Mongrel

The only wrong with this movie is that it's not bad enough to be good. Leave it to Bob Burns' luck to make a film that straddles the genres of good and bad. We guessed the plot within 5 minutes. The PROPS were excellent, however. :)

In a ramshackle Texan boardinghouse, where the imbecilic tenants continuously play pranks on each other, one of the gags runs terribly out of hand and the new arrival kid gets killed. This event is more or less the sole thing that makes a little sense in the entire plot of "Mongrel"; a deservedly rare and unimaginably poor early 80's piece of horror crap that I already regret watching. After the deadly accident, the other tenants start getting killed off as well, and it seemingly all relates to this geeky boy's childhood trauma involving big dogs. Is there a monstrous dog on the loose on the premises (whose growling sounds like a fat 80-year-old farmer with asthma) or is the whole thing just another lousy prank? "Mongrel" is a really, really, really ... REALLY bad movie! The plot doesn't make a lick of sense and, on top of all the incompetence; it's also very boring. The denouement is just absurd and hasn't got that much to see with the events depicted during the first hour of the film. The acting's horrible, the music is atrocious and the art-direction is truly hideous. To end with at least some sort of positive note, the vast majority of the nearly non-existent budget clearly went to the make-up effects.

A group of diverse and strange characters are living at a Gothic-looking and rundown boarding house managed by the obnoxious Woody.When Ike's barking dog attacks a garage mechanic Todd Woody kills it.Jerry starts having strange nightmares about dead mongrel.When Ken is electrocuted during unsuccessful prank all hell gets loose."Mongrel" was directed by Robert Burns more known for his atmospheric art and set directions of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Tourist Trap".The film is well-acted and there is no strong gore and absolutely no nudity.But it has a certain charm and a bunch of unique characters.I enjoyed "Mongrel" and you should also give it a chance.7 out of 10.

Cheeze-Whiz horror flick is set in a slummy rooming house(with a "Deep Throat" pinball machine!! I hope there are at least a few viewers out there who are able to appreciate the honor of seeing this impossibly rare collector's item). The tenants bicker a lot and play lame practical jokes on each other...these jokes ultimately get out of hand, and one of the bunch ends up dead(along with the resident dog). Soon, another of the tenants begins to have harrowing nightmares of a killer dog, and bodies begin to pile-up. Is there a monster dog on the loose, or is this the work of an unseen madman? The mystery is ultimately resolved in a predictable and unsatisfying conclusion.

MONGREL is a lousy flick which barely registers as "horror", and is so blood and nudity deficient that I think its makers should GIVE ME THAT PINBALL MACHINE as compensation for enduring such valueless drivel...4/10.

Footnote- The Paragon Video release of the VHS for this film features the absolute WORST cover art I have ever seen for any video...it's HILARIOUS!