[Book Review] Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers (2022)

As the horror world gears up for the beautiful new Second Sight release of Dog Soldiers (2002), and we celebrate twenty years of arguably one of the best werewolf movies out there, it seems like the perfect time to show Neil Marshall’s horror debut as much love as it deserves.

I would say I am a super fan of the Scottish-set werewolves versus soldiers scare fest that Neil Marshall unleashed upon the world in 2002, but that was before I knew about Janine Pipe. And Janine has turned her love and admiration for this movie and everyone involved in it into the type of book which the horror world needs more of. One which drips joy from every page and never does anything apart from making you want to watch Dog Soldiers over and over again. 

Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers (2022) is a horror non-fiction book which isn’t necessarily interested in studying the techniques behind the making of the film, or diving deeper into the hidden themes that Neil Marshall may have peppered in between brutal death scenes. Instead, this book is a love letter to a movie which has been watched tens, if not hundreds of times by the author. Janine is very upfront about this, saying that if people are looking for info on behind-the-scenes fighting, they won’t find any of that here. 

However, that’s not to say that this book is fluffy and light on content. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Janine may be a superfan, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t done her research. While the pages of this book are stuffed with love for the movie, Neil Marshall, and the cast, Janine has managed to speak to most of the people involved with the making of Dog Soldiers. This allows for plenty of behind-the-scenes information right from when Neil Marshall first created the idea for the film, through to Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Darren Morfitt, and company running around the woods in Luxembourg, and even what happened after the movie wrapped and was released. 

As well as her own passion for the movie, Janine is excellent at getting across just how much fun everyone involved in the movie had, with many calling it their favourite shoot ever. I’m sure those meetings between Janine and the cast and crew were full of excitement and a shared love for Dog Soldiers, which really comes across as you read. 

There is literally no stone unturned in this book, with Janine going through every scene in the movie, analysing it for the bits she loves and the bits that terrify her, interspersed with commentary and insider information from those who were there. It was a delight to basically relive the entire film with her, hoping she would highlight the bits I love too, and laughing at all the hilarious quotes Neil Marshall blessed us with.

We also get to learn about casting choices that were sadly never meant to be, plotlines that were cut and added to the movie when it was finally picked up, and whether Kevin McKidd really did mean to punch Sean Pertwee for getting more than a little drunk on set. 

As well as creating a horror book that was an absolute delight to read, it seems Janine has made some real friendships from the cast and crew she’s spoken to, and the whole book made me smile every time I picked it up. You could feel the joy from everyone involved radiating off the page, and it’s impressive that it made me fall in love with Dog Soldiers even more than I already was.

If you have even a passing interest in Dog Soldiers, I recommend picking this book up. Not only will you learn so much about how this movie was created, but it’s another fun way to sink into the glorious world that Neil Marshall created in that remote Scottish cottage 20 years ago. Janine’s passion for this project seeps into every word she writes, and it’s an utter joy to read. 

Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers is the perfect mix of behind-the-scenes info and complete obsession for a movie that still stands up as well as it did twenty years ago. Janine is a shining bundle of happiness in the world of horror non-fiction and I can’t wait to read more from her. 

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