Cujo: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Vicious Stephen King Movie

The Studio Tried To Edit Down The First 2/3 Of The Movie, But Received Poor Test Screening Results

When people think about Cujo, what immediately springs to mind is the harrowing third act that features Donna and Tad (Danny Pintauro) trapped in their car, but what makes that climax so particularly effective is all of the build-up that leads to it. And that’s not just conjecture, but something that was tested and found to be true. When the film was in post-production, the studio feared that the pacing was too slow, and so an edit was commissioned that saw 15 minutes cut out of the first two acts. Put in front of test audiences, that cut’s reception was noticeably more negative. Simply put, people got more out of the movie when it provided them the opportunity to connect and relate to the characters.