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I remember Devil Dog playing on TBS almost 20 years ago, and my older sister and her friends watching it and laughing all the next day. It's not that bad for a made-for-TV horror movie, but it is derivative (mostly of The Exorcist) and businesslike, for lack of a better word. It won't blow you away with artful cinematography or great acting, but it's not a waste of time, either. It's the kind of movie you watch to kill a couple of hours when you aren't in the mood to think too hard.

However, if you go into the movie looking for some laughs, you won't be disappointed. The early scenes, with Lucky the Devil Dog as a cute little puppy with Children of the Damned eyes are hilariously non-threatening, and the climactic blue-screen effects of a giant black dog (with horns!) are pretty side-splitting. And keep an eye out for the cloaked Satanist in Maverick shades toward the beginning.

Not a great horror film by any stretch of the imagination, but I wish they still made stuff like this for TV.

A Satanic cult procures a dog for the sole purpose of breeding it with a demon and then has a huge litter that is given away to unsuspecting people all over the country. Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell tells the story of one family caught up in this unspeakable horror. Okay, perhaps I am getting a bit too melodramatic given the material here. Yes, it is a made-for-television production. Yes, Richard Crenna is the leading "star." Journeyman director Curtis Harrington(Whoever Slew Auntie Roo, What's the Matter with Helen?, and several other genre credits)directs with his usual touch. The story obviously has holes and problems of credibility: a dog is really a demon centuries old that has a story all his own, Richard Crenna manages to keep his hand out of a lawnmower blade because he is the "chosen" one, and so many more. Despite all these problems, the average yet solid direction, the cheap feel that comes with a seventies TV production, ridiculous special effects, I found myself thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. Like another reviewer noted, movies from this decade in the horror genre are just different than any other decade. They have a certain quality hard to put your finger on. As for the cast Crenna always does a workmanlike job, Yvette Mimieux is eerily good, Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards(the Witch Mountain kids) are sickeningly sweet and evil and perfect in this concoction of unreality, and the film boasts a minor array of interesting cameos with Victor Jory, Barbara Steele, and R. G. Armstrong(soon to be Uncle Lewis Vendredi in the TV Friday the 13th: the Series).

1978 was the year of the evil dog in Hollywood. After all, the same year that brought us "Devil Dog" also brought us "Dracula's Dog"! However, in this latter case the dog isn't a vampire dog but was apparently the spawn of Satan's dog...and like thefan-2 points out, it's a bit like "Rosemary's Baby"!

When the film begins, some weirdos buy a showdog that is in season. Next, you see these same weirdos performing a demonic ceremony with their new pooch. Fortunately, the camera cuts away before the big impregnation scene! Next, one of the weirdos shows up in a nice residential neighborhood and gives two kids a puppy...and you can only assume it's from the litter with the showdog and the Devil Dog (or perhaps from an unholy coupling with Satan himself!).

At first, things seem okay. However, over time the nice family who adopts the doggy start to become a family of real jerks. First, the two kids become nasty brutes. Second, the wife becomes a cold- hearted nympho! The only one left who is normal is dad (Richard Crenna)...and he eventually realizes his family ain't normal! But is it too late for him to put a stop to all this...especially once people start dying...and, after his wife and kids become full- fledged members of Satan's army?!

Considering that this is NOT supposed to be great art and simply a silly horror film, it's a movie that you should cut some slack. Sure, it's silly...but it's not meant to be anything else. And, for an evil doggy film, it's actually pretty good...although the special effects near the end were pretty laughable!

This film is a hoot, or a bark. I don't know. Richard Crenna plays an average suburban dad who buys a cute puppy for his family. Turns out the puppy is possessed by Satan! The fun really begins when the pup grows to be the Devil Dog, a beautiful German Shepard. Fellow imdb reviewer gave this a low rating. How could you dislike a movie where the family dog makes the mom become the town slut, the kids become the school bully, and make the entire family (except dad) worship Satan in the attic. The shots of doggie staring at Richard Crenna, backed by sappy 70's electronic "scary" music help makes this film such a charmer. Jimmy Carter era thrills here!

I ran across this several years ago while channel surfing on a Sunday afternoon. Though it was obviously a cheesy TV movie from the 70s, the direction and score were well done enough that it grabbed my attention, and indeed I was hooked and had to watch it through to the end. I recently got the opportunity to buy a foreign DVD of this film (oops, didn't notice a domestic one had finally come out a couple months prior), and was very pleased to be able to watch it again (and in its entirety).

I don't wholly understand the phenomenon, but somehow the 70s seem to have a lock on horror movies that are actually scary. The decades prior to the 70s produced some beautifully shot films and the bulk of our enduring horror icons, but are they actually scary? No, not very. Likewise in the years since the 70s we've gotten horror movies that are cooler, more exciting, have much better production values and sophisticated special effects, are more fun, funnier, have effective "jump" moments, and some very creative uses of gore, but again... they aren't really scary! There's just something about the atmosphere of the 70s horror films. The grainy film quality. The spookily dark scenes unilluminated by vast high-tech lighting rigs. The "edge of dreamland" muted quality of the dialogue and the weird and stridently EQ'd scores. The odd sense of unease and ugliness permeating everything. Everything that works to undermine most movies of the 70s, in the case of horror, works in its favor.

Specifically, in this film, the quiet, intense shots of the devil dog staring people down is fairly unnerving. So much more effective than if they had gone the more obvious route of having the dog be growling, slavering, and overtly hostile ("Cujo"?). The filmmakers wisely save that for when the dog appears in its full-on supernatural form. The effects when that occurs, while unsophisticated by today's standards, literally gave me chills. The bizarre, vaguely-defined, "I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at" look intuitively strikes me as more like how a real supernatural vision would be, rather than the hyper-real, crystal clear optical printer / digital compositor confections of latter-day horror films.

While the human characters in this film are not as satisfyingly rendered as their nemesis or the world they inhabit, the actors all do a decent job. The pairing of the brother and sister from the "Witch Mountain" movies as, yes, brother and sister, is a rather cheesy bit of stunt casting, but they do fine. Yvette Mimieux always manages to be entertaining if unspectacular. Richard Crenna earns more and more empathy from the audience as the film progresses. His self-doubt as he wonders whether his family's alienness is truly due to a supernatural plot or whether he's merely succumbing to paranoid schizophrenia is pretty well handled, though his thought that getting a routine physical may provide an explanation for what he's been experiencing is absurd in its naïveté.

The movie's The-End-Question-Mark type ending is one of the only ones I've seen that doesn't feel like a cheap gimmick, and actually made me think about the choices these characters would be faced with next and what they'd be likely to do and how they'd feel about it.

Detractors of this film may say it's merely a feature-length vehicle for some neato glowing retina shots, but hey, you could say the same thing about "Blade Runner". :-)

This is an interesting little horror flick from the 1970s, where the Barry Family is terrorized by a dog that is not your usual Man's Best Friend - apparently, a minion of Satan himself.

Not much surprises in this movie, but we get some good old fashion good vs. Evil action and some thrilling moments. Characters are OK, but it's not a bad horror flick to keep you entertained for an hour and a half or so.

Grade B-

Much like "Snakes on a Plane," "Devil Dog" tells you *exactly* what you're in for and delivers exactly that for a stolid 90 minutes. I remember watching it at about 3:00 AM with some friends after a long night of indulgence, which rendered the film fascinating in a "OMG, what this hell IS this?!?" sort of way. I don't know if Crenna owed someone a favor or was simply hard up for cash at this point in his career, but he brings his usual gravitas and absolute lack of humor to a movie about...well, a dog possessed by Satan. And I have to respect that. The rest of the cast plays it straight and appropriately horrified as well, but the real star of the show is Devil Dog himself. If they gave out awards for "Best Performance by a Satanically-Possessed Pet," he'd be a lock. If so inclined, a trip to the neighborhood dispensary will definitely enhance your enjoyment of "Devil Dog." Trust me on this.

I actually think this was a pretty good movie... Better than I expected. Good plot, never got boring. All in all are pretty entertaining "scary " dog movie.

A young American family adopt a puppy Alsatian, which turns out to a demonic monster from Hell. Imagine swapping a dog for a child and we get some kind of canine Omen movie. This was made for TV and I have just watched it on an old VHS tape. Despite the silliness of the plot (and it is played deadpan straight) I found it to be quite watchable. The acting is pretty good, two good leads in Richard Crenna and Yvette Mimieux. I recognised Ken Kercheval from Dallas. I also enjoyed seeing the stunning Martine Beswick, who appeared in several James Bond and Hammer movies. She plays the leader of an unconvincing Satanic cult, sadly only a small part at the film's beginning. I would like to have seen a little more of them through the film. There are several deaths but all are pretty tame, and the demonic dogs special effects are not great but certainly memorable!

I remember watching this movie on TV back on Halloween night, 1978, after finishing Trick-or-Treating. A long time ago. "Devil Dog" has an excellent cast, and a fun, yet spooky tale of a normal middle-class family falling under demonic possession. The best part is when the father hears his children chanting bizarre hymns in the attic at 3am. He goes to investigate, and is shocked at what he finds.

Okay I wasn't expecting much but for a premise about a clean cut all American middle class family adopting a dog that is literally the son of Satan you can be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a story that is so tally mental it might have something going for it . Alongside the star billing of Richard Crenna there might have been some saving graces but this is a flat and disappointing TVM

The problem with DEVIL DOG is that it lacks any kind of bite . Graphic violence wouldn't be allowed to be broadcast but even so very little of anything much happens . The devil dog manages to hypnotise another dog in to doing that old party trick of pulling a table cloth off a table leaving the plates intact , hypnotizing a Mexican housemaid who like all Mexican housemaids is called Maria and hypnotizing the master of the house and that's nearly all the demonic spirit it unleashes on to the World . Honestly if they were getting menaced by Cliff Richard they'd probably be in more danger . In short even for a TVM this so called horror is fairly toothless

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.

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.

Not only does this film have one of the great movie titles, it sports the third of four pairings of 70s child actors Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards. I remember this film being broadcast Halloween week back in '78 going against Linda Blair in Stranger in our House. I missed it on the first run choosing to see the other film. Later, on repeat, I saw I made the right choice. The title is self explanatory. The movie is not really bad, but is lacking in any chills or surprises. Although, I did like the scene where Richard Crenna, in an attempt to protect his family, shoots the spectral hound of the title, to no effect.

I really was hoping for a better movie from this one -- not sure what I was expecting or wanting out of it but it wasn't what I got from it. The idea behind the film is good -- girl's birthday and gets a dog for a present and the family unaware that it's a demon dog but the way it was executed wasn't great.

3/10

Stories About Kids and Pets Always are Touchy and Demand a Certain Take on Demonic Possession.

After All it Goes Straight to the Heart, By-Passing the Brain and Requires, almost Demands a "Be Careful Where You Tread" Approach.

In "Devil Dog" a Made-For-TV Movie from the 70's, Cult Director Curtis Harrington,

Adopts a "This is TV" and the Censors are Looking Over Your Shoulder, especially in a "Horror" Movie, with an Ax, to Mutilate Anything They See Fit,

Watching for any Violation of "Standards and Practices" that Might Offend, what will Hinder or Hurt Sales.

The "TV Movie"...it's what Plays Between the Really Important Thing Called Messages.

Those Things that Many may Object as Horrific Displays of Lies, and Half-Truths, that Manipulate Audiences Anyway They Can.

Mind-Control for Sale!

Anyway, Upfront, All the Violence, and Sex are Off Screen, Behind Closed Doors.

The Killings, and the Wife Seducing the School-Counselor to Stop His Investigation of Her Son.

Everything, and that Means Everything is Off-Screen.

So, Harrington is Forced to Create Imaginative Shots and Sounds, Combined with Editing, to Make it Watchable, Scary, and Suspenseful Enough for the Audience. He Mostly Succeeds.

Brought Home by Outstanding, Demanding Performances from Richard Crenna and Yvette Mimieux. The Kids and the Dog(s) are OK too.

About Average, or Slightly Above for a Made-for-TV and Harrington Delivers and Directs the Material, in a Way that is Average for Him, but Nothing Special for His Resume.

The "Devil Dog" Looks Monstrous and Evil in 1 Scene, but Not so Much in Others.

Worth a Watch.

🏆 If you need proof that a talented director Can Do No Wrong (even when he goes into a project and admits that it's just for the money because it's a ridiculous script)... DEVIL DOG : HOUND OF HELL is that proof. Director CURTIS HARRINGTON who is an extremely talented director of many superbly created thrillers... Was here under contract to make a movie he admitted he had no desire to make... But even so.. He manages to make one of the most entertaining and provocative Made for TV thrillers you can imagine for CBS BROADCAST Television during the 8 pm "FAMILY HOUR" in the 1970's... His talent is evident in scene after scene.. The Dog star is mighty cute too, and you can't hate him no matter what evil he does 🐕 Oddly, Director Harrington comes up with a weird twist where the dog "influences" the kids to do Evil acts.. Coincidentally, 40 years later "SINISTER" used the same idea, only instead of the dog doing it... It was a demonic boogeyman.. One wonders if as a teen maybe Sinister's director Derrikson saw this movie and gave it a little different twist.. It seems possible. Give this little cult movie a try, it's a real surprise on many levels 😈 🐕

Yes it was a little low budget, but this movie shows love! The only bad things about it was that you can tell the budget on this film would not compare to "Waterworld" and though the plot was good, the film never really tapped into it's full potential! Strong performances from everyone and the suspense makes it worthwhile to watch on a rainy night.