Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Devil Dog, Hound of Hell- ReviewRichard Crenna really pulls this television movie together with his portrayal of a Husband/Father trying to save his family from the Devil Dog. The whole time I was watching this movie, I kept wondering why Richard Crenna looked so familiar. It turns out Richard Crenna played Colonel Trautman in the first three Rambo movies.As a quick synopsis this movie has what appears at first to be a simple plot: A family gets a new dog; the dog is evil; the dog mind controls the kids and wife and makes them worship the devil; and, then the father vanquishes the evil dog and saves his family.But is this really a movie about a Devil Dog? Or, does it contain a hidden M. Night Shyamalan-like twist, making this movie really about Richard Crenna's character's mid-life crisis, in which a man loses touch with and control over his family? This might seem like a bit of a stretch but bear with me and my analysis. The movie opens with Richard Crenna, who is a man working later and later hours at work and who drives home to discover that the beloved family dog has been run over. Later his kids unilaterally choose to bring a new dog into the household. His long serving house maid begs him to get rid of the new dog. The man ignores his house maid and she later dies. His friend/neighbor of 15 years begs him to get rid of the new dog. The man ignores his neighbor and the neighbor later dies. The man even contemplates hurting himself with a lawnmower while the dog watches.Later in the movie, Richard Crenna is working late again and his wife calls him and tells him that the kids are acting strange and begs him to come home. Richard Crenna ignores his wife (as he likely has ignored similar requests in the past). As a result he finds out that his kids have been changing under his nose, they have been having behavioral problems at school. His wife is changing under his nose, she becomes sexually promiscuous and tries seducing his friends. Later his wife and kids start living a "new life" without him. They spend all hours of the night engaging in weird paintings and activities. Richard Crenna blames the dog for his estrangement from his family and tries to get rid of the dog. His family screams that they hate the father/husband. Ultimately the family won't let him get rid of the dog.Richard Crenna fears that something is wrong with him so he seeks medical advice. Physically he is healthy, but he is diagnosed with potential mental problems. Richard Crenna rejects psychological help and tells his wife that there is nothing wrong with him and instead fixates on the "evil dog". Ultimately, Richard Crenna's mid-life crisis reaches its climax and he flees the country and sits out in the South American wilderness contemplating his problem and seeking help from a native spiritual adviser.Returning home to "face his demons", Richard Crenna encounters the Devil Dog. Richard Crenna says" I'll choose the location of our battle". The location he chooses is his work. The very place that he was spending too much time at, to the detriment of his family-life, is where he chooses to resolve his problem. It is there that Richard Crenna faces down the "evil dog"/mid-life crisis and in doing so makes it disappear. Having faced his demons, Richard Crenna returns home to find his loving family has missed him. The movie ends with this workaholic taking a vacation with his family. Finally Richard Crenna has given his family the time and attention that they deserve and as a result his mid/life crisis has ended. But before the movie ends, the son cautions Richard Crenna that there are other "devil dogs" out there. In other words, Richard Crenna may have other crisis to face, but hopefully in a more appropriate manner.So was there really ever a "Devil Dog" or was this just a manifestation of Richard Crenna's anxiety over losing touch with his family? An argument can be made that the "Devil Dog" does not directly on screen attack any other character in the movie. Nor does the movie explicitly demonstrate that the "Devil Dog" really has any special powers or abilities. All of the weird things that happen in the movie can be explained away as coincidence or hallucinations in Richard Crenna's sick mind.

Standard ABC Movie of the Week type meant as filler around commercials, with TV stalwart Richard Crenna as a dad whose family becomes possessed by a demon dog. No blood, no suspense, and way too much screen time for Crenna, who was always a competent but dull leading man. Yvette Mimieux plays his wife, who interestingly enough turns into quite the nymphomaniac after the dog gets hold of her. It's all talk, however. The dog itself is also dull, mainly sitting around and staring. All murders are committed off-screen. Worth a watch for the silly hairdos and clothing, especially the daughter's initial sailor-style outfit that might have looked better on someone half her age. And as for Mimieux, at one point, Crenna asks he about a dress she's wearing to visit a male friend, as if it were too sexy. By today's standards, it looks like something a granny would wear. Oh, and then there's the 1970s cars, big ugly tanks that you would have thought the American auto industry had given up on with Toyota and VW and others gaining ground quickly with much smaller, more maneuverable and efficient vehicles. Crenna's two vehicles in this movie are so massive, you have to wonder how they managed to fit in his backlot driveway. Anyhow, be prepared to snooze. Some gory murders or special effects might have helped.

I might be losing my marbles but I thoroughly enjoyed "Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell".It's a silly story, not very suspenseful and it stays away from gore completely. Of course this is a TV movie so maybe I should have anticipated that. But you've gotta love the 70's. It was a time when talented people behind and in front of the camera accepted absurd projects and executed them with seriousness and passion.Aside from some very bad special effects everything in "Devil Dog" is handled splendidly. Veteran actor Richard Crenna gives a very good central performance as the father who loses his family members to demonic possession thanks to Lucky, the new dog, who's an offspring of Satan.Director Harrington does his job well, even conjuring up some eerie mood and atmosphere on occasion. Scriptwise this is decently written although I found the finale to be quite lacking.If you're a fan of 1970's American horror film-making and keep in mind you're watching a relatively low-budget TV movie chances are you might be in for a surprise.

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.