Monster Dog
Written & Directed by Claudio Fragasso
Vince Raven...Alice Cooper
Sandra...Victoria Vera
Frank...Carlos Santurio
Marilou...Maria Jose Sarsa
Gimmicky rock star Vince Raven (played by gimmicky rock star Alice Cooper) returns to his home after two decades of being away, bringing with him a van full of friends, lovers and associates. Upon arriving, Vince learns that there have been a number of deaths recently which have been attributed to packs of wild dogs, an occurence which eerily echoes events from his past.
As Raven and his Scooby Gang scout locations for his next music video and more people end up dead, it begins to seem like the pack of dogs may not be the only culprit...especially if you believe the lynch mob of angry townies organizing outside of the Raven Estate. Throw in a prophetic dream regarding lycanthropy and a crazy old man who swears that none of them will make it out alive, and you've just about got a party.
I've never been a huge Alice Cooper fan. I mean, I have nothing against him and there are a handful of songs by him that I enjoy, but I've never once contemplated purchasing one of his albums. I had previously seen him appear in Wayne's World, and while an entertaining cameo, his acting skills didn't exactly set the world on fire. And yet, when I heard about this film, I knew there was no chance of me passing it up. It just sounded so...strange.
1980s? Check.
Low budget? Check.
Puffy, aging rock star who was (let's be honest) puffy and aging even then? Check.
Two--count them two--music videos built right in? Check.
Brought to us by the man behind Troll 2? Check.
Directed by an Italian, filmed in Spanish, then dubbed into English? Check.
English-speaking Alice Cooper's voice dubbed back into English by somebody else? Check and double check!
Without nary an original plot point to be found, not much in the way of scares, and occasional lapses in logic, the only thing that Monster Dog has going for it is that it's sometimes fun...in a ludicrous, cheesy sort of way. Even then, the novelty of the whole thing kind of wore off about halfway through, and I was just left kind of bored.
Lovers of Hard Rock Horror may want to check this out, if it's not already sitting next to your forgotten copy of Trick or Treat (released, coincidentally, the same year). All others probably need not apply.
1986
84 Minutes
Color
Spanish (English Dubbed)
Spain
"I am a recognized expert in electronic videos!"
--J/Metro
