Actress Dee Wallace is opening up about filming the beloved 1983 horror film, Cujo, adapted from Stephen King‘s 1981 book.
During an October 2025 interview with ReMind Magazine, Wallace explained that the film’s ending is different from the novel. In the film, Wallace’s character, Donna Trenton, and her son, Tad Trenton (Danny Pintauro), survive their harrowing experience with their rabid St. Bernard, Cujo. However, in the book, Tad doesn’t survive the ordeal.
According to Wallace, she, the director of Cujo, Lewis Teague, and one of the film’s producers, decided it was for the best if Tad lived.
“Well, we all took a vote on it. The producer, the director, and I. We all voted not to kill the kid at the end, like Stephen [King] does in the book,” said Wallace while speaking to ReMind magazine.
Wallace then said that King expressed gratitude for the changes to Cujo‘s ending, as he had received criticism for killing off Tad.
“When the film came out, he actually called my producer and said, ‘Thank God you didn’t kill the kid.’ He had never gotten more hate mail about anything more than he did about killing the child at the end of Cujo,” said the E.T. star.
In addition, Wallace said she loves Cujo, despite having some difficulty working on the film.
“Well, shooting Cujo was close to hell. [Laughing] You know, it was so much emotion and so much energy. It was a hard shoot and it’s my favorite film. I just feel like I gave everything I could give. I’m really very proud of my work in that film,” said Wallace in the October 2025 interview.
Stephen King Has Been Open About How He Feels About Certain Movie Adaptations
King, who has been publishing his books since the 1970s, has had dozens of his works made into movies or television shows. He has also been candid regarding his feelings towards certain adaptations. For instance, in a May 2021 interview onThe Drew Barrymore Show, hosted by actress Drew Barrymore, King said he wasn’t overly fond of the 1980 film version of his book, The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick. He explained that he didn’t appreciate how Kubrick changed the tone of his novel, published in 1977.
“No, the book was warm and the movie was cold. It was a Kubrick film and don’t get me wrong, I love everything else the man did. I just didn’t like that one,” said King during the interview.
He also playfully said that he won’t take credit for panned movies based on his books.
“If it’s really good, you can say that’s based on my book. If it’s really bad, you can say, I didn’t have anything to do with it,” quipped King, causing Barrymore to laugh.
In a 2016 interview with Deadline, King also said he didn’t love how Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, was presented in Kubrick’s film.
“I feel the same because the character of Jack Torrance has no arc in that movie. Absolutely no arc at all,” said King to the publication. “When we first see Jack Nicholson, he’s in the office of Mr. Ullman, the manager of the hotel, and you know, then, he’s crazy as a s–t house rat. All he does is get crazier. In the book, he’s a guy who’s struggling with his sanity and finally loses it. To me, that’s a tragedy. In the movie, there’s no tragedy because there’s no real change.”
In addition, he named Graveyard Shift and the Children of the Corn sequels as films he could have done without. King clarified to the publication that he has never regretted selling any of his books to be made into a movie or television show. He noted that several of his works, like Carrie, The Dead Zone, Stand by Me, Shawshank Redemption, and Misery, have been made into successful movies. He also expressed his appreciation for the original Children of the Corn movie and Cujo.
“I’ve had a lot of things where I felt, been able to feel really pleased about the outcome. And if it doesn’t work so well, I can say, well, they went out and they gave their best shot but I didn’t have anything to do with it. I’m just a bystander in this car wreck,” said King while speaking to Deadline.
King also said he doesn’t necessarily mind changes being made to his works for film adaptations.
“I’m not a hard guy to get along with. In all the time we’ve been doing this, I’ve never put up a red light to anybody about anything that they wanted to do. Because if they want to make changes, if they want to be a little bit out on the edge, I’m all for it. I like it,” said King during the Deadline interview.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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