Stephen King pens a surprise Cujo sequel

Stephen King has written a new collection of short stories, one of which is a sequel to hit horror novel – and movie – Cujo.

Cujo the book was published in 1981, and revolved around a Saint Bernard dog being bitten by a bat, contracting rabies, and attacking a mother and son who are trapped in their car.

The movie was turned into a film in 1983, with Lewis League directing, and scream queen Dee Wallace playing the mother desperately trying to protect her son from the rabid dog.

Now thanks a collection of new Stephen King tales of terror, we’re getting a very belated sequel to Cujo in May 2024.

Stephen King pens a surprise Cujo sequel

Stephen King is publishing a new group of short stories – collectively titled You Like it Darker – through Scribner on May 21, 2024. The collection includes the story ‘Rattlesnake,’ which is a sequel to Cujo.

Here’s how Entertainment Weekly describes the followup: “A grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance — with major strings attached.”

The article includes an excerpt where the title of the story seems to be explained, with events taking place “on Rattlesnake Road, which winds the four-mile length of Rattlesnake Key on the Florida Gulf Coast.” The period is also revealed, with the story referencing Dr. Fauci and a “new flu,” meaning it plays out sometime before the global shutdown.

We also learn that the protagonist is Vic Trenton, who is 72-years old, and 6’4″ tall. This brief section revolves around his cordial encounter with Mrs Bell – one of Vic’s new neighbors – and the empty, oversized stroller that she pushes around.

Full list of short stories in You Like it Darker

These are the titles of all the short stories featured in You Like it Darker:

• Two Talented Bastids
• The Fifth Step
• Willie the Weirdo
• Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream
• Finn
• On Slide Inn Road
• Red Screen
• The Turbulence Expert
• Laurie
• Rattlesnakes
• The Dreamers
• The Answer Man

EW also has information on some of these stories, stating: “The other tales include Two Talented Bastids,’ which explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills, and ‘Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,’ about a brief and unprecedented psychic flash that upends dozens of lives. In ‘The Dreamers,’ a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored, while ‘The Answer Man’ asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.”

There’s no word yet on if Rattlesnake – like Cujo – will be turned into a movie. But with King adaptations big-business these days, don’t be surprised to see if optioned sometime soon.

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