The Michigan Dogman has been lurking around the edges of pop culture for decades now—part campfire story, part late-night-radio fever dream, part “my cousin swears he saw it behind the Arby’s.” Dawn of the Dogman takes all that glorious weirdness and says, “Okay, but what if we actually tried to make sense of this thing?” Director Seth Breedlove and the Small Town Monsters crew dive headfirst into the legend, brushing aside the clickbait fog to see who's actually been chasing this wolf-man with a gym membership.
Breedlove, who at this point has basically become the Anthony Bourdain of cryptid documentaries (minus the food and existential despair), doesn’t waste time with cheap scares. Instead, he interviews the folks who’ve been documenting the Dogman since way before the internet decided everything needed a conspiracy theory attached. It’s surprisingly grounded—like listening to your uncle tell a story that starts out funny and suddenly gets a little too specific.
Front and center is Linda Godfrey, the researcher who accidentally introduced the Dogman to the world back in the late ’80s, when Gen X kids were parked in front of tube TVs watching Unsolved Mysteries and avoiding our feelings. Her calm, matter-of-fact delivery makes the whole thing feel less like a tall tale and more like, “Look, you can believe me or not, I’m just telling you what happened.” As a follow-up to The Bray Road Beast, her presence gives the new film both continuity and credibility.
Visually, the documentary does exactly what you want: lots of shadowy woods, lots of “something moved over there,” lots of that Midwest atmosphere where the nearest town is an hour away but somehow there’s always a Dairy Queen. It’s the tenth anniversary of Small Town Monsters, and you can feel them firing on all cylinders—more confident, more polished, and still charmingly obsessed with the question, “Okay, but what if this thing is real?”
Funded by their 2025 Kickstarter diehards, Dawn of the Dogman hits Apple TV, Prime Video, and Google Play on December 9, 2025. And because these people never sleep, another Kickstarter drops in February 2026. Whether or not you think the Dogman is an actual creature roaming Michigan—or just the world’s most dedicated fuzzy cosplayer—the documentary makes one thing clear: some legends stick around because they’re fun, a little spooky, and just plausible enough to make you check the woods before you go back to your car.
MPAA Rating: unrated.
Runtime: 77 mins
Director: Seth Breedlove
Writer:
Cast:
Genre: Horror | Documentary
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "It had claw marks and teeth marks that were over seven feet tall."
Distributor: Small Town Monsters
Official Site: https://www.smalltownmonsters.com/shop/dawn
Release Date: December 9, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: For decades, the Michigan Dogman has haunted the forests and backroads of the Great Lakes State-a towering, wolf-like creature said to walk on two legs, terrifying those who cross its path. This gripping documentary delves deep into the legend, exploring chilling eyewitness accounts, historical records, and never-before-seen interviews with the late cryptozoologist and author Linda Godfrey, whose research helped bring the Dogman into the public eye. Through expert analysis, and stunning reenactments, Dawn of the Dogman uncovers the truth behind one of America's most enduring cryptid mysteries.
