interest you, or if you have any fondness for Cujo, then you will love this book.

[David Matte · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Written and Edited by Lee Gambin", as boasted on the front cover. This is PAINFULLY obvious as the book could have benefited from having at least a third of its rambling, pointless content scrapped. But the horrendously overblown ego of the author could not and would not allow this, as he's deluded himself that every single word he writes is genius. One for the recycling bin.

[Marcus Carr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your money on this drivel. Dull, overloaded pointless, rambling tangents from one of the most overrated cinema "writers" of all time. The author's inclusion on the cover "Written and Edited by Lee Gambin" speaks volumes.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is hard to know what to say about this book. I'll get the negatives out of the way first - there is no sugar coating it, this is in desperate need of a professional editor. The structure is that the author deconstructs the film scene by scene in each chapter and then intersperses those observations with interviews with the cast and crew. This is where things fall down - hard. The interviews are a mess, and that's putting it lightly. They are repetitive and do not relate to the scene being discussed in most cases - they are all over the place. For example, there are numerous interviews with and about the director originally attached to the film who was fired two weeks in and had no involvement in the finished product, and yet we go over and over and over his (very minimal) involvement. There is also a lot of hearsay and inappropriate comments from the cast and crew about each other. Not necessarily irrelevant, but too much of it, frequently out of context and obviously with no attempt at fact checking. And some of the observations made by the author are a bit of a 'stretch' in my opinion - some of it reads like the essay of a first year film student.

Having said that, once I got used to the structure and wading through the bizarre and disorganised interviews, the making of this film, particularly the role played by various dogs and people in dog suits is absolutely amazing. I love how films were made in the eighties, before computers - how they used puppets, masks and costumes. It was all so much more magical than it is today, so much more raw talent involved. The author, while a touch over the top in his observations, is obviously passionate about this movie and on the whole I really enjoyed what he had to say about the film and the story, so much so that I went and re-read Cujo after I finished this and got a lot more from the book for having done so.

So if you want to read this, bear in mind it needs a good, hard, professional edit but if you love eighties horror films and the work of Stephen King, there is much to like here, it just takes a bit of effort to get through.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

As many other reviewers have noted, this is desperately in need of a good editor. Spelling and grammatical mistakes, endless repetition, and quotes from the filmmakers scattered across the chapters seemingly at random. Those snippets from the people involved are where the good stuff lies, but their structuring is so random that you find yourself wondering what this anecdote has to do with the particular scene being discussed.

(These quotes also contain a good deal of bitterness from some staff about the change in directors early in production which it might have been more prudent to omit, but then there is also a lot of praise for the actors and craftsmen to balance things out.)

Potentially a fascinating story about the making of a classic horror film, the poor editing made this a real slog to get through, although horror buffs may be able to overlook that for the behind-the-scenes content. Sadly, that content is smothered by pages and pages in which the author simply describes each individual scene of the film - it would be quicker to just watch it again! - supported by some light analysis which doesn't justify the word count. I'd love to see this shortened and tightened up; if not for the rambling, it could have been a lot of fun.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that does an incredible job of taking a film regarded by the majority as just another 80s throwaway horror outing and proving that it’s immensely textured, full of lessons and insights (thereby making it a worthy adaptation to one of King’s novels).

The movie is lucky to have a fan as dedicated as Gambin: You’ll learn so many things about CUJO, and that’s really selling it short.

So, 2 concerns here: (1) This book is in dire need of some (more) editing. Heaps of basic grammatical errors, and myriad redundancies regarding the interviews (removing restated facts/situations would remove anywhere from 10-25% of this book) prove frustrating; (2) There’s a spot here where two crew members, who dated during and after production, have back-to-back statements wherein they describe their current feelings on one another that...don’t line up. Presuming that the one person might find out about this for the first time via this book, why include it? Even if they knew, still—what’s the point? Cut that out.

Gripes aside, it’s much more help than hurt and, with a little polishing, surely the definitive book on this film.

[Rick Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about everything you need to know about this film. Filled with behind the scenes shots and an in-depth making of this underrated piece of horror history. A must for King fans and horror film lovers everywhere!

[Ed Dougherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great making of book which I found totally refreshing. Just frustrating I can't find CUJO to stream anywhere here...

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super detailed. Appreciate all the work he clearly put into this book and I learned a ton about the film.