Dog of God – FrightFest 2025 Movie Review
First Reaction – Dog of God is a twisted tale of the witch trials spiralling out of control.
Director: Lauris Abele, Raitis Abele
Writer: Lauris Abele, Raitis Abele, Ivo Briedis, Harijs Grundmanis (Screenplay)
Cast
- Armands Bergis
- Kristians Karelins
- Agate Krista
- Einars Repse
- Jurgis Spulenieks
Plot: Rotoscoped animation depicts a 17th century witch trial in Livonia that uncovers a werewolf within a devout community.
Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Dog of God starts in the middle of the witch trials in Livonia. The powers that be take control of the villages and put their demands on the villagers. Meanwhile, an unexpected series of events leave them making a startling discover within their ranks.
The villagers discover a werewolf causing a threat and look to solve the problem. However, it creates more problems for their devout community who following everything they say.
Verdict on Dog of God
Recap
The movie follows a devout 17th century village tackling the belief witches are among them. This is until they discover another threat, which could see their world come crashing down around them.
Best Parts
This explores the darkness in the witch trials and how many innocent victims were killed for questionable beliefs. The animation style is great and blends the darkness within the concepts in the story being told.
Worst Parts
There is a lot of over sexualization behind the story here. It might not be for everyone and feels a bit awkward at times too. Elsewhere, we have seem similar stories before, with facing witchcraft under false beliefs and something bigger happening. This is what we generally get here.
Final Thoughts – Dog of God is great animation for a twisted tale.
