12 Best Killer Dog Movies, Ranked

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.

Related 30 Best Animal Movies Of All Time Audiences love films featuring animals, and these are the ones that continue to charm and warm the hearts of audiences both young and old, alike.

12 Dracula's Dog (1978)

Stan Winston Created The Practical Effects Of Dracula's Dog

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

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

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

Not to be confused with the 2015 killer dog movie of the same name, the '70s version of The Pack is one of the most brutal PG-rated horror films on record. The film follows vacationers at Seal Island resort, where a vicious pack of neglected dogs that had turned into cannibalistic beasts terrorizes them. The movie stars Joe Don Baker (Walking Tall) as Jerry, a family man who must protect his family from the lethal canine onslaught. There are several scary moments in the movie, mostly as the dogs maul and maim their victims.

The movie does a good job of making the audience both terrified of and sympathetic to the abandoned and poorly treated killer dogs. This was mostly shown in a moment at the end of the movie where the family realizes that one of the dogs had not gone completely feral yet, and there was still a chance to save it if they just showed it the love and care the other dogs never received. The movie received mixed to positive reviews when it was released.

8 Trapped (1973)

An ABC Movie Of The Week With Josh Brolin

Josh Brolin's dad, James Brolin, stars in the made-for-TV movie Trapped, in which he plays Chuck, a man who is robbed and beaten unconscious in a department store after hours. When he comes to, he realizes he's locked in the store alone with six voracious attack dogs. The movie also has a subplot about the man's daughter, who is about to move to Mexico with her mom and her mother's new husband. In a turn of events, the new husband wants to ensure Chuck is okay, which leads to a ticking clock race against time to save him from the dogs.

Written and directed by Frank De Felitta, the most fun part of the movie is seeing how Chuck (Brolin) methodically brings the dogs down, one by one, in a variety of different ways. Beyond that, Trapped proves that the sheer terror of being outnumbered six to one by man-eating Dobermans is the stuff of nightmares. As a made-for-TV movie, it is much better than most fans might expect.

7 Man's Best Friend (1993)

Ally Sheedy Stars In This Killer Dog Movie

Man's Best Friend is a killer dog horror movie that criticizes animal cruelty in the name of scientific research. Lori (Ally Sheedy) is an animal activist who breaks into a lab and rescues a medically abused Tibetan Mastiff named Max. After she decides to keep him, and Lori and Max grow closer, she slowly realizes he has been genetically altered with predatory DNA and is prone to hyper-violent attacks as a result. The movie also stars Lance Henriksen (Aliens) as the villain, a scientist genetically modifying the dog.

With a terrifying mixture of grisly violence combined with genuine sympathy for murderous Max, the film is both scary and endearing at once. While the movie received mostly poor reviews, Sheedy picked up a Saturn Award nomination and the movie remains a cult classic, a very scary killer dog movie, but one that also remains entertaining with a good message.

6 Good Boy (2020)

A Part Of Hulu's Into The Dark Anthology Series

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Into the Dark Release Date October 5, 2018 Seasons 2 Streaming Service(s) Hulu

Technically a feature film-length episode of Hulu's Blumhouse horror anthology Into The Dark (season 2, episode 9), Good Boy takes a refreshingly comedic approach to its deadly dog story. In Good Boy, Judy Greer stars as Maggie, a journalist who is advised to get an emotional support dog following a setback at work. When Maggie soon learns her cute little pet terrier starts gorily pulverizing everyone who is mean to her, she becomes reinvigorated and starts to overcome her anxiety.

Fusing sidesplitting humor with heart-pounding horror, Good Boy is a light and breezy horror film with a huge bite. This is a killer dog movie with a twist because it is as much about Maggie overcoming her trauma and becoming stronger, and the dog just plays out as a support tool in that story for her. Steve Guttenberg (Revenge of the Nerds) also has a role in the movie. The second season of Into the Dark actually has a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than the first, with a 71% fresh rating.

5 Cujo (1983)

Based On The Stephen King Novel

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Cujo Release Date August 12, 1983 Director Lewis Teague Cast Dee Wallace , Daniel Hugh Kelly , Danny Pintauro , Christopher Stone , Ed Lauter Runtime 93 minutes

Cujo is based on the Stephen King bestseller and traces a St. Bernard's descent into a murderous rage after a rabid bat bites and infects him with rabies. Cujo has gained a reputation for being one of Stephen King's darker stories, especially when it comes to the conclusion. Aside from the visceral terror inflicted by Cujo's bloody attacks, the film has a lasting emotional impact due to the heartening relationship between Donna (Dee Wallace) and her desperate attempt to keep her five-year-old son Tad (Danny Pintauro) safe from this once-friendly dog.

Reviews were mixed, but Cujo remains one of the most well-known Stephen King adaptations. For Stephen King fans who have avoided watching the movie because of the novel's traumatic ending, the film adaptation eliminates the horrific climax and offers up a more positive ending for the characters.

Cujo is available to stream on Max.

4 Baxter (1989)

A French Movie From The Dog's Point Of View

Baxter is an obscure French horror-comedy about a baleful Bull Terrier who will stop at nothing to be adopted by a new owner. After an elderly woman takes him in, Baxter plans a sinister way to get rid of her. Afterward, Baxter's dream comes true with the young couple across the street taking him in. However, when they have a baby, Baxter's jealousy causes him to lash out again. The movie turns the idea of a killer dog movie from one about rabid animals to one about a manipulative murderous canine, something that remains unusual.

The mordant humor (Baxter's inner monologue is heard throughout the movie) and stinging violence are handled in a deft manner by director Jerome Boivin, making for a fun, dark, and unpredictable killer dog horror-comedy. The movie also has a dark and disturbing ending that takes this movie to an entirely new level and might explain the mixed reviews it received upon its initial release.

3 White God (2014)

A Cannes Film Festival Winner

To label the Hungarian film White God as just a killer dog film would be a reductive disservice to the brilliance of director Kornel Mundruzco's vision. The bizarre fantasy drama follows the journey of Hagen, a SharPei-Labrador hybrid who begins as a guard dog for a 13-year-old girl named Lili (Zsofia Psotta). When Lili's father abandons Hagen on the streets, the dog allies with several hundred nomadic dogs and sets off on an uprising against the humans who have always hurt and shunned them.

The performances of Bodie and Luke as Hagen the dog alone are amazing. The movie won the Prize Un Certain Regard at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. In some interesting trivia for dog lovers, almost 250 dogs were used in the movie, mostly strays and shelter dogs. Teresa Anne Miller, the daughter of Hollywood animal trainer Karl Lee Miller, trained them all for rehabilitation, and almost 98% of the dogs ended up adopted and homed after filming wrapped (via Vice).

White God is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

2 White Dog (1982)

A Samuel Fuller Movie About Race Relations

As lean, mean, and unrelenting as can be, White Dog tells the tale of a white German Shepherd trained by his former racist owner to kill Black people on sight. An actor named Julie adopts the dog after he protects her during an assault and though the dog goes on to kill a handful of people, Julie protects it. Her boyfriend, a dog trainer named Keys, works to deprogram the killer dog and starts retraining him. While some early critics called the movie "racist," more modern critics called it a profoundly antiracist movie (via New York Times).

Directed by Samuel Fuller, the cutting social commentary asks if racism is a treatable disorder that can be healed or if it is an untreatable disease. The movie received positive reviews, and it ended up receiving a Criterion Collection release. The Criterion Collection release was the first time it was actually released in the United States on home video, 26 years after the movie was made.

1 The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1939)

A Sherlock Holmes Mystery With Basil Rathbone

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While the 1959 Hammer Horror movie remake is a great killer dog movie, the original Hound of the Baskervilles remains one of the best Sherlock Holmes adaptations. With a trailblazing story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the film follows Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) as they investigate what people believe is a horrifying hellhound. One thing that really sets this early movie apart from others is that this is the first Sherlock Holmes movie that is set in the Victorian era of the original stories.

The first of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies, the eerie fog-drenched atmosphere, top-notch performances, and genuinely thrilling mystery make this the definitive killer dog movie. The movie was a success, remaining loyal to the original source story, and this success helped spawn 13 more Sherlock Holmes movies over the next seven years for Basil Rathbone.