Dee Wallace
as
Donna Trenton in Cujo
I love dogs, I always have. I remember my first time watching this movie and how frightening it was. The idea that your sweet dog could be turned so quickly into a rabid and unrecognizable monster is terrifying and quite sad really. The thought of them turning on you and not seeing you as the human they love anymore...just wanting to destroy you is an awful thought in itself. Stephen King took that idea and turned into a terrific novel. There seem to be mixed views on the film itself, it did stray quite a bit in the end from the source material, but I personally love it. It's a very dark movie. Not just for Cujo's turn into a monster but for the characters and relationships between them. Donna's son Tad is a sensitive boy and is terrified of monsters that he believes are hiding in his closet. The relationship between Donna and her husband Vic is strained. Vic is having trouble with his job in advertising and is trying to save his marriage with Donna.
Cujo is the dog of mechanic Joe, where the Trenton's take their car for repairs. This is where the bite on Cujo's nose (we see in the beginning of the film that he has been bitten by a bat) is noticed by Donna. We soon start seeing changes in Cujo's demeanor and shortly after the Trentons leave the mechanics home, Cujo attacks and kills both Joe and his neighbor.
Vic leaves town on business and Donna, along with Tad, go to Joe's house for more car repairs and are then attacked by Cujo. This is when Dee Wallace really gets to shine. Her performance as a parent trying to save herself and her son is so good. They are trapped in their car with Cujo continuously attacking the windows and anytime they think they have an opening to escape Cujo attacks. With no air in the car dehydration and heat stroke start to set in on Tad. Donna's efforts at trying to keep her son alive and keep Cujo at bay are riveting. The final standoff between Cujo and Donna, first involving a baseball bat (which she breaks hitting Cujo) and finally a revolver are my favorite moments in the movie just because of Dee's ferocity. She sucks you in with her portrayal of this character. It's difficult to watch as a dog lover and even more difficult to think that this is really what you would have to do if you were in this situation. Having to do an unthinkable thing like this to stay alive. It's the once lovable family pet turned rabid vs. you. It's their life or yours. I would hate to think of being in a situation like this, it is truly scary, and you see that terror brought to life by Dee Wallace. Just like last week's Karen Barclay, she's fighting for her and her son's lives. In the end they do make it but it's an intense finale. The first time watching this I literally was at the edge of my seat and just thought Dee was totally amazing.
Dee Wallace is a horror legend. She has been in so many horror films including The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, Critters, Popcorn, Rob Zombie's Halloween, The House of the Devil, The Lords of Salem...and the list goes on. This is my favorite performance of hers. She makes you feel and care for her and want her and her son to pull through. Terrific performance from a terrific actress.Well, that's it everybody! The end of Women in Horror Month!! I want to thank anybody that has taken the time to read my entries. I've really had so much fun with this and I'm already coming up with my list for the next one!!! As always, thank you so much for reading. Drop some feedback if you want, I'd love to hear thoughts. Every view is appreciated. Thanks so much and I'll be back soon with more posts about actors, actresses, movies, and anything else I can think of to talk about from the world of horror! xoxo, Spooky Stephie
Yeah! Totally underrated horror performance! I love when the brat keeps saying "I want daddy," and she shakes the living shit out of him. At least that's the way I remember it...
ReplyDeleteThank you!! Dee Wallace kills it in everything she's in. This is one of the best Stephen King adaptations, imo. And yes! I remember that too!
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