REVIEW: Is the Dogman real? This documentary wants to find out.
Photo: The Dogman Triangle: Werewolves of the Lone Star State is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Photo courtesy of Small Town Monsters / Provided by Justin Cook PR with permission.
The team at Small Town Monsters, a leading production company in all things cryptozoological, has amassed quite the library of documentaries exploring the many creatures that are allegedly traipsing around the United States and beyond. They have Bigfoot films, Mothman movies and UFO chronicles. One of their latest is called The Dogman Triangle: Werewolves in the Lone Star State, which takes a deep dive into the legend of a so-called Dogman in the heart of Texas (the actual triangle is formed by linking up three major metropolitan areas in the state).
Skeptics will likely leave the documentary still retaining their Dana Scully status. Believers will likely find evidence that is affirming of their beliefs. That’s to be expected in a film about cryptids. Others, let’s call them the skeptically curious, enjoy these exposés for a bit of adventure and entertainment. That’s why shows about Bigfoot still dominate the airwaves; that’s why so many people keep these local legends going. No harm, no foul, right?
In many ways, what Small Town Monsters accomplishes with its many movies and podcasts — and now books! — is offer a bit of armchair history on local legends. One walks away from their films with a better understanding of tucked-away corners of the United States, even if one’s belief in the creatures is still evasive.
The Dogman Triangle, which is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD, is expertly directed by Seth Breedlove, featuring interviews with supposed eyewitnesses of a creature that is doglike, but also bipedal. Could it be a werewolf of some kind? Could it be a bear seen from a distance (bears can walk upright for short distances)? Does mange or some other parasitic condition cause a sick animal to look suspicious?
When these documentaries ask questions based in science, there are many interesting conversations to be had. Eventually, when science fails to find an answer, the supernatural is bandied about, and sometimes this reviewer’s interest factor drops a few notches. But that’s simply a product of my placement on the Scully-Mulder scale (Scully being a zero on the skeptic end, and Mulder a 10 at the believer end; I’m a firm five, but would love to be convinced and brought up to 10). The supernatural is so limitless that when these creature features inevitably turn in that direction, the storyline can spiral a bit.
What keeps this movie grounded are the on-screen subjects who are asking the questions: author Aaron Deese, who is something of a Dogman expert, and interviewer Shannon LeGro. Amongst the interview subjects is cryptic expert Lyle Blackburn, a legend himself in this field.
The Dogman Triangle serves its purpose, and then some, bringing mysterious content to viewers who are looking for mysterious content. Werewolves likely do not exist in Texas, but asking these fun questions about beasts in the night is still adventurous.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Dogman Triangle: Werewolves in the Lone Star State (2023). Directed by Seth Breedlove. Featuring Aaron Deese and Shannon LeGro. Running time: 70 minutes. Now available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD. Click here for more information.
