Film Review: Dogman3: Fight to the Finish

5 Stars

By Joseph Beyer | Oct. 26, 2024

Though the story began in 1887 with a reported attack in Michigan’s Wexford County from a creature “with a dog’s head and a man’s body,” the legend of the Dogman lay relatively dormant for 100 years. That was until Traverse City DJ Steve Cook recorded “The Legend of Dogman” for WTCM, a hit song that brought the mythology roaring back around campfires everywhere.

It got veteran filmmaker and Benzie County creative Rich Brauer thinking—and he knew a good franchise when he saw one. So in 2011, Brauer Productions put the monster mutt on screen for the first time in his now cult-classic feature Dogman.

Brauer followed the underground hit quickly with Dogman2: The Wrath of the Litter in 2014, which featured a continuation of the often light-hearted horror. Think “just when you thought it was safe” and the same cast of characters suddenly finding themselves fighting a new breed of Dogman offspring.

B-Movie maverick Roger Corman would have loved it.

And for those fans who have been on the edge of their seats ever since (and there are many), it’s been over a decade waiting for Dogman3: Fight to the Finish.

But the time has come. And on Oct. 26 at 7:30 pm, Brauer and his cast and crew will not only premiere the third installment of the now infamous series at the Garden Theater in Frankfort, but true loyalists can also screen the whole marathon in a special trilogy event not far from where it was all shot. 

Dogman3 will be instantly familiar to fans, picking up with the central character of Hank Purvis: an outdoorsman who first discovers Dogman and has become plagued by the beast ever since. Purvis and his encounters take place in an unnamed Midwestern town, where the whole community must band together to understand the demon, fight it, and survive. Not all will, of course, and that’s part of the intentional fun.

Played again by veteran television actor Larry Joe Campbell, Purvis is a sort of Tim Walz-ish Everyman who brings the common sense approach to the campy hunt for the Dogman that delights and grounds the chase. 

Campbell is joined by notable performances from Kimberly Guerrero of Reservation Dogs fame as the spiritual guide Francis Wellman, Purvis’ neighbor who tries to intuit the animal’s emotions and motivations. Actress Stacie Mitchell returns as Meg Samels, a smart heroine unwillingly caught up in the Dogman chaos. The trio are pitch perfect with Brauer’s scripts and have been featured in all three films. 

Brauer continues his tradition in Dogman3 of using locals and professional actors side-by-side in a tonal blend that keeps the film feeling fresh and unexpected throughout. (One of the enduring franchise mysteries is who plays the Dogman, as the role remains uncredited.) 

Shot by director of photography Brett Bowers, the visual style is far from being horrific, but is just enough to satisfy those of the genre. And the cinematography uses suspense and psychological humor more than blood to create its menacing tone. As for the victims, each will meet the Dogman End in unique and entertaining ways. 

Writer, director, and producer Brauer has said this the final installment of the Dogman storyline, but true to haunting form, Dogman3 ends with a tiny-dog-teaser that could easily be picked up again later when audiences want more. 

Known as a mentor to Michigan filmmakers, Brauer and his sets have always been a welcoming sandbox for the next generation of makers to learn from his decades of uniquely independent grit of making films. Perhaps one of them will pick up where Brauer has left the Dogman…and maybe that was a plan all along? 

What’s great about this new film is that you don’t necessarily need the backstories, but if you know you know. No matter how you come to it, Dogman3 stands alone as a wild and charming experience. Especially with a posse or audience to enjoy it together and howl out loud.

If you pick up this edition of the Express early in the week, note that tickets for the Saturday, Oct. 26, premiere of Dogman3 at 7:30pm are $11 for adults, with additional tickets for the full trilogy marathon available at gardentheater.org. Dogman and Dogman2 can be streamed anytime on Amazon, with Dogman3 coming later this year.