Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Cujo 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 24, 2023

Lewis Teague's "Cujo" (1983) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include multiple audio commentaries; a large collection of recent cast and crew interviews; documentary on the making of the film; promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Cujo has previously appeared on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Olive Films, and Eureka Entertainment. You can see our reviews of the most recent U.S. release from Olives Films here, and the most recent UK release from Eureka Entertainment here.

Cujo 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Cujo is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-26 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #31-38 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a brand new 4K makeover of Cujo. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with HDR and Dolby Vision. I chose to view it in its entirety with HDR. Also, I spent quite a bit of time examining large sections of the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray copy, as well as comparing various sections from it with the corresponding sections from Eureka Entertainment's Region-B release, which we reviewed in 2019.

The new 4K makeover of Cujo is quite disappointing. Your initial reaction will likely be that it is rather impressive, but the more time you spend with it, the more you will begin to realize that in many areas it just does not look right. So, what does not look right? There are very obvious traces of filtering, which are very similar and in some areas identical to the ones that can be observed on Paramount's recent 4K makeover of Staying Alive. As a result, many areas of Cujo that should look vastly superior now reveal a disappointing digital appearance. For example, because of the adjustments that were made, native nuances are lost and whenever the camera begins to move there is quite a bit of smearing. You can see what the smearing looks like here. In darker areas, shadow nuances are collapsed as well, causing additional issues. However, even daylight footage can reveal similar loss of detail. You can see what type of nuances are lost if you compare this screencapture with this sreencapture from the old master. (The lost nuances are very easy to spot on the left side of the screencapture). Also, as expected, the HDR grade further darkens the darker areas, but in this case it does not bring up additional detail. It makes the bad areas look worse. Rather predictably, grain exposure is not healthy and convincing. Color balance is stable and convincing. Perhaps a few nuances could have been managed better, but I think that the overall balance is good. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless as well.

So, what is the final verdict on the new 4K makeover of Cujo? If all of the remastering work was done at Paramount, it appears that there is a party there that likes to digitally polish the raw 4K files of some projects, which makes it impossible to produce a proper organic presentation. The new 4K makeover of Cujo should consistently reveal a lot more detail and better depth than what the dated master offers. The fluidity of its visuals should be vastly superior, too. Instead, the 4K makeover produces smearing. As a result, it does not have an overall solid organic appearances.

Cujo 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I spent quite a bit of time with both tracks. While the 2.0 track is very healthy, purists will most likely be unhappy with it because it is downmixed. I spent more time with the 5.1 track this time around and my impression is that during the action footage it does plenty of good things. I think that I could probably use for a proper viewing of Cujo and be quite pleased with.

Cujo 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - Lee Gambin, a big fan of Cujo and author of Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of Cujo, highlights various small details that make the film memorable, and discusses the novel by Stephen King that inspired the film and the original script for it, Dee Wallace's performance, the film's atmosphere and soundtrack, etc. This commentary first appeared on Eureka Entertainment's Region-B release of Cujo.

• Commentary Two - in this archival audio commentary, director Lewis Teague confesses that Cujo is his favorite film "because it is the most accomplished film he has done" and because he had the opportunity to work with some of the best people that he could. Mr. Teague then discusses in great detail his preferred directing methods and how they were utilized during the shooting of Cujo, specific lensing choices that were made, the overlapping of some very interesting themes throughout the film as well as its visual style, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2007 and has appeared on other home video releases of Cujo, like Lionsgate's DVD release.

• Commentary Three - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Lewis Teague and is moderated by critic Jeff McKay. A lot of the information that is shared in this commentary again addresses the conception and production of Cujo, but is expanded in different areas. For example, Mr. Teague discusses Stephen King's ability to create realistic horror and characters that are right for very particular situations/stories. Also, there is interesting information about Peter Medak's involvement with Cujo, the footage he shot, and his eventual replacement. The commentary was recorded in 2013 in for Olive Films' Blu-ray release of Cujo.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - Lee Gambin, a big fan of Cujo and author of Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of Cujo, highlights various small details that make the film memorable, and discusses the novel by Stephen King that inspired the film and the original script for it, Dee Wallace's performance, the film's atmosphere and soundtrack, etc. This commentary first appeared on Eureka Entertainment's Region-B release of Cujo.

• Commentary Two - in this archival audio commentary, director Lewis Teague confesses that Cujo is his favorite film "because it is the most accomplished film he has done" and because he had the opportunity to work with some of the best people that he could. Mr. Teague then discusses in great detail his preferred directing methods and how they were utilized during the shooting of Cujo, specific lensing choices that were made, the overlapping of some very interesting themes throughout the film as well as its visual style, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2007 and has appeared on other home video releases of Cujo, like Lionsgate's DVD release.

• Commentary Three - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Lewis Teague and is moderated by critic Jeff McKay. A lot of the information that is shared in this commentary again addresses the conception and production of Cujo, but is expanded in different areas. For example, Mr. Teague discusses Stephen King's ability to create realistic horror and characters that are right for very particular situations/stories. Also, there is interesting information about Peter Medak's involvement with Cujo, the footage he shot, and his eventual replacement. The commentary was recorded in 2013 in for Olive Films' Blu-ray release of Cujo.

• Cujo Revisited - in this archival program, Lewis Teague, and actors Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, and Daniel Hugh Kelly recall their experiences working on Cujo and reveal how pleased they are that it has become a cult film. The program was directed by Shawn Caple and procured by Eric D. Wilkinson for Paramount in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Dog Days: The Making of Cujo - this archival documentary examines the genesis of Cujo as well as its cult status. Included in it are interviews with director Lewis Teague, Stephen King biographer Douglas E. Winter, producers Daniel H. Blatt and Robert Singer, and actress Dee Wallace, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (43 min).

• Interviews - presented here are several interviews that initially appeared on Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Cujo.
  
  1. Marcia Ross - in this video interview, casting director Marcia Ross discusses the early stages of the production process, the adjustments that were made after Peter Medak left and Lewis Teague took over (at this point the entire film was cast), Dee Wallace's involvement with the production, the film's final look, etc. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).
  
  2. Dee Wallace - in this video interview, actress Dee Wallace recalls her initial impressions of the part that she played in Cujo, her interactions with the film's three producers -- Daniel H. Blatt, Robert Singer, and Neil A. Machlis -- Peter Medak's take on the material and his departure, her work with director Lewis Teague, the shooting of some of the most dramatic sequences, etc. In English, not subtitled. (42 min).
  
  3. Charles Bernstein - in this video interview, composer Charles Bernstein discusses in great detail the scoring of Cujo, the specific feelings and emotions that he wanted the music to convey and the three major themes that he used to accomplish his goal, the origin(s) of Cujo's theme, the nature of the relationship between the music and the sound effects that enhance the film's tense atmosphere, etc. In English, not subtitled. (36 min).
  
  4. Gary Morgan - in this video interview, stuntman Gary Morgan recalls how he was contacted and asked to contribute to Cujo, the type of preparation work he did before shooting began, how he did some of the most challenging stunts, his interactions with Lewis Teague, etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).
  
  5. Jean Coulter - in this video interview, stuntwoman Jean Coulter explains how she was contacted and asked to contribute to Cujo, and recalls her work with dog trainer Karl Lewis Miller, the comments she received from Lewis Teague, hew work with Dee Wallace, etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).
  
  6. Kathie Lawrence - in this video interview, visual effects artist Kathie Lawrence recalls her preparation for Cujo, how the 'smaller' dog was placed in the costume that she worked on, the type of materials that were used to create the bodies of the dogs, the prosthetic pieces that were used, etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).
  
  7. Robert Clark - in this video interview, special effects designer Robert Clark discusses his preparation and work with dog trainer Karl Lewis Miller, the shooting of the big fight at the end between Dee Wallace and Cujo, the sculpting of the dog's face and head, etc. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).
  
  8. Teresa Miller - in this video interview, dog trainer Teresa Miller, daughter of Karl Lewis Miller, recalls how her father prepared for Cujo, the specific work he did to get specific reactions from the dogs (four were used), the work that the stuntman had to do, what it was like to live with St. Bernards, etc. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Trailers, TV and Radio Spots -
  
  1. Original trailer. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).
  2. TV Spots. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).
  3. Radio Spots. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Cujo 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cujo has been remastered in 4K, but its transition to 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray is not as convincing as it should have been. However, this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack has a fantastic selection of bonus features, so I think that it is rather easy to recommend to fans of the film. If you decide that you want it in your collection, it is probably best to pick it up during a sale.