When I watch a horror movie, and if
there happens to be a dog in it, I am glued to the screen because I care if
that dog makes it. If I leave the room while one of these movies are on,
and I come back and I just missed this huge massacre and slaughter of
characters onscreen.
I’m the person who asks, “They didn’t kill the dog, did
they?” I wouldn’t be admitting that if I didn’t know that other people say
or think that as well.I find that dogs are probably the best
animals out there. (Sorry for all you cat lovers!) They have lovable
personalities unlike most animals.
They can be your best friend, yet they
can also be your worst enemy, which is perfect when it comes to terms of
horror films. So whether these pooches were “top dogs” or “hounds of hell”
they still provided a memorable performance. Here’s the list of dogs I think
deserve a BIG bone….milk bone that is.
“WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD”
5.
The Lost Boys – Nanook
This was an
awesome dog. This husky was a very loyal and friendly protector of his family.
(Unlike Max’s hound of hell) Although, if you threatened his family, (or even
the Frog Brothers) he would show you who’s boss. The scene that sold me was
when Michael was trying to hurt Sam and Nanook sent him half turning vampire ass
down the stairs. Very smart pooch!
4. Bad Moon – Thor
The real star of
this movie was not Mariel Hemingway or the horrifying werewolf. It was the
loyal German Sheppard who belonged to the family in this film. This dog knew
something was wrong from the moment Michael "I’ll never live down Streets of
Fire" Pare arrived at the house. If you’re a werewolf fan, you’ve probably
already seen this underrated Eric Red film, but if you haven’t, please see it just for
the fight at the end with the werewolf and Thor. Very suspenseful…it’ll have
you "howling" with delight. (Cheesy…I know!)
3 & 2. The Hills Have
Eyes/Original & Remake – Beast
The real stars
of both of these gritty films are the friendly turned vicious German Sheppards.
In both versions, Beast managed to play an intricate part in taking out the
sadistic villains. To me, Beast was the real hero in both of these films. He was
also the one character who I cared for the most. (For the lot of them, I didn’t
give a damn about.)
1. Cujo – Cujo
This may seem
like the most obvious choice, but really, is there a dog in horror film
history out there that can beat this killer pooch? I think not! Seeing the
cuddly St. Bernard rapidly turn into a rabies-infested killing machine was
very frightening, and even though at the end, after he’s killed a few
people, I still don’t like the last scene where they kill him. To this day,
this movie still comes through and makes me squirm because it really could
happen. (Well, I don’t know about the whole "baiting and stalking Dee
Wallace Stone" part. He has rabies, not the mind of highly trained and
intelligent serial killer!) Overall, Cujo is the "top dog" out of this bunch.