CUJO (1983)
Starring Dee Wallace and Daniel Hugh-Kelly
Stephen King's novel was incredibly scary, but like so many of his books', it proved difficult to translate to the screen. The idea of a rabid St. Bernard might sound silly, but King was able to translate the idea into pure terror in his worldwide best-seller.
Unfortunately, once you put the dog on screen, the idea falls apart. This is a weak, unscary movie, starring Wallace, who had just hit a stint of mega-stardom for playing the mom in 1982's "E.T."
A major studio picture released just as Stephen King Mania was sweeping America, "Cujo" is one of the weakest adaptations of his novels to hit the screen. Director Teague went on to direct the "Dukes of Hazard" for TV, in addition to a number of other mediocre King adaptations. In fact, he was kind of the official director for King movies in the early 1980s. His previous accomplishment as director was "Alligator."