I went into this expecting something along the lines of a dog version of The Omen; but got only silly schlock in what can only be described as a really dull seventies horror TV movie; this fact made even worse considering how many great horror films were stemmed from TV in the seventies. The plot is extremely simple and focuses on a family who take in a German Shepherd after accidentally running it over. However, the dog turns out to be a minion of Satan and starts causing trouble for the family. The film is directed by Curtis Harrington who directed a string of trashy horror movies; including Queen of Blood and The Killing Kind, takes up the directorial reins here and isn't able to make anything out of the incredibly weak material. The plot is a mixture of complete stupidity and total boredom, and for the first half of the film barely anything happens. The special effects are also horrible; and don't get any slack for the fact that the film is a TV movie as I've seen TV movies with better effects than this before! The dog itself has its own little subplot but even that doesn't add any credibility to the film. I don't doubt something decent could have been made out of this material; but there was nothing decent on this occasion and Devil Dog is a terrible movie.
Review of Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell
Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell
(1978 TV Movie)
Dull seventies TV movie about a satanic dog
6 August 2008