As a dog lover, I typically prefer movies in which the dog does not die, and I especially love it when dogs save the day in movies and TV shows. However, for every lovable pop culture pet, some have forced me to question the inherent innocence of domesticated animals. The following is a look back on some bad pets from movies and TV shows, which range from simply unruly to just downright evil.
Lucifer (Cinderella)
Even the kindhearted and optimistic title hero of Disney’s classic animated movie, 1950’s Cinderella, struggled to name a single positive quality about the aptly named Lucifer. This cat was as nasty as his owner, Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine.
sympathetic horror movie villains, but I would not say the same about the leader of his pack of killer rats, Ben. The rodent, who led his own self-titled 1972 sequel, is at first loyal to Willard, killing anyone he asks, until he begins to feel that his fellow rats have grown confused over who their true king is.
Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the titular young wizard (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) fearfully come face-to-face with a giant, three-headed, dog-like creature named Fluffy. Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) claims that his Cerberus means well, but it also takes its job of guarding the Sorcerer’s Stone very seriously.
classic episode of Friends from Season 5, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) spends $1000 on Mrs. Whiskerson, a hairless feline that Joey (Matt LeBlanc) repeatedly insists is “NOT A CAT!” When her new pet proves not to be as sweet as she hoped, leaving her covered in scratches, and creeps her out with hisses that sound like her name, Rachel tries to give her up, and the only one who agrees to take her is Gunther (James Michael Tyler), who assumes the animal is a snake.
disastrous movie productions is that of Roar, which is set on an African wildlife preserve where big cats run amok… on and offscreen. As the trailer for the 1981 thriller starring Melanie Griffith reveals, the live animal attacks did not just stop at the script, as a whopping 70 cast and crew members were injured on set.
best horror movies of all time, including the astonishing performance by a canine actor named Jed. The film’s heroes, a research crew stationed in the Arctic, take in a stray sled dog, inexplicably under attack by two Norwegians, unaware that it is really a shapeshifting alien in disguise.
The Hangover, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), wake up with no memory of their friend Doug’s (Justin Bartha) disastrous Vegas bachelor party and find a few interesting items in their hotel room, including a tiger that they learn belongs to Mike Tyson. The big cat would have to be sedated in order for the Wolf Pack to safely transport him to the boxing legend’s home.
1983 adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo. Mechanic Joe Camber’s St. Bernard is a perfectly friendly pet until he suffers a bat bite and becomes stricken with rabies, leading him to murder his owner and force Donna (Dee Wallace) and Tad Trenton (Danny Pintauro) to barricade themselves in their car on Camber’s property for days.
most gruesome deaths on Game of Thrones, including that of their despicable owner himself.
holiday movie favorite, A Christmas Story, is told largely from a juvenile point of view, I imagine there would not be nearly as many hounds as what appear on screen in real, but I have no doubt that at least two or three of them would be capable of ruining the family’s delicious turkey dinner.
creature feature Lake Placid stars Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, and Oliver Platt as a trio tasked with keeping their community safe from an abnormally large crocodile. It is eventually revealed that Betty White’s character, Mrs. Bickerman, has been obliging in the creature’s appetites, as well as those of its offspring, in the years since it ate her husband.
1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, the Creeds’ family cat, Winston “Church” Churchill, was a friendly pet until the day he was fatally run over by a car. By his neighbor’s advice, Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) buries the cat in a Native American burial ground, and the next day, he returns, but without his soul, making him into a putrid, murderous menace.
wrong place at the wrong time and must barricade themselves in the back of a bar against skinheads and their pitbull, who is trained to kill on command.
horror anthology film, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, not even skilled contract killer Halston (David Johansen) is a match for a fearsome black feline, whose owner, Drogan (William Hickey), is convinced is responsible for several deaths that have occurred in his home.
Pixar’s 1995 favorite Toy Story, the lost Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) not only have to survive Sid, but also his bull terrier, Scud, who destroys children’s playthings on a regular basis. You could argue he is just acting in his nature to chew on whatever toy is thrown at him, but in the sequel, we meet Buster, who treats Andy’s toys with love and respect.
Japanese horror movie, 1977’s House (or Hausu), a group of teenage girls must contend with many terrifying obstacles in a haunted house, including a seemingly innocent kitty named Blanche. She eventually shows her true colors when she begins shooting lasers out of her eyes and transforms herself into a blood-puking wall painting.
bottle episode of Drake & Josh, the stepbrothers are asked to look after Mrs. Hayfer’s Rottweiler, Tiberius, while she is away, but end up spending an entire night barricading themselves in her bathroom out of fear of his vicious attack.
Prince (The People Under The Stairs)
In Wes Craven’s underrated 1991 flick, The People Under the Stairs, Brandon Quinton Adams’ Fool finds himself trapped inside his landlords’ house of horrors, which is guarded by their menacing Rottweiler, Prince.
Lucky (Devil Dog: The Hound Of Hell)
In the 1978 made-for-TV movie, Devil Dog: The Hound Of Hell, a family adopts a German Shepherd they name Lucky, unaware his previous owners were Satanists who unwillingly involved him in a ritual that did a real number on his behavior.