Trench Dogs brings unsettling body horror and striking Blender EEVEE animation to the world of ERSATZ. In this episode, we review @saintsart’s disturbing short about soldiers, their animals and the machinery of war.
Tracy Harwood, Phil Rice and Damien Valentine explore a film where affection and horror coexist. Soldiers spliced with animals record messages for home, but are these intimate interviews, military propaganda, or something even darker?
We discuss the film’s painterly visual style, anatomical illustrations, character design, sound design and shadow-heavy lighting. Does the darkness draw us into its world, or make its remarkable details too difficult to see?
Our interpretations take different turns as we examine medical reconstruction, exploitation, dehumanisation and the echoes of George Orwell’s 1984. We also consider how this short expands the ERSATZ universe and what the creator’s next project, Canary, might bring.
Expect spoilers and discussion of disturbing fictional imagery, body horror and war.
YouTube Version of this Episode
Here’s the film link, called ERSATZ Short | “Trench Dogs” by Saint Greaver, released on 25 August 2026 -
In our previous review of the pilot, Ep 217, published on 12 March 2026, we discussed its painterly aesthetic, unusual animation, strong voice performances and disturbing treatment of replaceability and institutional violence. We made references to Bacon, Beksiński and Wilfred Owen, which helped us situate its grotesque imagery within a wider discussion of damaged bodies and the experience of war. Here’s the link to the show notes for the episode and here’s the YouTube version of our discussion and the Pilot film -