Dee Wallace Said Stephen King Said Fans Hated His Cujo…

Summary

Stephen King prefers the altered ending of the Cujo movie over the original book conclusion.
Wallace, the actress from Cujo, pushed to change the ending so that it does not involve the tragic death of a child.
King, an experienced author with numerous adaptations, enjoys hearing fans' opinions on his book endings.

If there is an author who is used to people talking about their endings, it's Stephen King, and he once shared the conclusion to one of his popular books that fans were most upset about. King has crafted some wild and tragic endings in his decades-long career, from Carrie's shocking death to the sad and uncertain tone of the final pages of The Mist. With many adaptations on the way, including the upcoming movie The Long Walk, audiences will have even more chances to compare the movie and book endings.

King's first novel, Carrie, was published in 1974, and since then, he has penned countless novels, novellas, and short stories. His chilling and creepy story "Gramma" was turned into an episode of The Twilight Zone, and he wrote the screenplays for a few of his adaptations, including 2014's A Good Marriage. But, while everyone enjoys hearing what horror movies King loves since he gives solid recommendations, it's also fun to hear about what his fans thought of the ending of one of his most celebrated books.

Stephen King and still from Peter Medak’s The Changeling - custom image by Rachael Fiddis

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By Rachael Fiddis

Stephen King Said His Cujo Book Ending Got "Hate Mail" (& Revealed He Was Glad The Movie Ending Was Changed)

In an early May 2025 interview on the podcast Still Here Hollywood hosted by Steve Kmetko, Cujo star Dee Wallace shared that Stephen King was glad that the movie had a different ending from the book. According to Entertainment Weekly, Wallace said:

"Stephen King wrote us after Cujo and said, 'Thank God you didn't kill the kid at the end. I've never gotten more hate mail for anything else I've done.'"

Wallace explained that she wanted one detail altered when Cujo was adapted for the big screen and said:

"The movie is very different from the book. The dog's possessed by a demon and the kid dies. And when they brought me aboard, I said, 'The kid can't die.'"

After starring in the horror movies The Hills Have Eyes and The Howling, Dee Wallace played Donna Trenton in Cujo, which was released in 1983. While he dies at the end of the novel, Tad Trenton (Danny Pintauro) survives in the last moments of the film adaptation. Cujo definitely has one of the cruelest conclusions of King's books as no one wants to imagine a child dying. No matter which director takes on the upcoming Netflix remake of Cujo, it will be interesting to see whether the ending follows the original novel or, like the first adaptation, goes in a different direction.

Wallace was impressive as a parent in a terrifying situation, and, according to Jo Blo, in an interview on the podcast The Kingcast, King said Wallace deserved an Oscar nomination. He also said he believes she needed to win the Best Actress Academy Award. The author also shared that he saw the Cujo movie in the theaters instead of seeing it at a special screening, which is another fun behind-the-scenes detail.

It's interesting to hear that King was happy that the ending of the Cujo movie was altered from the book as sometimes, it can be challenging for an author when their work is adapted. But, of course, King has had more than a few stories adapted for the big screen and a lot of experience with the process. As of the time of this writing, Rotten Tomatoes has a list of 65 films, and that number will only grow as fans look forward to seeing Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck in June 2025.

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