Mongrel – USA, 1982

‘Tormented visions of a beast…’

Mongrel is a 1982 American horror film written and directed by Robert A. Burns; it stars Terry Evans, Catherine Molloy and Mitch Pileggi. Aldo Ray has a cameo role.

Robert A. Burns was a Texas-based art director, most famous for his seminal work on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), although he also worked on other key genre entries such as The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Tourist Trap (1979), The Howling (1981) and Re-Animator (1985), plus minor entries such as Time Walker, Mausoleum and Microwave Massacre.

A boarding house in Texas. A grim practical joke backfires – and the slaughter begins. A vicious beast prowls the halls at night. Or does it? Is it the twisted imagination of the misfit tenants? Only one thing is certain… the killing never stops!

Reviews:

“This 80’s horror movie may be short on scares or gore, but it makes up for it with some enjoyably oddball characters (notably a young Mitch ‘X-Files‘ Pileggi) and a surprisingly engaging and fairly original story, despite the ‘twist’ being rather predictable.” David Brook, Blueprint: review

“Mongrel is an offbeat, uneven, but semi-rewarding horror flick that is bound to disappoint anyone who wants to see a Killer Dog Movie. However, there are more than one or two surprises throughout the film that made me enjoy it to a point. I also admired Burns’ knack for paying off everything he sets up.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

” …the biggest disappointment of the film is the lack of Robert A. Burns’ signature crazy production design. There’s no credited designer, so I assume Burns did his own dressing, but although the movie – like Texas Chain Saw – takes place largely in one big house, there isn’t much effort to make it interesting.” Christopher Funderburg, The Pink Smoke