Now available on DVD
Cast:
Scott Elrod as Kleitos
Adam Butcher as Nikandros
Amanda Brooks as Demetria
J.A. Woods as Theron
Ben Cross as King Leander
Indra Ove as Seer
Directed by Rick Schroder
Review:
Hellhounds, part of the Maneater Series of creature features, is a strange hybrid of mythology and horror that is too much of the former and not enough of the latter. While there is a small amount of gore on display, it seems like maybe the Hallmark Channel would have been more appropriate than Syfy. It is no surprise that Robert Halmi Jr., master of the made-for-TV movie, is an executive producer.
The first hour is sort of a micro-budget sword-and-sandals tale (courtesy of Romanian locations).
Warrior hero Kleitos (Scott Elrod) is about to marry Demetria (Amanda Brooks), beautiful daughter of King Leander (Benn Cross in what amounts to a cameo). On their wedding day the dastardly Theron (J.A. Woods), formerly known as Kleitos’s best friend, poisons Demetria because he cannot have her. The poor lovely princess has been damned to the underworld. It seems that Hades wants a pure, virgin bride, and she fits the bill. Unless Kleitos can rescue her in the next three days, Demetria will be trapped in the underworld for eternity.
The titular beasts don’t factor into the first hour much. They occasionally chase Demetria, mostly off screen, and that’s about it. The journey to and through the underworld is the focal point. Kleitos and a few fellow warriors travel through places like the “prison of souls” and “temple of the damned” on their perilous quest to save Demetria. This is mildly diverting but mainly dull.
When Hades unleashes his hellhounds to kill Kleitos and get Demetria back, the movie displays more of a pulse. The CGI beasts are basically large, mean black dogs, but they look pretty good considering the budget. Unfortunately we don’t see nearly enough of them. They are on screen chasing people from time to time but most of their killing and maiming is done off screen. Why bother making a movie about these ferocious creatures only to keep them on the sidelines?
Though Elrod is extremely stiff and flat in the lead, the supporting cast is solid and aware of the type of movie they are in. Woods, bearing a resemblance to Olympic champion Apolo Ohno, snarls convincingly and appears to be enjoying himself. Also hamming it up in entertaining fashion is Indra Ove as a witch, or “seer,” who helps Kleitos understand and navigate the underworld. They liven things up a bit at least. A few throwaway lines about getting drunk and bedding women also add to the goofy fun that periodically makes its way to the screen.
Mostly Hellhounds shares the same problem as Phantom Racer, despite being a better movie. People sitting down to see these movies want to witness bloodshed and mayhem. That is what they are tuning in for. These low-budget creature features (or whatever the villain is) need to spend more time on the creatures. Hellhounds avoids the excessive melodrama that plagues Phantom Racer but falls short of delivering a satisfying monster movie.
