Dir. Seth Breedlove (2023)
This road trip across Texas talks about the mythical Dogman, the legendary werewolves that are said to stalk the Texas countryside.
CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
From Small Town Monsters, the creators of the previously-covered documentaries Bloodlines: The Jersey Devil Curse and American Werewolves, comes the new documentary about alleged werewolf activity in Texas. With writer Aaron Deese, who wrote a book about the phenomenon, the Small Town Monsters crew takes aim at the mysterious sightings of Dogmen in the triangle of Texas made up of the area between San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. There are dozens of people who claim to have seen the cryptids, wolf-like creatures who stand on two legs and walk (and run) like humans. The Wolfmen are basically werewolves, save for the fact that they aren't supposed to be human or under a curse like the old beasts of yore. No, these are straight-up monsters, not unlike other territories' Bigfoot or Jersey Devil creatures.
As a huge fan of the cryptid community (and a general believer in some of the more popular monsters), these stories are always fascinating to me in their relative similarities between each other. It's difficult for me to believe that thousands of people over hundreds of years could all be wrong, especially when their stories all describe similar animals and their behaviors. While the Dogmen, the focus of this documentary, doesn't soun particularly credible, it's still an intriguing concept and there are some really creepy encounters that are recounted within the doc. Sure, most of these sightings could easily be explained by either emaciated bears or actual wolves, but if that's not the case... well, these are truly frightening creatures.
The beginning of the documentary is absolutely terrifying, reminiscent of short films by Local 58 or Gemini Home Entertainment (and if you haven't watched any of these folks' YouTube videos, you're missing out on some truly horrifying shorts). It's actually strikingly similar to Gemini's World's Weirdest Animals video, to the point I would argue it's probably a bit of a ripoff. Either way, it's pretty effectively frightening and helps to set the stage for the stories that are to come. It's well-done enough to make one wonder what it would look like if Small Town Monsters decided to make a feature-length horror movie instead of documentaries.
If you're a fan of cryptids, The Dogman Triangle is an interesting documentary that handles all parts of the cryptid community with respect and adequate skepticism as well. They discuss the possibility that these creatures are mangy bears or even just large regular dogs as well, and they don't dismiss it out of hand either. The doc even delves into tulpas, a particularly freaky phenomenon that has taken hold of some communities around the internet in recent years (and is a truly concerning trend if you're interested in learning more about it). Small Town Monsters does a great job of gathering at least seemingly credible sources who are willing to critique their own perspectives, a rarity in the community of people who believe in such creatures. Good cryptid documentaries are hard to find, as they're usually either rabid defenders of the belief or are simply taking aim at people they believe to be of lesser intelligence. Small Town Monsters handles the cryptid community with respect while also maintaining a healthy does of disbelief as well.
Small Town Monsters takes an all-encompassing look into the Dogman phenomenon in a way that more documentaries should take note of. It's an interesting point that there has to be something to some of these stories: they can't all be lying, right? Surely there's something out there, something that these otherwise normal people have come across that traumatized them. Is it a dogman? Is it a bear? Is it something... even worse? Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of belief, Small Town Monsters has you covered, and The Dogman Triangle is another entry in their series of fascinating documentaries about less-common cryptids around the country.
Who this movie is for: Cryptid crazies, Documentary fans, Westminster Dog Show judges
Bottom line: Small Town Monsters are great at what they do, and The Dogman Triangle is another great doc by the group. If you're a fan of cryptids, you definitely want to check this one out. The illustrations are terrifying, the stories are fascinating, and it's all done so well without leading the audience completely to one side or the other. I highly recommend giving this one, as well as the other docs made by the group, a look.
