GHOST DOGS directed by Joe Cappa (Sundance 2021 Official Selection) 

I like the ending of the ghost dogs being able to carry on to the afterlife once the Roomba was stopped. Not because they were avenged from having being killed in the basement, but because the scary vacuum was finally vanquished.

As a horror buff you've think you've seen it all. But this brings back the old question of what is really horrifying? The innocence of the dog proves that horror is subjective; what an amazing display of creativity!

I love the main dog’s design, something about it is super charming and cute. I love how the dog is only scared of the roomba and the dark

I just wanna say Joe your sound design is absolutely incredible. It’s easy for people to forget but THAT’S what’s selling the authenticity and mood of so many scenes. The sound design especially shines in this 10 minute video with no spoken word. Just back to back to back good choices and quality sound. Really impressed

The quick cut from the skeleton corpse, to the dog chewing on it was perfect comic relief timing. I lol'd because it was a hilarious concept, but I was waiting for the other shoe to drop so badly that it just made it that much more hilarious/wholesome.

The use of the training clicker sound hauntingly attempting to lure the dog into the basement with a familiar sound it should be obedient towards is genius. Idk if you’re reading this but in ALL of your work your sound design is a cut above the rest. It’s easy to not notice how much you put into it, and that’s what makes it so brilliant. You should feel very proud of yourself for this. Beautiful stuff, dude. Keep it up I’m here for whatever you make.

This is such a cool concept. Having an oblivious character in a horror setting is something that needs to be done more Keep up the amazing work Joe.

Aww.. I feel like the living dog was able to follow them through to the afterlife bc the house was about to burn down and kill him/ her. What a great film- conveyed so much with no need for words.

The way this was able convey the difference between a human's concerns and the concerns of a puppy is amazing all while making the audience concered about both. The puppy had no fear of the skeletons in the basement, or meat hooks why would he? He doesn't understand the cultist signs or meanings, yet the roomba is the real tangable threat. I have a feeling ill be coming back to this video just awesome

This is incredible. You are very talented Joe! I love how the dog is unfazed by all the absolute horrors, but to the dog the vacuum is horrifying!

this was more suspenseful and had a story that made more sense than any actual horror movie ive seen in the last 5 years it feels like. truly a piece of art.

I lost my shit when all the ghost dogs shined up their red rockets at the dog food commercial. I think you and Zack Hadel should do something together. Y'all are both so talented and funny

Loved it. Truly an eerie environment encapsulated in this entirely unfamiliar realm of absurdity. I never felt comfortable, or that the living dog was ever safe. Kudos to you!

The whole time the dog as the main character, behaving as a dog actually would in these situations, is insightful and symbolic on so many levels.

A masterpiece. Love the twist, revealing the dogs were good but unfortunate boys all along. 10/10 this better win something at Sundance!

The ultrasounds to attract the dogs in the ad is a nice detail

The psychedelic scene truly immerses you into the mind of a dog. Such simple examples. Well done.

There's so much I love about this 1. The small ghost dog just staring at the alive dog after the other ghost dogs left 2. The fact the ghosts dogs are in normal positions for dogs but the way you drew them makes it unsettling

This is actually genius. Us humans feel fear for the dog given what visual queues are horrifying to us. The dog is oblivious to these and fears the vacuum. We therefore feel the fear he feels for the vacuum, just through different visual stimuli. The animated character on the tv is hilarious too. Well done your animations are hilarious and this one offered dramatic depth and more than I've seen from you. Very cool.

Genuinely unsettling. One of the best up and coming animators. Incredible story design as well.

Dude, I had the tingle. Been awhile since I had the tingle. You know, the feeling when you come across something incredible on RU-vid. When you discover a new part of yourself that enjoys new adventures. I appreciate you man. I can tell you have a passion for what you do, which is making kick ass animations. I’m giving your entire channel a long play, you deserve it. You’ve earned it. I think I’m in bro. I’m in on the tingle.

This was amazing. The ghost dogs faces were the best thing ever, and they had like a human hands. It was beautiful I literally cried of laughter.

The entire time I was flipping between "I swear nothing better happen to that puppy" and "Where the hell are her owners?" lol

I was prepared to make a Scooby Snack joke but this is truly incredible. The amount of detail that is in every frame is stunning. The horror and tension is palpable and all without a single word. Excellent work. I really hope you don't get snubbed because this deserves attention.

I think a lot of people sort of pigeonhole you as strictly a comedy/satire/absurdist animator but this is an excellent piece of storytelling and really highlights a lot of your talents, particularly the sound/voice/music design. Loved the hallucinatory sequence as well, very nicely done. Thanks for sharing Joe I'm a big fan of your work and you deserve the recognition 👏

The way the dog food sales man’s mouth moved was just absolutely incredible. You’re so talented

in this short you captured what draws me to xenofiction - the stark contrast between the horrors of the world and the fantasy of hoping your innocent, helpless protagonist is just clever enough to make it out okay. the psychedelic scene also strongly reminded me of a lot of my memories as a very heavily dissociated child. the fast movement, the flashes of some recognizable objects but not being able to make sense of them, the feeling like you can’t stop anything that’s happening or understand it at all. it’s the intimate blend of the home and the horror of not understanding what’s going on inside of it even though you live there. super well done. i got chills.

The fucking colors and environment man holy shit. It’s so nostalgic. I love the idea that the house is fully lit, yet windows are open, pitch black and pouring out. I love how bold the writing generally is and it throws a ton of personality into the cohesive style. Everything fits together so well, I hate to gush on things and I rarely ever do but holy shit. Absolutely beautiful, I really hope there’s more!

I like to think the ghost dogs came to save the new pup from the owners dark rituals which killed them all before. Such a sick story, in every sense of the word! Cool as hell, gut wrenching and creepy. Very glad I gave it a chance.

I count 8 skulls in the basement, but 9 ghost dogs jacking it in the living room.

How one would imagine this and put it together is absolutely amazing. They say art is stagnant and boring now and then something like this, and all of your other work comes along and proves that you just need to look in the right places. Your work brings so many different emotions and is very entertaining. It’s just the right amount of ‘weird and unsettling’ and ‘familiar’ that it just works. Great job

Holy shit! Sundance!? Adult swim and now this. My dude's killing it

Idk why but the "You wanna show your dog that they mean the world to ya. COME ON NOW" in the dog food commercial got me.

Joe you are unbelievable man holy shit. Like that transition around the 7 min mark in the pups dream state perfectly captures the ramping-up-anxiety feeling of a real nightmare.

The Roomba is portrayed as the monster in this film but the dogs are the creepiest, they just hate the Roomba lol. I loved it

Thanks for bringing back Adult Swim and making it true again. Umami, good creator. We simple folk need your talents for the day to day.

This is far more amazing than it even needs to be. What an incredible, affecting story executed so adeptly and accessibly. I especially love that ghost dogs have human bodies.

as a dog owner, all of the dog-isms in this are spot-on

I like how the dog immediately relaxes when the ghosts appear.

I was remarking to myself how unsettling this was, but so entrancing at the same time...then 3:20 hit, and I have to walk away for a while.

I saw a snippet of your work through reddit, and a link in the comments directed me to one of your shorts... But this, homie? Whole 'nother level. The pacing of the storyline, the perspective shifts, the absolute *fever dream*, and even the storytelling itself is top notch. The dog-ghosts manifest the wormman's because they want the new pup to live long, and they all hide in the basement because that's their final resting place... I assume the new dog fell down the stairs at one point, and we don't see that happening because it wakes up upside-down, presumably losing its memory. The funny little dog destroys the canine effigy and returns upstairs, but only after the real beast is slain can the spirits move on... *the robot vacuum*. The spirits don't have any resentment towards their owners because they're dogs; they can't hate their owners.

Lol. The Roomba dying was their ticket to the afterlife. Love it!

You are about to see an explosion of growth. This is some of the highest quality animation I have seen on RU-vid. Truly amazing. Edit: Went from 70k to 93k subscribers in 24 hours. Insane

This is beautiful. The dog was fearless and maybe he knew what he was doing the whole time, even if he didn’t know, the way the ghost dogs were saved from a horrible ritual and the house burning down after, that dog is a G. Dogs Devine. This is so deep, be fearless.

3:26 Us when Joe Cappa uploads a video

The f*** did I have to stumble upon this during a trip?? FML😂

I like how at the end the roomba's beeping as the fire was spreading almost made it sound like it was saying: "Is that fire? what's underneath me? Oh that's fire. Is this a bone? AY WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT"

Those ghost dogs' legs bending the wrong way was some kind of special. Adds some extra layer to one cleaning itself and the one curled up hugging its knees.

Sometimes words fall short. Like there aren’t words in the english language to convey how good this is.

I've never seen art or animation like this before, I started watching these on TikTok and fell in love with them. This one had me on the edge of my seat 😂

When the shinning becomes “the sniffing”

The best part is in the commerical when the old guy calls his dog, and the zoom in take of the dog running past with this hilarious blank derpy face omfg

Joe, if you told me this was directed by Robert Eggers, I’d believe you. This was absolutely incredible! I truly hope you do more “horror” like this in the future. Astounding.

The sound design and surreal imagery are 10/10. I was torn at first, seeing all the wall hangings proudly displaying that the family loves dogs and make them so centerpiece, despite locking it away in the laundry room.

"The backrooms for dogs" haha. This was brilliant, I couldn't tear my eyes away and kept laughing out loud. What scares us vs what scares a dog. Just great animation!

I loved this. The clicker sound was the icing on the cake. I also laughed out loud at that brilliant cut to the dog chewing on the bone. Of course a dog would drag that whole thing upstairs .

I knew he was good but damn, he blew all of our balls out of the water with this one 👑🖤

I wish the abusers burned up with the house, and I'm glad that the pups-- both ghost and corporeal-- escaped. Everything about this; the storyline and the soundtrack, the intensity and suspense, the artwork and animation, the depiction of your characters and the bleak, horrible, psychotic house; is amazing, beautifully realized and unique. Your creation certainly gave me some interesting feelings and thoughts. I just hope I don't dream about it. Thank you for sharing your art. I don't think that I'll never forget this. I've always thought Roombas were extra creepy.

That was simply incredible. Disturbing, well animated, and nerve wracking. You’re such a rare talent!

I really liked at the beginning when the Roomba was the guide to show the different parts of the house and the storm/lightning being used to show things in shadow, also those ghost dogs are so unsettling to me because of the human bodies, this was cool!

Loved this. I was so nervous for the living dog the whole time. Loved the story and loved the sense of relief at the end. You’re a mad scientist, my friend. You have mastered the art of absurdity.

In the future, when dogs become sentient and capable of building a civilization. They will use this video as a horror movie.

8:48 This cut is everything. The whole time I didn’t even realize I was waiting for a joke. I have not laughed that hard in a good while. Thank you.

Excellent! I love the little Easter eggs in each scene and the Kubrick style!

literally a one of a kind animator, this was amazing

Yeah this is amazing. No two ways about it. Just phenomenal, from top to bottom. The storytelling, the animation, the character design, the sound design, the direction.

That was definitely one of the videos of all time

You deserve all the success coming your way man!

I saw this at a festival almost three years ago now, hasn't left my mind for more than a week since. Thank you

This really did have me sucked in like a vacuum the whole time. Such incredible story telling.

The movement of the dog is absolutely perfect. As someone who owns hound dogs and their puppies, it’s upsettingly how it is.

This has such a rough, but detailed look to it, just oozing with personality. Reminds me of the style John Celestri animations have.

This guy would be a perfect addition for the adult swim line up

Joe, this is STUNNING. Everything I love about weird surrealism, horror and sound design. Bravo to you and your team!

Hey Joe, I wanted to tell you that I really like your content without a big fake story about overcoming alcoholism or the recent death of someone no one else cares about. You've been putting out some great stuff and I've really enjoyed it.

I honestly laughed my a** off when it cuts to the dog just chewing on the spooky skeleton, I did not see that one coming 🤣

Meat canyon has always been my favorite animator and I didn't think it was able to be contended withought being copied in style but this shit is fucking amazing and is still super unique in style and fucking great 👍

Bro this is the trippiest shit to watch high but I understand it so much better

Did you rotoscope this? The movement is so lifelike, but it doesn't have that uncanny busy-ness that typically calls attention to it, very good stuff!

Joe Cappa needs to get an adult swim show immediately.

While we're all throwing praise at this guy, I just want to say that I love Haha You Clowns, there is something absolutely rib tickling about the type of person Joe portrays with the brothers and how he does it. Just that as the fundamental core of those shorts absolutely does it for me, if that's all the shorts were I'd be happy - but then the relationship with their dad just adds a whole other layer ontop of that Just ~chef' kiss~ perfection, new favorite subscription, really looking forward to whatever else is in the works, especially after this one!

Amazing. Side note. My cats love my robot vacuum like it is one of them lol.

Some people say "I wish I could live inside your brain" I'm thankful you've found a way to put yours into pictures

I didn't know what to expect at each turn but I was riveted to know what was happening next. I just stumbled on your channel an hour ago and I'm amazed. Funny, chilling, deep, your animations capture it all.

This is funny as hell. Especially during the dog food commercial.

That hallway sequence was gorgeous. I felt my heart palpitate.

Amazing. Especially the ghost dogs going wild on their ghost hogs

Only the goodest Boi can devour the bones of the undead. Fantastic film and animation!

Really well directed and the animation style is very unique!

Gave me some serious Poltergeist vibes, a touch of The Shining, and I'm super relieved the dog wasn't killed. Great work, all around. Kudos

This really speaks to me on a primal level.

Clicked on the video: I'm used to the shorts, so I was like I don't want to watch all this, but I started watching and was hooked.

I got major vibes reminiscent of The Shining and even Willy Wonka after the hallway scene. Loved every minute, shortest 10 minutes ever! Very well done, can't wait for more!

The light flicking in the end. Tells the real story.

Sick animation, a cartoon fans cartoon, loved the pacing of the story and the little details in the audio. Watched most your videos since I got recommended a short earlier tonight. You've really captured the washed out anxious LSD trip vibes with your attention to animating in those lil manerisms that we all have but are ignored by fans of filters and faking the funk, in an attempt to dilute reality... Great work Joe!

Before everyone of my nightmares as a kid I used to chase a squirrel down and endless hallway with endless doors until it inevitably chose a door and thus transporting me to my nightmare scape. The hallway and the running after the squirrel was never scary but after I went into any door that's when it changed. That is the first time I've ever seen this in (any form) in an animation done so reminiscent of my childhood night terrors.

I love this art style, its so entertaining, spooky. Gosh I wonder how mom's 3 boys would respond

i love the little detail where he speeds by the vacuum at 7:38 and thats the only thing he's afraid of because hes oblivious to the concept of horror

really good environmental storytelling. starts off unsettling then wholesome

Seeing them wacking off to that tv dog, then seeing that bow; realizing that's a female dog. I went Oh No! 😂😂😂😂