The trailer for Cujo opens with peaceful shots of the small town of Castle Rock, where life seems slow and comfortably predictable. Donna Trenton is introduced as a young mother juggling a troubled marriage and the demands of raising her son, Tad. Their home feels warm yet strained, marked by unspoken tension. Meanwhile, on a quiet rural property outside town, a massive Saint Bernard named Cujo chases a rabbit into a hidden cave, where he is suddenly bitten by a rabid bat. The cheerful music fades, replaced by a low, unsettling rumble.
As scenes flash rapidly, the trailer shows Donna trying to repair her fractured relationship while her husband struggles with suspicions of her infidelity. Everyday moments begin to feel heavier, hinting at a storm building beneath the surface. The imagery shifts to Cujo, who becomes increasingly erratic, his friendly nature overtaken by confusion and pain. The once-gentle dog now prowls the farm with glazed eyes, and the trailer’s atmosphere turns noticeably darker.
Quick cuts present Tad’s growing fears of monsters in his closet, a childlike anxiety that seems harmless at first. But as the sounds of snarling and frantic breathing bleed into the audio, the trailer subtly implies that Tad’s nightmares may be closer to reality than anyone realizes. The tension builds when Donna decides to drive Tad to the same rural farm where Cujo has descended fully into madness.
A sudden image shows Donna’s car breaking down just as they arrive at the yard. The engine sputters, the sun beats down mercilessly, and then Cujo appears, his face matted, his body trembling, his teeth bared in a single, terrifying lunge. The trailer erupts into chaos—Donna screaming, Tad crying, Cujo slamming his massive body against the car’s doors and windows.
The scenes become frantic and disjointed as the trailer shows the passage of time inside the sweltering vehicle. Donna’s desperation grows while Tad becomes weaker, dehydrated, and terrified. Outside, Cujo circles relentlessly, wounded yet unstoppable, driven by a madness no one can reason with. The trailer emphasizes the suffocating helplessness of being trapped, isolated, and hunted.
As orchestral music rises to a sharp crescendo, the trailer flashes between Donna’s determined face, Tad’s fading strength, and Cujo’s relentless assault. In the final moments, a single shot lingers on Donna gathering every ounce of courage as she prepares to face the monstrous dog in one last attempt to save her son.
The screen cuts to black, leaving only Cujo’s distant growl echoing before the title appears, hinting at a fight for survival that will push a mother to the limits of her fear and strength.
