For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Captivating movie !

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I'd watch this movie in 1985 and for a long time l've been searching for this movie....now l have my own copy with original dubbed version...this low budge is very unique,simply but very interesting...Richard Crenna is quite good performance and Yvette Mimieux after forty years still burning...very sexy indeed.....Trash from the seventies very underrated by IMDb's user but delightful to meResume: First watch: 1985 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7

Richard Crenna, Yvette Mimieux, and those Witch Mountain kids, Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, star in this passable 1970s TV horror movie. They play the Barrys, a suburban family. Into their lives comes an adorable German Shepherd puppy whom they name Lucky. But what they don't know is that Lucky was one of a litter of ten pups that was contrived by Satan worshippers looking to create some canine minions of Old Scratch. The balance of the story (written by Steven and Elinor Karpf) shows what happens as most of the family falls under the evil influence of Lucky, while only Crenna manages to not be susceptible.I would have been five or six when this one would have originally aired. Had I seen it then, I might have thought it pretty creepy. Watching it for the first time tonight, I expected an unintentionally funny cheese fest. While this movie does have its laugh inducing moments, it actually takes itself fairly seriously much of the time, although some modern viewers may find it merely boring when the action doesn't involve the dog. It's laughable at the right times, but viewers may feel that it isn't laughable often enough. It does have the feel of 1970s TV at many a turn, complete with that music score by Artie Kane. The special effects are most assuredly far from being "special".My sympathies went out to Crenna and some of his co-stars for having to mouth some pricelessly inane dialogue. But give them credit, especially our hero Crenna. They give it as much gravitas as they can. The cast also includes Lou Frizzell as the neighbor, Ken Kercheval as the guidance counselor, and R.G. Armstrong and cult icon Martine Beswick in special guest appearances. Veteran actor Victor Jory gives the proceedings a little shot in the arm, late in the story. He plays an Ecuadorian shaman. The dogs are all great, as well.One good thing: the "it ain't over yet" type ending isn't as annoying as it has been in other horror films over the years.Six out of 10.

The concept of this made-for-TV horror movie is ludicrous beyond words, but hey, it was the late 1970's and literally all stupid horror formats were pretty damn profitable, so why not exploit the idea of a satanically possessed dog? The plot of "Devil Dog" is easy to describe to fans of the horror genre: simply think of "The Omen" and replace the newborn baby boy with a nest of German Shepard pups! Seriously, I'm not kidding, that's what the movie is about! During the opening sequence, members of some kind of satanic cult buy a female dog in heat only to have it impregnated by Satan himself. You'd think that the Lord of Darkness has other things on His mind than to fornicate with a German Shepard and take over the world one evil puppy at the time, but apparently not. Exactly like little Damien in "The Omen", one of the puppies is taken in by model family and grows up to become a beautiful and charismatic animal. But Lucky – that's the dog's name – is pure evil and liquidates annoying neighbors and nosy school teachers in derivative and tamely executed ways. He also inflicts his malignant character on the family wife and children, but he cannot force the father (Richard Crenna) to stick his arm into a lawnmower because he's a "chosen one". The whole thing becomes too moronic for words when Crenna eventually travels to Ecuador to search for an ancient wall painting and gets advice from an old witchdoctor who speaks perfect English. I guess he learned that living in isolation atop of a mountain his entire life. Director Curtis Harrington ("What's the matter with Helen", "Ruby") and lead actor Richard Crenna ("Wait until Dark", "The Evil") desperately try to create a suspenseful and mysterious atmosphere, but all is in vain. Scenes like cute puppy eyes spontaneously setting fire to a Spanish maid or a dog dodging bullets without even moving evoke chuckles instead of frights, and not even spooky musical tunes can chance that. The "special" effects are pathetic, especially near the end when the Satan-dog mutates into an utterly cheesy shadow on the wall. "Devil Dog" is a truly dumb movie, but it's definitely hilarious to watch late at night with some friends and loads of liquor. There are entertaining brief cameos of Martine Beswick ("Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde") as the terrifying cult queen and R.G. Armstrong ("The Car", "The Pack") as the evil fruit, vegetable and puppy salesman. And, yes, that annoying daughter is the same kid who gets blown away complaining about her ice-cream in Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13".

A dog found in a local kennel is mated with Satan and has a litter of puppies, one of which is given to a family who has just lost their previous dog to a hit & run. The puppy wants no time in making like Donald Trump and firing the Mexican housekeeper, how festive. Only the father suspects that this canine is more then he appears, the rest of the family loves the demonic pooch. So it's up to dad to say the day.This late 70's made for TV horror flick has little going for it except a misplaced feeling of nostalgia. When I saw this as a kid I found it to be a tense nail-biter, but revisiting it as an adult I now realize that it's merely lame,boring, and not really well-acted in the least bit.My Grade: D