The year is 2024... a future you'll probably live to see.
While technically not a horror movie, it is really more of a post apocalyptic sci-fi movie with some really weird stuff going on. A Boy and His Dog is about a young man played by Don Johnson and his telepathic talking dog trying to survive in a post World War 4 future in which everything has been destroyed by nuclear bombs. Think of it as a bizarre version of Mad Max except the main characters motivations aren’t just solely on survival but getting laid.
"Dang it all, I can't believe you ate the last Snausage!"
Vic and Blood, the talking sheep dog, are an entertaining duo who roam the deserts of Arizona. In their travels they are constantly bickering with each other, with food being the main goal of Blood the dog and finding women to have sex with being the goal of Vic. Yet despite the differences in their one track minds, we see that they genuinely are best friends, that is until a girl comes between them.
"Will you still respect me in the morning... when you find out I live with clown people?"
Fortunately for Vic, he is finally able to snag a woman for the night, thanks to Blood’s ability to somehow sense the presence of women. However, this particular woman begins to gradually tear the two apart as she has no use for a telepathic dog that could potentially get in the way of her more sinister plan.
When Vic decides to follow his new dream girl below the surface of the desert, leaving his beloved dog behind, he finds himself in a bizarre underground society where everyone wears clown makeup and all the men are sterile. And it’s at this point where we realize that Vic’s dream girl was a trap all along. Yes that’s right, our young hero is captured and held for the intended use of his sperm.
"I told you Blood, once you grow some thumbs, then you can have a gun."
Not to give away the ending, but we do see an interesting struggle for Vic to free himself from the underground clown people in hopes of reuniting with his best friend Blood. But what makes A Boy and His Dog top the charts in bizarro land is the final ending where we truly get to see the bond between Vic and Blood, and the lengths Vic will go to for his telepathic companion.
"Vic was mighty embarrassed when he showed up to the apocalypse wearing the same outfit as someone else.
This is a low budget movie and should be treated as random cheesy entertainment. And if you are a female it may even be a bit offensive and most likely leave you with mixed feelings at the end when a certain choice has to be made. However, I did think that the movie was good on a real WTF level, so for that and the inclusion of a talking dog, I give it eleven mutated radioactive thumbs up.
This review is a submission to the Classic Movie Dogathon. To see other classic dog related movies be sure to check out the Dogathon here.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I saw this film when it was originally released and knew nothing about it (not even that it was based on a Harlan Ellison novella). For the most part, I enjoyed it–based in large part due to the relationship between Vic (who’s not very bright) and Blood (the smart one of the two). Tim McIntire does an exceptional job providing the telepathic “voice” of Blood. I think the film loses a lot of interest when Vic goes with the girl to the underground city (which is just too weird, as you pointed out). I can see where the ending might offend some people, but it is amusing.
Clown people, a young Don Johnson and people running around the desert dressed like Huckleberry Fin. Count me in!
Sounds like a perfect film to do a snarky photo review on..loved your photo captions.
I’ve heard of this film but not enough to know it was so awful it was fun.
An enjoyable write up for the Dogathon.
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I had heard of this film as part of the Don Johnson lore, but I never looked into it. Now that I’ve read this review, I will definitely look into it. And it isn’t just the clowns or the psychic dog or the ultimate booty-quest that sells it. I have an odd fascination with post-apocalyptic settings, so this fits right in.
Nice job!
Bodhi ~ may I begin by making the observation that I’m glad to know we survive the cataclysm that is threatened in 2012, at least according to this film (or is the future depicted in “A Boy and His Dog” a result of 2012 prophecies made real?). I have a vague sense of this film floating around in my memory, one that survives being lost to the mists of time only because of the connection to Don Johnson. His role and the story never sparked my interest, but it is not a surprise the dog is the more intelligent and intriguing of the pair. I am guessing the end has something to do with the woman being “animated” by the dog’s spirit, deus ex machina style, which could work if the film didn’t sound so cheesy.
Well, I’ll start by saying I turned all the lights on in my apartment to read your post. Love classic horror but am a chicken at the same time. I’ve never seen “A Boy and His Dog” and had heard nothing about it before reading your post. Now I am certainly intrigued.
Fun read.
Aurora
PS – I adore cheesiness!
I have not seen this movie, but I’m always up for a look at bizarro. I like the idea of the man being the dumb one and the dog the brain. Interesting post about an interesting-sounding movie.
You will have to add me to the list of people who have not yet seen this film.. Living in Arizona, your awesome review has sparked my interest..
Unlike Becky, I am not ALWAYS ready to deal with Bizzaro-Land. I have to be in a fairly specific mood. HA!
But I enjoyed reading your review of a film I’d never heard about, much less seen. I only became a Don Johnson fan as he grew older and more into his definitive looks.
Clowns are scary but a talking dog is always worth considering.
Bodhi, I’ve heard a lot of crazy things about A BOY AND HIS DOG, including young Don Johnson’s presence, but never had an opportunity to see it. Given the choice, I’d rather hang out with a telepathic talking dog than creepy clown people, but I’m usually more drawn to comedy-thrillers anyway.
Your fascinating blog post sure piqued my interest!
I have never heard of this movie, but it is now at the top of my list. Although I’m terrified of clowns…
Like Jill, I’d never heard of this movie. It sounds … interesting? LOL This premise is so far out of my wheelhouse, I’m not even sure what to think! This sounds like it is begging for MST3K-type treatment.
Hey everyone, thanks for the great comments. Just to clarify a bit on the “clown people,” I don’t think they were meant to be clowns but since they do wear that white makeup on their faces, clowns were the first thing that came to mind, so it’s not like they have floppy shoes and Bozo hair. Regardless, they are totally bizarre.
@Brandie
I agree, this would make an excellent MST3K movie!