The Breed

When I went to the cinema I was supposed to see Almodovar's "Volver" and now I regret not to have done it. "The Breed" begins and ends like the typical horror film that we're used to see: some college friends go to a desert place where strange creatures haunt and kill them one by one. Here there are super-angry dogs but we will never get to know what really happened to them. Poor dogs... Someone imagines to see a psychic doctor or something similar, but there's nothing, probably an experiment gone badly. There is also a little drama but just like the whole film it is something we have already seen. In the end it's not a boring film but it's dejà-vu without any kind of explanation.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I actually quite enjoyed "The Breed" and I'm sure there's more people out there who won't admit it. It was fun right from the opening with the horrendously bad actors, "wood" and the awful direction. However, then five new kids come on the island and they're more competent actors and strangely likable as the film went on. I did actually feel sorry to see some of them die which is unusual in a film like this. The characters weren't flat, which was a lovely surprise. Of course it is extremely clichéd with the group going into a cabin with a creepy basement and so forth. This is the type of horror film "The Cabin in the Woods" was warning us of! The dogs are also quite funny as I do not find dogs scary in the slightest, especially when they're as cute as these ones! To see a bunch of cute panting dogs slowly gather and surround the young adults like "The Birds" was quite an unintentional hilarious sight. There was also a surprisingly good pace with the group always trying to make some innovative decisions. All in all I found it to be an entertaining and fun film. You shouldn't take it seriously and if you don't then you might actually find yourself enjoying it!

let me start by saying I am a big fan of the nature/animal gone berserk type films and I was very excited when news of a new Wes Craven produced killer dog flick was being made and would star tough cookie Michelle Rodriquez and cool and sexy Hill Harper from CSI: New York. What eventually was made by first time director Nick Mastandrea is sadly a disappointing entry into the genre. Where in the world was Wes?? This is not to say it didn't show some small moments of promise but it never quite rises to the occasion. The story revolves around a group of five childhood friends vacationing on an Island who come across a band of sinister German shepherds who have laid claim to the Isle after surviving what is explained as a "rabies" outbreak on a compound that sits on the other side of the Island which once housed a dog training facility. Most of the back story of the dogs isn't really explained and we're left with just a few specs of dialog from cast members Eric Lively and Oliver Hudson, who play siblings that grew up on the island, to to shed a dim light. The gang enjoy some sun and water until they are visited by a pup whose visit is more like an infiltration of the enemy camp and shares one of the better moments scenes with Hill Harper. Soon the dog-pack descends on our unsuspecting group who must now find a way off the Island before becoming dog-food. The best attack scene takes place in the house where our heroes have boarded themselves up but this isn't enough to save the film. The director was obviously asleep at the wheel and it shows when one of the characters ( I wont say which as not to spoil it) suffers an injury to the leg and later seems to forget they should be limping and they can be seen walking around like nothing ever happened. Where in the world was Wes??? Yes the setup is as old as wine but I still had hopes that the makers would inject some fresh blood into the story; it never happened. The film is hurt by uninspired camera work and the even more uninspired direction of Mastandrea. I hope somewhere, some place, someone will still make an old style killer dog flick with a decent plot, great camera work, and characters you can care about. Is that too much too ask? Oh yeah..this is Hollywood...oh well

A bunch of adults-playing-teenagers go to an isolated house, for a weekend of fun and everything else teens do in horror films. However, what was at first a fun weekend for the group ends up as a fight for their life as they are attacked.

As expected from the plot and/or from a Wes Craven picture, 'The Breed' is overflowing with the typical slasher clichés. Also present is Craven's typical 'tough female lead', this time played by Michelle Rodriguez (who really isn't good).

However, two things change in this usual horror-movie clichéd situation: the house is in a 'deserted' island instead of a forest (which changes the usual escape tactics); and the killer here isn't a Jason-style stalker, but rather intelligent (genetically enhanced) and rabid dogs.

To my surprise, the characters act unexpectedly smart for horror movie victims, actually thinking and coming up with decent/good plans to escape/fend off the dogs (though their dialogue skills are still heavily impaired). However, the usage of real, trained dogs instead of CGI is easily the film's highlight; the best scenes are done by them, with or without the humans.

It's a very dumb and idiotic film but also rather fun, and the dogs are definitely the movie's true stars. Not something to look for, but not a bad choice to watch if you haven't anything else to do.

I remember watching director Nicholas Mastandrea's 2006 movie "The Breed" back in the day when it was a new movie. But I haven't watched it since, and thus I opted to revisit the movie here in 2025, as I had the opportunity to do so.

Writers Bob Conte and Peter Wortmann put together a rather straightforward script and storyline that was easy to follow, yet remained entertaining and enjoyable throughout the course of the entire movie.

While the movie has a small cast ensemble, it is actually a great cast ensemble, and with some very familiar faces on the screen. With the likes of Michelle Rodriguez, Oliver Hudson, Taryn Manning and Eric Lively, to mention the familiar faces only, then you are certainly in capable company. The acting performances in the movie are good.

The character gallery in the movie was nice, as the writers were capable of putting together characters with the ability to think reasonably and not just mill about on the screen as mindless eye-candy, which is often the case in horror movies.

The dogs in the movie are very convincing, and thus have been very well-trained. And a movie such as "The Breed" wouldn't have been as entertaining and effective if the dogs weren't this capable. Just look at the recently released 2025 movie "A Breed Apart".

If you haven't already seen "The Breed", and you get then chance to do so, I would say that it is a movie that is worth checking out.

My rating of director Nicholas Mastandrea's 2006 movie "The Breed" lands on a five out of ten stars.