After the family dog is squashed like a pancake in the road, the children are devastated. When the sister falls in love with Lucky on her birthday, a sweet puppy, the family takes him in... until sad and horrible things begin to happen that lead the husband to believe that the puppy might be a Pagan demon possessing his family and killing people.Okay, I'm not gonna lie, this film was pretty dorky... but come on, it's still pretty funny if you watch it without taking it too seriously. It has some eerie soundtrack that you've gotta give 'em credit for, half-decent acting and this doddering geek of a neighbor who gets into a fight over the family's new dog in a really funny display of anger. Watch it with an open mind, it might not be as bad as you think.

Director Harrington began as a film-maker with artistic – albeit derivative – aspirations (notably NIGHT TIDE {1961} and GAMES {1967}) but soon settled into being a solid purveyor of commercial properties, if not a downright hack. This one, too, seems to have drawn its inspiration from the many diabolical chillers of the era: the end result is all over the place, yet agreeable and certainly competent enough. It begins with the impregnation of a German Shepherd bitch by a demon(!), invoked following much chanting courtesy of a group led by Martine Beswick; the litter of puppies this unholy alliance produces is presumably spread across the country (or is it the globe?) by another of their number, i.e. R.G. Armstrong, but we only follow the fortunes of one such canine – owned by the family of hero Richard Crenna. Soon, the rest of the family falls under the mutt's evil spell (cue more incantations and the painting of a demon head, which they presumably adulate) but not after it indirectly causes their superstitious maid's fiery death and almost wills the protagonist to chop off his own hand in a propeller! Other victims are a friendly neighbor and his pet dog, and the children's schoolmaster (it is before the latter that the titular creature first appears in its true hellish guise – and a scene I recall coming across as a kid on Italian TV!) but, aiding Crenna in his quest to overcome the forces of darkness, is a shaman (played by Victor Jory) he expressly visits in Latin America. Unsurprisingly, given its pedigree (no pun intended), the special effects during the climactic confrontation – which, for no very good reason, are set inside a power plant – leave much to be desired…but, as I said, the film ultimately makes for a decent way to kill an hour and a half (and that is all one really asks for out of such unassuming genre fare).

Okay I wasn't expecting much but for a premise about a clean cut all American middle class family adopting a dog that is literally the son of Satan you can be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a story that is so tally mental it might have something going for it . Alongside the star billing of Richard Crenna there might have been some saving graces but this is a flat and disappointing TVM The problem with DEVIL DOG is that it lacks any kind of bite . Graphic violence wouldn't be allowed to be broadcast but even so very little of anything much happens . The devil dog manages to hypnotise another dog in to doing that old party trick of pulling a table cloth off a table leaving the plates intact , hypnotizing a Mexican housemaid who like all Mexican housemaids is called Maria and hypnotizing the master of the house and that's nearly all the demonic spirit it unleashes on to the World . Honestly if they were getting menaced by Cliff Richard they'd probably be in more danger . In short even for a TVM this so called horror is fairly toothless

A dog found in a local kennel is mated with Satan and has a litter of puppies, one of which is given to a family who has just lost their previous dog to a hit & run. The puppy wants no time in making like Donald Trump and firing the Mexican housekeeper, how festive. Only the father suspects that this canine is more then he appears, the rest of the family loves the demonic pooch. So it's up to dad to say the day.This late 70's made for TV horror flick has little going for it except a misplaced feeling of nostalgia. When I saw this as a kid I found it to be a tense nail-biter, but revisiting it as an adult I now realize that it's merely lame,boring, and not really well-acted in the least bit.My Grade: D