Dog tired
It's been a long 2 weeks, but what else is new? I haven't had the energy to watch any new movies, but my ‘80s Italian horror kick persists. I'd recommend Opera (1987) and Demons (1985).
One thing I always have the energy for is the low-budget action horror classic, Dog Soldiers. I'm bending my own rules to include it in this series because technically it doesn't take place during a specific conflict, just a military training exercise gone wrong. Forgive me?
⚠️WARNING⚠️
This post is NOT safe from mentions of The Descent (2005). I am incapable of not bringing it up in every other post.
Review
When a group of British soldiers are sent on a training mission in Scotland, they encounter a situation they couldn’t possibly have prepared for, werewolves!
Dog Soldiers reminds me a lot of 28 Days Later. Both are 2002 British horror movies with ugly footage and lots of action, but also with a heart. The core of this movie is definitely the characters. From the very start, we are introduced to some complicated character dynamics. Cooper is a good soldier, but he’s unwilling to be cruel and refuses to shoot a dog. This causes tension with his squad leader and others view him as weak. He spends most of the movie proving to the audience he’s fit to be a soldier, and that he doesn’t have to be a heartless machine. Megan and Spoon are also standouts. Neil Marshell seems to know that while werewolves are fun, spending time developing some great characters in between shooting some monsters is what makes a movie great.
Stylistically Dog Soliers is an ugly film. Dull, dark, and grainy. However, I think this makes the movie that much better. Much like with 28 Days Later, the style adds a sense of anxiety and realism that I appreciate. The design of the werewolves are probably some of my favorite monster designs of all time. Long, lean, large maws. They are uncanny in a genuinely scary way.
Dog Soldiers is a blood-soaked, action-packed, beautifully crafted movie. It almost feels like a trial run for The Descent (2005). A great action-horror movie, with complicated characters and unique creatures. Combined with The Descent, it made me think Neil Marshell could do no wrong. Turns out he can.
I’ll still love Dog Soldiers forever <3
Scaredy-cat
I pride myself on being fearless with horror movies. I think part of why I love the genre is because outside of films, I’m a scared mess.
I have severe anxiety and OCD. I am so scared I sometimes cannot do basic tasks. I stutter when people talk to me, I can’t get imaginary car crashes out of my head, and I freak at the idea of being anywhere other than my own home. I’ve learned to manage it over the years with medication, and I have a normal job and do normal things. Only slightly scared. It’s still something I’m ashamed of.
However, I am terrified of werewolves. I watched that one Harry Potter movie when I was younger, and my skin crawled so badly it hasn’t stopped. That hairless, lanky, humanoid thing still haunts my dreams. I have never gotten over it, and it’s the reason I never got into Harry Potter1. The werewolves in Dog Soldiers are the closest to that feeling I have gotten from a movie since. The younger me was terrified, but the older me was excited. I understand why people love rollercoasters or skydiving now. That was the first time I realized that fear doesn’t have to be some debilitating thing, sometimes it can be kinda fun.
Wrapping up
Do I recommend Dog Soldiers? Absolutely! It's a ton of fun and totally underrated. While Neil Marshell’s current career appears to be on a downward spiral, I think Dog Soldiers rivals The Decent as his masterpiece.
I’m also wrapping up in another way, I don’t know how many more of these posts there will be. Life’s gotten tricky. I’m not done yet, but just a little warning that Creatures of War may only have a few more creatures left (maybe we’ll end it at #15?).
Bonus
Some double-feature options to explore:
28 Days Later (2002)
An American Werewolf in London (1981) *note: go to hell John Landis*
The Descent (2005)
Probably for the best