Summary

• Killer dog movies offer a terrifying twist - beloved pets turning into deadly beasts.
• From rabid dogs to genetically engineered killers, this subgenre offers various plotlines.
• Some killer dog movies deliver social commentary, all feature survival against scary pets.

There are a lot of monsters in horror movies, but killer dog movies are much more terrifying as the threat comes from deadly beasts that were once beloved pets. One of the earliest examples of this wasn't a horror movie but was a tense drama from 1936 called Killer-Dog, a story about a family dog accused of killing sheep. However, before the dog is put down, the family asks a judge to determine its fate. While that was mostly about proving the dog's innocence, the killer dog movies that arrived decades later caused fear by showing a family pet turning into an out-of-control killing machine.

Even though it's a specific horror subgenre, killer dog movies remain varied. Several movies show what happens when a dog goes rabid, but others are more fantastical in nature. In some cases, the dogs are genetically engineered as killers and, in some cases, there might be a demonic presence influencing the once docile family pets and driving them to murder. A select few movies use the killer dogs to tell a more nuanced story, including some social commentary. What they all have in common are men, women, and children fighting to survive scary movie dogs.

12 Dracula's Dog (1978)

Stan Winston Created The Practical Effects Of Dracula's Dog

Zoltan is a vampire's pet dog, a Doberman Pinscher turned over 300 years prior by a member of Dracula's family

One of the most bizarre killer dog movies arrived in 1978 with Dracula's Dog, which was also called Zoltan... Hound of Dracula. As the title suggests, Zoltan is a vampire's pet dog, a Doberman Pinscher turned over 300 years prior by a member of Dracula's family. When a Romanian soldier finds a dead dog in a crypt with a stake in its heart, he removes it and Zoltan comes to life. After he kills the soldier, Zoltan finds and revives his most recent master, Veidt. They set off to find the only known descendent of Dracula, so they both will have a new Master to serve.

The movie received lackluster reviews, but practical effects maestro Stan Winston created the terrifying undead dog Zoltan, making it noteworthy. This movie was actually based on a book called Hounds of Dracula, released in 1977 by Ken Johnson. Despite those disappointing early reviews, Dracula's Dog has since become a minor cult classic.

11 The Breed (2006)

Michelle Rodriguez Faces Off Against Genetically Modified Killer Dogs

Soon, the sci-fi concept grows even more bizarre as the brothers end up "infected" by the dog bites

The Breed is a 2006 horror movie where two brothers go to an island cabin they recently inherited with some friends for a weekend vacation. However, what they don't realize is that there are genetically engineered dogs living on this island, and they are bred to kill anyone who comes close to a facility located on the island. Soon, the sci-fi concept grows even more bizarre as the brothers end up "infected" by the dog bites and find themselves almost able to communicate with them.

Wes Craven produced this horror movie, and it featured some familiar faces, including Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious), Oliver Hudson (Scream), and Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black). Critics weren't impressed, but the movie featured some vicious kills and frightening dog attacks, and at least a unique idea in the subgenre of killer dog movies.

The Breed is available to stream on Peacock.

10 Devil Dog: The Hound Of Hell (1978)

A Satanic Possession Killer Dog Movie

As a mix of the killer dog movie and one of the countless satanic scare movies of the 70s and 80s, it offers up a silly concept

Underrated filmmaker Curtis Harrington, one of the forerunners of New Queer Cinema, directed several worthy horror films in his day. One such title is the 1978 TV movie Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell, in which a rabid German Shepherd goes on a murder spree after being possessed by Satan. When Mike (Richard Crenna) realizes his new pet dog is acting strangely, he learns the beast is an immortal satanic minion with a penchant for human blood and the ability to control people's minds.

The movie received mixed reviews but is a cult classic as it is a throwback tale of man vs nature, and it even ends with a fun twist that hints the story isn't over yet. As a mix of the killer dog movie and one of the countless satanic scare movies of the 70s and 80s, it offers up a silly concept, but it somehow works as a throwback horror movie that is entertaining, if not quite scary enough. For Real Housewives fans, it was also a look at a teenage Kim Richards in one of her early movie roles.

Devil Dog includes a role for future Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards as Mike's daughter Bonnie.

9 The Pack (1977)

Dogs Rampaging On An Island Resort