Long before the film there was the written word. Long before we settled down in
front of video or now DVD players for our fright-fests, we would read tales of 
terror by candlelight.
For most, this has been lost, however there are still those that prefer the pages
to celluloid or even both and why not?
This section then is for you. To help you to search through the rubbish and find
stories worth your time to read. If you're an avid reader of horror novels then
why not join 'Castle Dracula' as an official 'staff member' reviewing them.
To do so, just click on the 'Join My Staff' link in the menu to the left for details
of this and other vacancies.

- Cujo -
- Stephen King -

I always felt that the novelization (and movie) of "Cujo" were sorely underrated. 
To me, realistic events are more horrifying than things that couldn't happen. Large 
dogs gone mad with a horrible disease is just downright scary, especially when it's 
done so convincingly.
The basic plot is as follows: 
A large St. Bernard is innocently running in the field one day, seeing a rabbit 
to chase for fun, but instead meets a bad end when he encounters rabid bats. 
Although the phrase, "meets his end," is usually reserved for a death, in way it's 
true here. His body didn't die, but part of Cujo did.
We then flip on to the drama and family life of 'Donna,' her husband 'Vic,' and 
their young son, 'Thad.' The families having problems and, while the husband is away 
on a mission to save an advertising account, the wife and child venture over to the 
home of a poor and miserable mechanic to have their pinto worked on.
Meanwhile, 'Cujo' has been getting worse from his nose bite; he's never been 
vaccinated and the virus is already running freely in his bloodstream. The virus 
activates after it's hibernation period, turning the 200 + pound dog into a killing 
machine that can't be reasoned with.
'Donna' and her son arrive in time for the party - with their car breaking down 
right on 'Cujo's' doorstep. Sounds like my kind of luck.
I have always been fascinated by the disease Rabies. Ever since I was a kid, I've 
always wanted to learn more about it. The movie version of this story trigged it. 
I remember asking my mother more about it and from her brief sentence, the
excitement was planted. 
I have since read up on it and it never grows into a boring subject. 
The story is presented pretty realistically from what I've learned; there's a 
hibernation period and then a gradual change, until boom! 
King claims that he doesn't even remember writing "Cujo;" this was supposably during 
his drinking times.
At the beginning of the story there is a mention of some serial killer being fried 
and his spirit flying loose, blah, blah. Well.either I'm dense in the literary department 
or I just don't get it. King never mentions this spirit again after the opening. Either 
he forgot about him or was just talking about nothing in particular. One review I read 
said that the dog was possessed by the spirit. Well, folks, I don't take the interpretation 
myself. Perhaps if the dog had just turned bad for the hell of it, stalked and hunted 
like a human serial killer would, and not had all the rabies symptoms, I could buy it. 
Or perhaps if King didn't go into great detail saying that 'Cujo' got rabies, how he 
got it, and what it was doing to his nervous system every moment, then I understand. 
But with the obvious facts as they are now, I don't. I'm not sure if it was something 
in the story that had a subtle meaning, maybe a metaphor of some kind about spirits in 
the small town laying unnoticed until they affect something. Things out there that are 
nearly invisible, like a virus, that have the power to destroy lives? 
At any rate, if King claims he doesn't remember writing the story, I wish he would, 
because he did an admirable job.
The POV is told through the eyes of the dog itself, the woman 'Donna,' her husband 'Vic,'
and her son 'Thad.' All the characters seem convincing, and the little boy is adorable. 
A friend has mentioned he had trouble with how King did the dog, but I had no issues. 
I enjoyed seeing through its viewpoint. 
The beginning is not filled with killing and slobbering over dead bodies; instead it's 
dedicated to proper build up for both the story and the characters. By the time the 
woman and the boy go in to meet their greatest foe, we already know who they are and 
have established some sort of connection. We also have established a connection with 
the animal and realize things about him that he, himself does not - and neither does 
the town. There's a form of power in this type of plot method; the reader gets to know 
the whole story and watch the other characters, who have no clue, discover it themselves 
while we sit, watch, and wait.
Suspense scenes were heavy enough; I could imagine the fright victims felt. The atmosphere 
remained powerfully rich. The beginning intrigued, the climax heightened, and the ending 
was sad as hell. I literally bawled like a baby; it was emotionally wrenching and memorable.
Sometimes it's fun to escape into a world of fiction where monsters that couldn't exist 
are there, where madmen have unrealistic abilities, where things that never could happen
do. Where we see the end of the world, or a made up race. On the other hand, it's also 
more unsettling to see realistic events unfold...dogs turned into killing machines is high 
on one of those lists, families destroyed by a brutal disease that's really out there. 
King really shines through in these paper walls, delivering full-force. 
The characters are believable, the attack scenes powerful, the ending justifiably sad, 
the atmosphere well-done, and the dog attacks vicious. "Cujo" deserves a place in your 
library.

Reviewed By Erin Williams.

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