​VIOLENT VILLAGERS AND FREE RANGE MURDER DOGS BY MICHELLE GARZA

Monster Dog 1984

It’s no secret that I love me some scary movies, particularly those dealing with werewolves. Lycanthropy, men who transform into beasts who prowl the moonlit nights. The curse of such an existence is pitiful and cruel, changing ordinary people to monsters who no longer distinguish between their loved ones and prey. Werewolves have been a longtime obsession of mine and I really can't pass up a werewolf flick, even if it looks a little cheesy, sometimes those are my favorite, so I jumped at the chance to share my thoughts about this Alice Cooper masterpiece.

I hadn’t sat down and watched this classic from 1984 until sorta recently. My mother of all people asked if I had seen it and when I confessed I hadn’t she was shocked so about a year ago I remedied the blasphemy I had committed by not viewing it. Yes, my mom is a horror fan as well and almost revoked my horror kid card for admitting this dark secret!

Monster Dog aka Los Perros de la Muerte is an Italian flick that was shot in Spain. Alice Cooper plays the role of Vince Raven, a musician who decides to shoot his next music video in his old childhood home. There's one problem though, the townsfolk believe his family is cursed with lycanthropy which really should have been the point Vince decided to go film somewhere a little more friendly but this was an 80's horror movie so those logical things were forgotten.

Vince, his girlfriend Sandra, and their crew set out on a road trip to shoot the video for See me in the mirror, a song that fits the ambience of a lycanthropy tale. Upon arriving there are things that just aren't right and the sheriff warns Vince that there has been several murders which are eerily similar to those that took place generations before. The authorities link them to packs of wild dogs but Vince isn’t so sure. His father was accused of being a werewolf and killed by an angry mob which hints towards what they plan to do with poor Vince and any of his friends who stand in the way. Things turn deadly and the crew are trapped in Vince's childhood mansion not only threatened by the monster dog but also by the violent villagers looking to end Vince and his cursed bloodline. There's some twists and turns, some mauling, big hair, popped collars and some beautiful damsels in distress.

Rumor has it that most of the meager budget was used to pay Alice Cooper for his staring role. His co-star and famous Spanish actress, Victoria Vera, was noted as saying even though the movie itself is wretched she had a great time with Alice on set. I know low budget isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I really have to say that Monster Dog out shines others in that category and should be given props for what they achieved on such small budget. The scenery is also beautiful, adding to the medieval atmosphere.

Since these articles are all about Alice Cooper’s music, let’s touch on the soundtrack for Monster Dog. "Identity Crisis" which features lyrics about a man conflicted with the many sides of himself and "See Me in the Mirror", the track Vince wants to shoot a music video for, is a creepy good tune. Both are haunting songs which go well with the outrageous eighties horror they are adding ambiance to and leave the listener singing along and conjuring Alice dressed in black, whisper-singing to himself in a hand held mirror, eyes darkened by eyeliner while mists float about him.

In my humble opinion, it's an 80’s classic to the bone. The film features creepy dream sequences, a group of free range murder dogs, conveniently placed books about werewolves when people need to find knowledge about said creature, a killer soundtrack and some special effects that border on cheese territory, how could any self respecting horror fan not approve? Alice Cooper’s acting isn’t the worst I’ve seen, he actually captures the feelings of a man who isn’t so sure if a beast lurks inside of him pretty well. The whole shindig is blood soaked and filled with great death scenes, especially when a posse comes to make sure Vince isn’t there to continue his father’s deadly legacy and shit gets bloody. I’m a huge werewolf fan and I’d say it ranks decently on my wolf-o-meter, particularly the transformation scene where his head bubbles outward a bit and he looks like a hairless rat beast. If you enjoy Alice Cooper, eighties horror and packs of wild dogs eating people then this one should be on your list!

AAAAAARROOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Bio:
Michelle is from Arizona. She writes alongside her twin sister, Melissa Lason. They have been dubbed The Sisters of Slaughter. They write horror, science fiction and dark fantasy. Their work has been featured in anthologies such as FRESH MEAT by Sinister Grin Press, WISHFUL THINKING by fireside press, WIDOWMAKERS a benefit anthology of dark fiction. Their novel, MAYAN BLUE, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award as was the follow up, THOSE WHO FOLLOW. Their newest offering is KINGDOM OF TEETH available through Eraserhead Press.