Dee Wallace Reveals That ‘Cujo’ Set ‘Was Close to Hell’ (Exclusive)
Dee Wallace will always hold a special place in our hearts as the mom in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. But she’s also one of the hardest-working actors in Hollywood, with 290 film and TV credits to her name — many of them horror classics, including Cujo, The Howling, Critters, and The Hills Have Eyes. And, as she revealed in an exclusive interview with Remind, sometimes shooting a beloved horror movie can be its own kind of horror.
The scream queen, 76, recently wrapped her newest feature film, Southern Scares. The film follows Ellen, a skeptical college student who discovers a mysterious box of VHS tapes containing episodes of a never-aired 1990s horror documentary hosted by her missing sister, Roberta. Wallace portrays Myra, a haunting, enigmatic figure who appears to exist outside of time — an ethereal gatekeeper to the supernatural heart of the Springer Opera House.
Being the spooky season, we sat down with Dee to get her thoughts how she’s developed such a long-lasting horror career, her favorite fright flicks, and the Halloween costume that still makes her smile.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
You have been in 290 film/TV projects — how do you sleep?
[laughing] Really well. I sleep really well. I go to bed blessed and happy that I get to do what I love to do, and I always wake up with lots of energy.
How do you squeeze in all those projects?
I have a really good agent [laughing]. I have a really good agent that works with the people that are calling and figures it out and makes it work for both sides. That’s why I’ve been with him for so long.
You must be a hotel expert by now, too.
Oh, beyond, honey. I’m really, really, really, really, really busy when I’m home. So, to be able to go to a quiet hotel room — that I look forward to that sometimes.
With your newest film, Southern Scares, what drew you to the project?
You know, I thought it was a very clever, well-written script. It’s a lot of different vignettes that make up the entire story. It’s very creative how they put it together. So, I’m excited to see the final outcome when we get it all filmed and put together because on paper, it was really well-written and interesting.
Is Halloween your favorite holiday?
No, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love Christmas. As soon as Christmas is over, I start putting stuff away for next Christmas.
What was your favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever had?
Probably when I was a little girl, my first dance tutu. Oh my gosh, it was pink. and it had a short, fluffy skirt around it. Yeah, I just thought I was queen for the day.
Out of all your horror films, which is your favorite?
Cujo.
How was it working with the dogs?
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.
And I heard the dogs were too sweet.
They were all trained. There were 13 of them that played Cujo, and they were all trained to go after toys. It was a big game for them, and they would be wagging their tail. While they were supposed to be attacking, right?
So, a lot of times they chose to tie their tails down with fish wire. So, you can’t see them wagging their tail all the time. That being said, the trainer would go – lunge for that toy – dig for that toy – attack for that toy! When you were in the moment of doing the scene, it was easy to be scared. Were we really ever scared of the dogs? Never.
You kind of changed the ending of the movie.
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. 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.
Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
I didn’t read the book. Did the dog kill Danny Pintauro’s character?
Well, the book is very different than the movie. The dog is possessed instead of getting bitten and getting rabies. He’s an evil demon and all. So, the book is very different. The core of the story about the mother and the son being trapped and trying to get out is similar.
How long did it take for the Howling makeup at the end of the movie?
Actually, that is not me.
What?!
The little Bambi werewolf at the end is an animatronic that they decided to add… when all the cards [comment audiences give during pre-screenings] came back, all the audience wanted to see my character turn into a werewolf. So, I was up doing Cujo when they called and asked me about it, and I said, “Yeah, it’s fine with me, just could you make her a little more vulnerable since she’d fought against it so hard?” So, they came up with that Bambi Werewolf.
Now, I must give credit to the creators because I always thought it was you.
Yeah, thank you. I’ll pass that on.
What was the most terrifying or hardest film for you to work on?
Cujo – hands down. I was in every scene. It looks like we’re dying of the heat. We were actually cold. It was in Northern California in December.
Do you keep a keepsake from every film?
No, I do not, and I wish I would have.
What is your favorite Halloween movie?
The Exorcist, that film was scarier to me than any other film I can think of. There’s also a film called Don’t Look Now, with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. You hardly see anything, but the way that the film is built creates it being very ominous and scary.
How do you feel about being called a Scream Queen?
I feel good about it. I am a great screamer. I gotta tell you, there are no fans in the world better than horror fans. They’re smart, they’re educated, and they’re very loyal.
Do you have different screams you use for different situations?
Oh God, no, I don’t get that technical. No, whatever comes out in the moment of the character, I trust that.
Dee Wallace is also a best-selling author and a multi-nationally respected authority on the art of self-creation for over 30 years. Wallace has also authored five books on the subject of self-creation: Conscious Creation, The Big E!, Bright Light, Getting Stuff, Wake Up Now!, BORN, and BuppaLaPaloo (children’s book). To find out more visit her website here.
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