Casey Chong presents a selection of creepy dog horror movies you need to see…
Dogs typically earned their distinction as “man’s best friend”, especially given their loyalty, devotion and good companionship. While cute dogs regularly dominate in movies, some have also been used to great effect as a basis for the horror genre, establishing these four-legged canines as terrifying beasts rather than beloved pets. With the dog-led supernatural horror Good Boy out now [read our review here], we’ve rounded up a selection of great dog horror movies featuring some rather bad boys…
Cujo (1983)
Saint Bernard’s are typically known to be loyal and affectionate, gentle giants, making them excellent family-friendly pets. But in the case of Cujo, adapted from Stephen King’s 1981 novel of the same name, this dog-horror classic flips the perspective by turning an otherwise playful Saint Bernard into a killer dog after a rabid bat bites him.
The movie doesn’t rush things to the horror with the first half primarily dedicated to exploring the human angles – Donna’s (Dee Wallace) affair with her ex-boyfriend, Steve (Christopher Stone) and how her marriage with Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) is experiencing a downfall; Vic’s struggle with his failing advertising business; and their son Tad’s (Danny Pintauro) ongoing fear of monsters in the closet.
Their respective anxieties, particularly from Donna and Tad’s perspectives, manifest into a full-blown visceral horror once the increasingly rabid Cujo begins to attack them. This is especially true during a tense second half, with Donna and Tad forced to lock themselves in a car while Cujo is outside trying to get them.
The Pack (1977)
It’s easy to forget that Robert Clouse has a horror movie in his otherwise action-heavy filmography, dominated by the likes of Enter the Dragon and the China O’Brien duology. That horror movie in question is The Pack, showcasing the director’s surprising flair for mounting a mix of visceral terror and survival drama that takes place on Seal Island. Led by Joe Don Baker in his engaging performance as Jerry, a patriarch who has recently moved in with his family to the said island, only to find themselves terrorized by a pack of feral dogs. These dogs are all wild, hungry and do not hesitate to maul their victims.
The movie addresses the psychological condition of the dogs as a result of being abandoned by their neglectful owners, causing them to turn against the humans. Clouse does a great job leading The Pack in a deliberate build up while gradually raising the stakes. The dog attack scenes are both gory and violent, and despite the predominant man vs. nature angle, Clouse’s adapted screenplay from David Fisher’s 1976 novel of the same name injects a sense of empathy, notably the heartwarming coda.
White Dog (1982)
Samuel Fuller’s take on a racially-charged horror drama is uniquely told from the perspective of a white German Shepherd, using the dog as a cruel metaphor of hatred and prejudice. The dog isn’t a born monster, but has been trained by his racist white owner to attack Black people on sight. The movie shows how an actress played by Kristy McNichol, who accidentally hits the dog while driving late at night before adopting him, learns about his disturbing nature. Instead of giving up on him, she insists there’s a chance for the dog to unlearn his dangerous personality traits.
The story cuts deep into a thorny question about whether racism can be “cured” or, in this case, deprogrammed from a dog with Keys (Paul Winfield, best known for his roles in Sounder and The Terminator) in charge of re-training the actress’s pet. Fuller, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Curtis Hanson, doesn’t sugarcoat the subject matter, with the movie’s grim psychological depth culminating in a bleak and provocative ending.
Man’s Best Friend (1993)
Imagine The Terminator, but executed in the form of a genetically engineered Tibetan Mastiff. His name is Max, whose DNA is spliced together from different animal species. He can be a good and trusted canine in the right hands, as seen from Lori Tanner (Ally Sheedy), a television personality who ends up adopting him. But in the wrong hands, Max can be a terrifying killing machine.
Writer-director John Lafia, who previously helmed Child’s Play 2 the year before, doesn’t stick to the straightforward sci-fi horror tropes, as he effectively combines some elements of dark comedy (the scene where Max chases the annoying ginger cat in the neigborhood quickly comes to mind). He doesn’t shy away from gore and violence, while Man’s Best Friend equally benefited from the casting of Lance Henriksen, who plays the unethical scientist responsible for splicing a dog breed.
Baxter (1989)
Writer-director Jérôme Boivin brings an unconventional point of view to his French-language dog-horror subgenre by telling a story of the titular Baxter, the white bull terrier, through Maxime Leroux’s subtle voiceover narration. We see how Baxter narrates his inner thoughts on how he sees the world in a rather disillusioned manner throughout his journey under the care of an old lady and later, a young couple. His so-called joy for being someone’s pet doesn’t end up with the one he’s expecting after all, particularly when his humans start to pay less attention to him. This triggers Baxter’s murderous impulse, but Boivin’s approach to the violence is more suggestive and psychological rather than in-your-face terror.
The movie notches up on its pessimistic tone in the second half, once Baxter is being taken care of by an introverted boy, who has a morbid fascination with Hitler. In what could have been a typical “boy and a dog” trope soon rears its ugly head as the movie progresses into a disturbing tonal shift, and Boivin shows no compromise in executing the downbeat finale.
Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978)
Believe it or not, Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell is actually a made-for-television film, but Curtis Harrington’s execution is noticeably darker in its tone and style. Save for the flimsy special effects of the canine-like Satan, the movie gets a boost from Richard Crenna’s above-average performance as Mike Barry, a father who must find a way to get rid of his daughter’s German Shepherd named Lucky after the latter first adopted him from a friendly fruit vendor.
The dog turns out to be a manifestation of a Satanic beast capable of possessing unsuspecting humans, which, in this case, are the Barrys. Harrington favors long, ominous dread over outright gore and violence, and for that, he does a better-than-expected job in Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell. Originally premiered on CBS, the movie has since gained a cult following.
Dracula’s Dog a.k.a Zoltan… Hound of Dracula (1977)
What if an otherwise typical Dracula movie is told from a different angle? The result will be something as bizarre as Dracula’s Dog, and just as the name suggests, the movie is about the undead dog created by none other than the special makeup effects maestro, Stan Winston, in one of his earlier works. A unique take on the vampire lore, the dog in question refers to a Doberman Pinscher named Zoltan, who belongs to Veidt Smit (a sinisterly gaunt Reggie Nalder), the innkeeper-turned-Dracula’s (Michael Pataki) servant, accidentally awakened from slumber following a Romanian excavation work.
Director Albert Band, who would later direct Robot Wars and the first two Prehysteria! movies, embraces Dracula’s Dog in a strict, so-bad-it’s-good B-movie vibe with Zoltan the undead dog stealing the show the most. It’s amazing how a low-budget horror like Dracula’s Dog doesn’t deter Stan Winston from transforming an actual Doberman Pinscher into a vampire dog using a nifty combination of prosthetic fangs, facial appliances and colored gels. Not to mention the ingenious use of camera tricks and deliberate lighting helps to make Zoltan such an eerie, dog-in-horror antagonist. The movie may have suffered from slack pacing in some parts, but Band’s genre know-how direction keeps the action and gore wickedly fun and campy.
What are your favourite dog horror movies? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
