Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Sadly Over-hyped

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Richard Crenna, Yvette Mimieux, and those Witch Mountain kids, Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, star in this passable 1970s TV horror movie. They play the Barrys, a suburban family. Into their lives comes an adorable German Shepherd puppy whom they name Lucky. But what they don't know is that Lucky was one of a litter of ten pups that was contrived by Satan worshippers looking to create some canine minions of Old Scratch. The balance of the story (written by Steven and Elinor Karpf) shows what happens as most of the family falls under the evil influence of Lucky, while only Crenna manages to not be susceptible.I would have been five or six when this one would have originally aired. Had I seen it then, I might have thought it pretty creepy. Watching it for the first time tonight, I expected an unintentionally funny cheese fest. While this movie does have its laugh inducing moments, it actually takes itself fairly seriously much of the time, although some modern viewers may find it merely boring when the action doesn't involve the dog. It's laughable at the right times, but viewers may feel that it isn't laughable often enough. It does have the feel of 1970s TV at many a turn, complete with that music score by Artie Kane. The special effects are most assuredly far from being "special".My sympathies went out to Crenna and some of his co-stars for having to mouth some pricelessly inane dialogue. But give them credit, especially our hero Crenna. They give it as much gravitas as they can. The cast also includes Lou Frizzell as the neighbor, Ken Kercheval as the guidance counselor, and R.G. Armstrong and cult icon Martine Beswick in special guest appearances. Veteran actor Victor Jory gives the proceedings a little shot in the arm, late in the story. He plays an Ecuadorian shaman. The dogs are all great, as well.One good thing: the "it ain't over yet" type ending isn't as annoying as it has been in other horror films over the years.Six out of 10.

Director Harrington began as a film-maker with artistic – albeit derivative – aspirations (notably NIGHT TIDE {1961} and GAMES {1967}) but soon settled into being a solid purveyor of commercial properties, if not a downright hack. This one, too, seems to have drawn its inspiration from the many diabolical chillers of the era: the end result is all over the place, yet agreeable and certainly competent enough. It begins with the impregnation of a German Shepherd bitch by a demon(!), invoked following much chanting courtesy of a group led by Martine Beswick; the litter of puppies this unholy alliance produces is presumably spread across the country (or is it the globe?) by another of their number, i.e. R.G. Armstrong, but we only follow the fortunes of one such canine – owned by the family of hero Richard Crenna. Soon, the rest of the family falls under the mutt's evil spell (cue more incantations and the painting of a demon head, which they presumably adulate) but not after it indirectly causes their superstitious maid's fiery death and almost wills the protagonist to chop off his own hand in a propeller! Other victims are a friendly neighbor and his pet dog, and the children's schoolmaster (it is before the latter that the titular creature first appears in its true hellish guise – and a scene I recall coming across as a kid on Italian TV!) but, aiding Crenna in his quest to overcome the forces of darkness, is a shaman (played by Victor Jory) he expressly visits in Latin America. Unsurprisingly, given its pedigree (no pun intended), the special effects during the climactic confrontation – which, for no very good reason, are set inside a power plant – leave much to be desired…but, as I said, the film ultimately makes for a decent way to kill an hour and a half (and that is all one really asks for out of such unassuming genre fare).

Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell starts as happily married couple Mike (Richard Crenna) & Betty Barry (Yvette Mimieux) arrive home & find Skipper their Dog lying dead on the road outside their house, it's their ten year old daughter Bonnie's (Kim Richards) birthday & she is devastated by the news but as luck would have it an old man with a cute litter of puppies just happens to be driving by. Instantly taken by the cute puppies Bonnie & her brother Charlie (Ike Eisenmann) decide to have one & replace Skipper, mum & dad agree & the new puppy is named Lucky. However their is something wrong with Lucky, something evil & the housekeeper knew it but she dies in a mysterious accident, then the Barry's neighbour turns up dead as does one of Charlie's teachers. Mike sees his family change from a loving wife & caring children to cold Satan worshippers. Action is needed & Mike is convinced that Lucky is the spawn of Satan & that he must somehow defeat it...This American & Canadian co-production was directed by veteran Curtis Harrington & was made for television & it originally aired on Halloween the 31st October 1978 & subsequently was picked up for release on video around the world. Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell is as silly as it sounds, a Dog possessed by an evil demon who doesn't actually do that much expect wreck a family. The script takes itself far too seriously & ends up being very dry & quite dull, something as obviously as absurd as Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell should have been written with a sense of humour & an awareness of it's own stupidity which might have made it a bit more fun to watch but as it is Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell is a pretty boring & underwhelming viewing experience. From the very wooden character's to the restrained exploitation elements to the general lack of purposeful story Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell is a bit of a chore to sit through. No explanation is given as to why the Barry family are chosen by the Satan cultists anyway, there's no great reasoning behind the Devil Dog or what it is trying to do, sure it changes the personality of three people & kills three other's but for what purpose exactly? The script's central message is about how evil can corrupt & destroy family values, as seen in the breakdown of the Barry family & that there is nothing more important than the family but even this moral preaching comes across as laboured & ineffective. To try & make the Dog threatening there are a few unintentionally funny scenes like when it tries to hypnotise Mike into putting his own hand into lawnmower blades or when Mike catches his family holding a Satan worshipping ceremony at 3 in the morning but seems quite relaxed about it all the same! At over an hour & a half it drags too with a not worth the wait climax that amounts to nothing more than Mike putting his hand up to the Devil Dog to banish it back to hell.There were quite a few made for television horror films during the 70's like Gargoyles (1972), The Night Stalker (1972), Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), Killdozer (1974), Killer Bees (1974), Trilogy of Terror (1975) & the Stephen King adaptation Salem's Lot (1979) but surely Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell has to be the weakest one out there. As expected there's no violence or gore & when the Devil Gog does show up in it's true form it's a rather silly & sad looking monster. The effects work is pretty poor too with some terrible blue screen work. The US DVD release of Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell comes with an audio interview with it's director Harrinton who makes no attempt to hide his hatred & contempt for this saying he was just a director for hire & he considers it his worst film. There you go, who am I to argue?Probably shot on a low budget on a tight schedule Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell is typical bland made for television fare, competent I suppose but forgettable. This was the third time Kim Rchards & Ike Eisenmann had played brother & sister in a film. The acting is fine I suppose but the seriousness of the production makes the whole thing very dry & dull to watch.Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell is a bad film, a bad film featuring a demon possessed Dog that doesn't really do a lot & isn't scary or threatening at all. Not worth wasting your time on to be honest.

I might be losing my marbles but I thoroughly enjoyed "Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell".It's a silly story, not very suspenseful and it stays away from gore completely. Of course this is a TV movie so maybe I should have anticipated that. But you've gotta love the 70's. It was a time when talented people behind and in front of the camera accepted absurd projects and executed them with seriousness and passion.Aside from some very bad special effects everything in "Devil Dog" is handled splendidly. Veteran actor Richard Crenna gives a very good central performance as the father who loses his family members to demonic possession thanks to Lucky, the new dog, who's an offspring of Satan.Director Harrington does his job well, even conjuring up some eerie mood and atmosphere on occasion. Scriptwise this is decently written although I found the finale to be quite lacking.If you're a fan of 1970's American horror film-making and keep in mind you're watching a relatively low-budget TV movie chances are you might be in for a surprise.