Dogs
Dogs
R | 11 November 1976 (USA)
Dogs Trailers

On the quiet campus of the remotely-located SouthWestern University, something strange is happening. All of the dogs in the area, once loyal, gentle pets, are now banding together in wild packs and hunting down their former masters. Could the strange transformation have anything to do with the secret government experiments being conducted in the school's physics laboratory? More importantly, can the dogs be stopped before it's too late?

Reviews
Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Steve Nyland (Squonkamatic) I don't know guys, didn't think this movie was all so silly. Yeah OK, most of the canine cast are pooches who sort of look like they want to play, go walkies and have a snack. Perspective might have something to do with my reaction: I got bit pretty bad as an 11 year old and by a beagle, of all things. Not Snoopy but a vicious snarling little ball of teeth who would not let go and scared the crap out of me enough to turn me into a cat person for most of my life. Only as an adult in what one might refer to as middle ages have I become more fond of dogs. Cats don't care. Dogs celebrate your very existence each time you walk into the room. Mmyesh you do, Pumpkin Butt. I also buy the premise of a swarm/pack/stampede of similar animals or insects having a collective response to stimuli which could provoke group reactions. Imagine if all the millions of mosquitoes in the Adirondacks collectively went after every living warm blooded creature en masse, all at once. Deep Woods Off and your windbreaker would not help for long. Thankfully it isn't going to happen, but if applied up the ladder of life forms one could see how it would be kind of scary to have every domesticated pet turn into my friend the beagle all at once and form up into packs of ravaging bloodthirsty killers.The film also goes out of its way to explain the science of its premise in terms that come across as being at least as plausible as "King Kong Vs. Godzilla" so I was willing to give the film a chance. And it does have one insanely creeped out sequence which I won't ruin. I will cite ALIEN (1979) as my favorite film ever and for about ten minutes "Dogs" had me wondering if I should maybe turn a couple lights on and fix a drink. Freaked the hell out of me, with a sober plausible cast of non-sensational types making it all feel pretty familiar up until that moment. The festival of carnage which then climaxes the film and its obligatory 70s paranoid ending sort of broke the spell, which is too bad as they were onto something there for a while. Yeeeesh. Do I recommend the movie? Sure, if you want to potentially be freaked out by something that really is as skin-crawlingly scary as a character describes it as. The snarling dogs may be unsettling to some viewers but my guess is that was sort of the point -- Horror movies used to be designed to actually scare audiences and they do a fairly good job of it. Though my sensibilities as a film consumer are also rooted in the 1970s & don't rely on mind- blowing special effects, can set aside the absurdity of seeing a poodle mutt depicted as vicious due to personal experience, and watched the movie all alone in the dark with the lights off. Which was the right decision.
BA_Harrison A pack of domestic dogs with collective intelligence (possibly the result of classified experiments involving a linear accelerator and pheromones, although it is never made clear) attack the population of a Californian college town. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. star David McCallum, sporting a mop-top and beard, plays beer-swilling professor Harlan Thompson, the film's unlikely, double-denim hero, who, in a blatant crib from Jaws, tries to convince those in charge of the danger, all to no avail.I'm a big fan of the 'animal attack' sub-genre, but this entry from TV director Burt Brinckerhoff, is… if you can excuse the pun… a real dog of a film. The first hour is extremely dull, with too much in the way of meaningless scientific conjecture from the college egg-heads and not nearly enough canine action. The dogs are in evidence a lot more for the final half hour, but none of the attack scenes are very convincing, or scary, no matter how much fake blood the film-makers cover the victims in.Still, even though this one is massively disappointing regarding thrills and chills, it does at least offer up a couple of unintentionally amusing scenes, including Dallas star Linda Gray being attacked by a doberman while taking a shower, the dogs trapping Thompson and his love interest (Sandra McCabe) in a garage, and the slaughter of a whole library full of students. The film ends with a hilarious final shot of an angry cat, threatening a sequel with killer moggies (which thankfully never materialised).3.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 4 for IMDb.
Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) When they say, gone to the dogs, they really mean it. In "Dogs",man's best friend maybe man's worst enemy. In a California valley, there are some sightings of attack. The cattle and livestock are being killed off. By what? Wolf? Coyote? Mountain lion? Well, the mountain lion was not it, so it has to be canine. Well it was neither wolf, nor coyote but the the domestic cousin, the dog. In the daytime, they are docile. But when the nighttime comes, they become instant killing machines. Each night, when the moon is full, the dogs gather in packs. And breed of it is no big deal. These canine menaces kill without mercy. They slaughter the livestock, but one time in the day, they barked and attacked the people at the dog show they set up. What is going on? Well, two college professors have studied the pheromones earlier, and they are suggesting that it's a factor. But one night, they get the shock of their lives for the first time. Whatever it is, the answer is inconclusive. Why would man's best friend would ever turn on you? I would not advise finding a new pet, or banning dogs out of your life because of this movie? Instead of popcorn, I advise dog biscuits, bones, and plenty of dog food. You'll need it! 2 out of 5 stars.
Rudy I was lucky enough to find a bootleg copy of this gem. To see some of Robert Schneiders legendary rare cinematography (uncredited) was truly an a life-changing experience. It's sad that he died from aids (he was one of the first Americans to contract this disease) shortly after the production wrapped. However, he obviously went out with a bang and he will be immortalized through this film. Dogs is so hard to find because it is such a rare film that if you find you just have to hold on to it. I hope this film eventually goes to DVD and it has the proper credit for Robert Schneider. On a scale from 1 to 10 I give this movie an 11. Go find Dogs. You won't regret it! For my name ain't Nathan Arizona!