SCREAM OF THE WOLF (1974) Dir: Dan Curtis
DEVIL DOG, HOUND OF HELL (1978) Dir: Curtis Harrington

Hard to resist killing two turkeys with one stone, therefore Satan's School for Girls' firstever double-review/entry. Honestly, devoting any amount of truly significant space to either of these bombs would be yet another case of internet misuse and pollution. A friend recently proclaimed that writing about bad films is always more enjoyable than the actual movie itself, and yet I'm hard pressed to entertain visitors with reflections on such uninspiring material.

With Dan Curtis' prolific contributions to TV horror, Scream of the Wolf feels like quick assembly- line schlock, and is far more derivative and tedious than any of his better work ( The Night Stalker, the Dark Shadows series and theatrical release spin-off films, the stellar Trilogy of Terror). Curtis directs this "thriller" with a curious mixture of meandering narrative and low-wattage plotting. Peter Graves tracks a potential werewolf through the canyons of Hollywood, and some of the night footage in the barren hills above LA is evocative. Similarly, fans of groovy interiors and costuming (think suede blazers; think polyester turtlenecks, think Op Art kravats) will enjoy the period details, but this superficial gloss cannot compensate for what is basically a lame remake of The Most Dangerous Game (1932). Those seeking detective thrillers with faux supernatural overtones would do best to dig up a few choice episodes of McCloud, Mannix or Columbo. Mysteriously enough, Scream is enjoying a brief revival on the Fox Movie Channel, so watch at your own late night risk.

Even worse is Curtis Harrington's dismal and silly Devil Dog. The titular creature is a benign looking German Shepherd (admitedly not a normally easy thing to convey, given the breed's fierce appearance) who rather than actually attack his victims prefers to hypnotize them into self-destruction (leaping from windows etc). When the monster does choose to get physical, it appears as a preposterously animated canine demon. Never thought I'd see the day when I longed for a CGI scene!

All the non-existent mayhem is due to a Southern California satanic cult that impregnates the dog's mother via a hokey occult ritual. The opening scene does feature a cameo by the lovely Martine Beswick (From Russia with Love, Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, One Million Years, B.C.), who by the late 70s looks tired and embarassed by her choice of material.