Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Monster Dog Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 23, 2016

Scoring a point for truth in advertising, 1984’s “Monster Dog” actually submits the hellish fury of a monster dog, making it a minor success in terms of delivering on a titular promise. The rest of the picture’s quality is open for debate. A rare foray into acting for rock music legend Alice Cooper, “Monster Dog” provides the master of shock with an appropriate thespian challenge, tasked with portraying a shadowy recording artist with an interest in the macabre. Perhaps this is slow-pitch softball for Cooper, but the feature doesn’t make the transition easy, pitting the singer against the harshness of Italian genre filmmaking, with its loose dubbing, general dismissal of storytelling, and iffy special effects. At the very least, the movie supplies two Cooper tunes and gifts gorehounds with a few sticky encounters, meeting demands with a passably entertaining home invasion/werewolf/killer dog extravaganza that eventually does away with plot altogether, preferring to cling to a routine of violence and lackluster suspense to fill the run time.

A world-renown performer, Vince Raven (Alice Cooper) is ready to shoot his latest music video, traveling with a small crew and his girlfriend/director, Sandra (Victoria Vera), to his childhood home in the middle of nowhere. Expecting a warm reception, Vince is instead warned about the danger of killer dogs in the area, triggering troubling memories of his youth, with his mysterious father a critical key in the community’s history with werewolf attacks. Settling in to work, Vince is distracted by his legacy, while friend Angela (Pepita James) senses a greater evil in the house, plagued by nightmares involving the warnings of a bloody old man (Barta Barri). When a local posse shows up to collect Vince, eager to sever the bloodline, the rocker, armed with a shotgun, decides to defend himself and the crew, instigating a deadly and prolonged fight.

Director Claudio Fragasso knows what side his bread is buttered on, opening “Monster Dog” with a music video from Vince for the song “Identity Chrises” (the spelling is found in the end credits). It’s a catchy tune that dissects Vince’s interest and ability to play different parts, showing off multiple sides to his personality that emphasize heroism and villainy, foreshadowing trouble to come. It’s a peppy way to launch the feature, wisely showcasing the established skills of the star, who isn’t thrown into the dramatic deep end until later in the picture, easing into “Monster Dog” by playing himself, sans the ghoulish extremes Cooper built a brand name with.

Once the story commences, “Monster Dog” loses consciousness quickly, laboring to establish the music video crew and their general playfulness, save for Sandra, who’s understandably unnerved by the trip, hit with visions of doom that keep her on edge, preventing her from co-starring in the video. As for Vince, he’s a calm middle-aged man with a supportive partner in Sandra, and he isn’t the slightest bit distressed once the gang receives a warning from two disheveled cops that murderous canines have returned to the area, racking up an impressive body count. While most people would turn around and return to the comfort of Los Angeles after hearing such bizarre news, Vince decides to carry on, continuing to his childhood home, which is now managed by a missing caretaker and taken over by cobwebs and creaky doors. Horror movies demand a loose sense of realism, but “Monster Dog” doesn’t even pause when obvious danger is presented, trying to bend absurdity into intrigue, introducing the werewolf menace.

“Monster Dog” isn’t meticulously considered, skating by on the least amount of explanation before it gets to the good stuff, vaguely describing the werewolf menace as a special hereditary heart disease to watch for. However, creature developments aren’t the priority here, the music video shoot is, with the crew happily creating another spooky promotional clip for Vince, who’s painted and prepared to rock the house. What actually transpires is chaos, triggered by Sandra’s panicked fleeing of the property, but instead of evolving into a chase picture, “Monster Dog” takes a left turn into a home invasion thriller, with an antagonistic posse arriving at the house to collect Vince, instigating a strange third act that stages shoot-outs, threats, and unleashes killer dogs (some of these vicious pooches would rather stare lovingly at the crew than maul their victims), creating a whirlwind of grisly events that never makes sense, but Fragasso commits to the madness in full, unearthing entertainment value in the sheer absurdity of it all. As for the crucial werewolf transformation sequence, let’s just say “An American Werewolf in London” isn’t threatened by the lackluster special effects found here.

Monster Dog Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings "Monster Dog" to HD with surprising clarity, making detail enjoyable as decomposing faces and canine threat is examined in extreme close-up. Location particulars and set dressing also delivers a good amount of texture, supporting eerie visuals. Colors are comfortable, with bolder hues reserved for costuming and Cooper's music video asides, and greenery is largely protected, surveying the remote location. Delineation is successful, handling darker scenes without solidification. Grain is managed well. Source is in decent shape, without defined damage.

Monster Dog Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix obviously leads with a great deal of blunt shocks, finding canine interactions punching through with more pronounced force, juicing the horror. Dialogue exchanges are restrained a bit by fluctuating volume levels, with slight dips and surges during the listening experience throwing off consistency, making a few performances difficult to hear, even with thick dubbing. Music selections and scoring efforts are acceptable, with compelling instrumentation and a deep rock vibe, giving Cooper's contributions welcome presence. Sound effects are thickly rendered, but mood is achieved. Slight hiss is detected.

Monster Dog Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Lord of the Dogs" (42:58, SD) sits down with screenwriter Rossella Drudi and director Claudio Fragasso to discuss the finer points of "Monster Dog." Topics include shooting in Spain with an Italian crew and American star, the weird financing of the film, lackluster special effects, managing canine actors, and the general pleasantness of Alice Cooper, who proved to be the easier member of the cast and crew to get along with. Also of interest is a discussion of the feature's mangled final cut, with Fragasso and Drudi expressing disappointment and frustration with the finished product.

• Deleted Scenes (13:51, SD) expand on character interactions, offer alternate dialogue, and add bits of gore.

• Stills (1:59) take a look at publicity stills and marketing efforts for theatrical and home video releases of "Monster Dog."

• And Three Trailers (7:38, SD & HD) are included.

Monster Dog Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cooper isn't much of an actor (granted, his dubbing is pretty awful), but he's a terrific focal point for "Monster Dog," which benefits greatly from his presence and music, matched well with Vera, who tries her best to deliver an elevated level of panic to the feature. Perhaps the casting of Cooper is a gimmick to help sell the movie, but every little bit of peculiar energy helps "Monster Dog" reach a few of its limited goals. It's not the exhaustive horror experience it could've been, but the effort is strange enough to work in bits and pieces.