Stephen King’s novella “Rattlesnakes” is the sequel to the film Cujo

*SPOILER ALERT

Whether you’re a diehard fan of the 1981 psychological horror novel or prefer the 1983 film adaptation, Stephen King has confirmed that his novella “Rattlesnakes”—publishing date still unknown—will be a sequel to Cujo. While this news has been widely published, it was originally revealed while the king of horror was being interviewed for a podcast. With an enormous number of novels, short stories, and screenplays under his belt, it’s clear that at the age of 74, King has no plans to slow down anytime soon. You will want to add some additions to your Stephen King collection after this read!

What is “Rattlesnakes” about?

In the interview, King said “I just wrote a long story called Rattlesnakes, and it involves, in one part, twins who are only four years old falling into a rattlesnake pit and the snakes get ‘em, basically. It’s a terrible scene. And you don’t want to say, with a thing like that, ‘Oh wow, I’m doing this, and nobody has done that before!” It’s all supposed to be organic to the story, it’s supposed to serve the story. So, I don’t think a lot about going to a transgressive place on purpose. It’s the nature of the story itself… Cujo is an ugly book in a lot of ways. And this novella that I’ve just written, Rattlesnakes, is actually a sequel to Cujo.”

Recap of Cujo’s plot

A family’s once sweet St. Bernard, Cujo, turns evil after contracting rabies from a bat bite. He then proceeds to terrorize his family, the Trentons, drawing the attention of his previous owners, the Cambers. With odd behaviors turning into full-grown aggression, Cujo morphs into a dangerous animal and begins to rampage the small town where the Trentons live.

While the connection between the two books hasn’t been established, we’re confident that King’s creativity will spark excitement in this 40-something-year-old story.

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