Monster dog - Il signore dei cani

My review was written in July 1986 after watching the movie on Trans World Entertainment video cassette.

A lesser entry in the screen annals of lycanthropy, "Monster Dog" is an old-fashioned horror pic notable only for the presence of rock star Alice Cooper in the lead role. It was shot in Spain in 1984 and planned for theatrical release by since-defunct distributor Film Ventures International but has debuted on video cassette instead.

Story premise resembles a more recent horror opus "Blood Tracks" in having rock star Vincent (Alice Cooper) visiting his ancestral home to shoot a music video there, directed by his girlfriend Sandra (Victoria Vera). It turns out that 20 years earlier, Vincent's dad was murdered by a mob of torch-carrying townsfolk, accusing him of being a werewolf responsible for a string of murders.

Another set of murders is occurring, blamed on a pack of wild dogs until Vincent shows up and makes for a convenient scapegoat. Ultimately, Vincent is cleared when a real monster dog attacks him, but since such afflictions are communicable he becomes the new king of the wild dogs and it's up to Sandra to put him out of his misery and save the day. She's probably not the first music video director to be put in such a situation.

Instead of a campy offering, "Dog" is a brooding, relatively serious affair. Biggest surprise is Cooper, who looks uncannily like character actor Timothy Carey (circa "Poor White Trash") and plays the role straight. He also contributes two interesting songs filmed as music videos. Spanish supporting cast is adequate with okay dubbing.

The inevitable monster transformation effect (into dog rather than wolf) is done poorly.

Monster Dog (1984)

** (out of 4)

Alice Cooper plays the leader of a rock group who takes his band back to his hometown to shoot a new music video. Once there the group learns that the town is under attack by some mysterious murdering dogs but could it really be a werewolf? This Spanish production is also known as Leviatan and believe it or not the thing isn't too bad if you're a fan of Cooper's. The bad thing is that Cooper didn't get to dub his own voice so you have to hear someone else talking in his place but we do get a new Cooper song, which remained unavailable until a few years ago. The movie is from director Fragasso who is best known for co-directing several Italian films with the legendary Bruno Mattei including Hell of the Living Dead, Zombi 3 and Troll 2. All of those films have a notorious reputation so it's really shocking that this movie didn't turn out worst. The actual attacks are pretty lame and the blood level is rather low but the mystery is somewhat well handled and God knows this is certainly far from the worst werewolf film. I'm not sure why this title was selected for the American release unless the buyers only watched the opening twenty-minutes and actually thought the dogs were the big story as the werewolf part doesn't kick in until later in the film. Cooper turns in a decent performance but he's always been rather entertaining when appearing in films or doing his act on stage. The supporting players are all rather weak but no worse than what we normally see in a movie like this. Again, this is no lost masterpiece but fans of Cooper's should get a few kicks out of it.

Gonna start with saying this: Yes, it IS sad that Alice Cooper's voice is dubbed over, BUT they chose a good voice and it actually fits pretty good.

I watched this movie yesterday and I was surprised, didn't expect it to be that good. Alice Cooper played the role good as hell, and the feel of the movie reminded me of movies I watched growing up. It's pretty easy to tell that it's an Italian director, but that's not bad, cause they can usually make a movie visual in a way that Americans can't.

The werewolf-look might not be the best around, but they did what they could with what they had. By showing it as little as possible, but still showing it, they made it seem like it looked cooler than it probably did.

I'm a huge werewolf fan, a 80's horror fan, Alice Cooper fan, gore fan, and a fan of a lot of other stuff in this film, and I wasn't let down. (Don't let the "gore fan" part trick you though, it's not a gory movie, but it has a couple of blood scenes) 7.5/10 (Giving it 8 on the vote above)

Monster Dog is a great horror treat for anyone who is a true horror fan. Alice Cooper gives a great performance as Vince Raven. Victoria Vera stood tall, as well, playing the girlfriend of Vince. Monster Dog had a great story to it. It also has 2 previously unreleased songs by Alice entitled, "Identity Crisises" and "See Me In The Mirror." This movie was only supposed to be seen in the Philippines, as was told to Alice, but it found its way into every video store from coast to coast. I'm sure glad it made it to the USA. It is a real treat for fans of Alice everywhere. I spent 15 long years trying to find this movie. Only a best friend of mine and myself remembered it. I finally came across it at a newly opened local video store. I got lucky enough to be able to buy it off of them. This goes to show you that if you never give up hoping to find something you know exist, you'll one day find it.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Monster Dog; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 0.75 Pace: 0.50 Acting: 0.75 Enjoyment: 0.75

TOTAL: 4 out of 10.00

Being a lover of Rock, how excited was I to see Alice Cooper in the lead role of Monster Dog(?) More exuberant than I had cause to be. If you're a fan of Alice's, then don't, just don't watch this movie - you won't like it.

The best thing about this production is the story. Should an aspiring moviemaker read this review, here's a project for you because the narrative should make an enjoyable horror flick. A famous rock star, Vince Raven, learns he's inherited the family mansion and decides to visit. After all, it would make the perfect backdrop for a music video. On their journey, the group get pulled over by local police and warned of a vicious band of dogs in the area. We also begin to learn the secrets of Raven's family. Is there a link between the feral dog pack and Raven? Why do the locals hate him and his family? Moreover, what mysteries await the band and film crew at the desolate mansion? With that synopsis, there are plenty of opportunities to build tension, fear, distrust, and many more emotions. Claudio Fragasso and Rosella Drudi deliver an appealing tale containing a few agreeable elements. I particularly like the dog hunters who turn up at the mansion after hearing Raven has returned. Things get awfully messy when they get out of control. One of the drawbacks of the narrative is the poorly constructed personalities. Everyone is flimsy and insubstantial. It would've been more rewarding for the viewers to have a couple of the principal characters be meatier, especially Raven. The story would have been infinitely better.

Sadly, Fragasso isn't as skilled behind the camera as he is at writing. For one thing, I'm amazed the rock video he shoots at the start of this picture didn't kill Alice's career. To state that it's hideously horrendous would be an understatement. He tries; I'll give Fragasso that. But he failed so badly that I could feel the flesh on my arms creeping as my soul cringed. I think I shook my head in dismay more times in this movie than in any other. And whoever chose that song - well, shame on you. There are a few decent scenes throughout the film, but too few to lift it out of the doldrums. Even though he attempts to create an eerie atmosphere with lighting techniques, you feel more dissatisfied than full of dread. And most scenes overrun, which destroys the flow to the point of tedium. The poor special effects do the movie no favours either. The Monster Dog is abominable. I'd have prefered a man in Wookie costume. And who did the wardrobe? A rock star who loves cheap cardies and jumpers - yeah, right!

But even worse are the performers. Alice Cooper as Raven could've been better. He's not great, but he's better than most of the supposedly skilled actors and actresses. But it must have hurt when the buggers dubbed him with a bloke who sounds like him. I know this is an Italian movie, but surely he could have voiced his own lines, as you can see he's speaking English in the film. I bet he wished they'd dubbed the music video, for which they left in his vocals. The rest of the cast has difficulty in bringing their characters to life. No one is relatable, and you won't care what befalls them. The only person who shines through is the caretaker, and he disappears near the start.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. If you're an Alice Cooper fan, I'd suggest you watch the music videos, listen to his albums, and go to the concerts - but stay away from this barkingly bad movie.

So, the school's out for summer! Well, that gives you more than ample time to check out my IMDb lists - Absolute Horror and Monstrous to see where I ranked Monster Dog - and to find a better bone to chew on.

Take Care & Stay Well.