Barghast : Les chiens de l'enfer

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!

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).

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.

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-

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!