Monster dog

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.

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.

Sure the audio and budget and most plots were bad but for some reason I enjoy this one and I own it on VHS! Of course too I'm a die hard Alice Cooper fan but it doesn't mean I like him in every movie he's in. I mean I hated Prince of Darkness with a passion and he had a cameo in it as the leader of those demon zombies. I liked the creepy music in this and the ending was very sad and would especially upset Cooper fans like me. I love his tracks "Identity Crisis" and "See Me In the Mirror" and had to wait for years to own it on his boxed set The Life & Crimes of Alice Cooper" in 1999 as the songs were never released till then. Take this film for what it is. A fan from Spain wanted Alice to be in this movie as Alice himself was going through denial about being in it as he admits he's not an actor but was paid alot of money for it so you can't say no to that! Some people involved with making this film moved on to big mainstream films believe it or not under different names.

I can still hear that damn song in my head!

Alice Cooper writes and performs two songs (and two music videos) for this ultra-ridiculous low rent horror film about a dog pack on the prowl. Alice also stars (yet is dubbed), and doesn't have to stretch himself in the role of Vince Raven. Vince is a rock star who returns to his hometown to film one of these videos, and gets caught up in the local folklore regarding werewolves, and the legacy of his father getting killed by a vengeful mob.

All you really need to know about "Monster Dog" is that it was written and directed by Claudio Fragasso, the same fellow who brought all of us "Troll 2".

Forewarned is forearmed.

"Monster Dog" is an incredibly awful attempt at horror, despite Fragassos' best efforts to create atmosphere, with liberal use of fog. But it works precisely because it's so bad. It generates some real honest to God laughs with its crummy acting and its crummy dialogue. The plot is utter nonsense. The effects (by Carlo De Marchis) are very, very bad. So bad viewers will be busting a gut when they see the "monster dog" of the title. The songs are catchy, and the women are all attractive.

People who love a "good" bad movie will be entertained. Alices' fans will have a head start.

Seven out of 10.

In continuing to review werewolf movies in chronological order, here's another obscure one from 1984 starring rocker Alice Cooper. He plays a rock star coming to his childhood home in order to shoot a music video with his crew with his girlfriend among them. He has a secret concerning his family and there are many dogs around the place that aren't very welcoming. I'll stop there and just say that I enjoyed this pretty much although the story didn't always make sense much of the time. And since this was an Italian production, all the voices were dubbed for the English-language version including Cooper's. His own voice is present during his two musical sequences which were perhaps the most entertaining parts of the film. No great shakes but Monster Dog, or Leviatan, is worth a look especially for Alice Cooper fans.