There are many movies out there that are considered classics, movies that film lovers discuss, pick through and argue about as to why they are the best. Then there are those movies that you watch for one reason only. Because they’re fun. GRIZZLY is one of those fun movies. Made in 1978 the film has been released on various formats from VHS tapes to DVDs to blu-ray. But now Severin has come out with an updated and cleaned up version of the film and it looks spectacular.
If you’ve never seen the film before it is basically JAWS on land. Taking place in an unidentified National Park in the Southeast US just as the tourist season opens. When several campers are found mauled by a bear Charley Kittridge (Joe Dorsey) the park supervisor puts the blame on Chief Ranger Michael Kelly (Christopher George) and naturalist Arthur Scott (Richard Jaeckel). They were to have cleared all the bears out before the season began. Kelly asks that the park be shut down until they can find the bear but is turned down by Kitteridge. They compromise by having the campers move off the mountain and into the lower areas.
Looking for help Kelly contacts local helicopter pilot Don Stober (Andrew Prine) and they head out to the air to look for the rogue bear. Looking down they think they’ve found their animal only to discover it is Scott in disguise tracking a group of deer. When they show him the evidence of what’s been going on he’s fascinated telling them that all the bears are accounted for and that this is no ordinary bear. Instead it is a prehistoric bear unknown to this area, 15 feet tall and weighing over 2,000 pounds.
When more attacks occur and the press begins to look into things, Kittridge makes it open season for hunting the bear. All this does is lead to more attacks and more death. Now Kelly, Stober and Scott are going on the attack, tracking down the bear to make sure it doesn’t kill again. But can the three of them accomplish this task?
Everything from nature gone wild to an oversized killing machine to three men uniting to take out this beast, which by the way seem to resemble the same characters as seen in JAWS, make this film seem like that one in so many ways. There are plenty of bloody attacks on hand including a child who is mauled and his mother who is then killed. Even with the amount of blood onscreen here the film still managed to get a PG rating. So did JAWS.
One would think that this movie, made for far less than the mega-shark hit, would be a terrible film. But what I found is that it’s just as enjoyable. So many things that could have hindered the film actually benefit the picture. George, Prine and Jaeckel are all amazingly effective and believable in their roles. Had they been played by lesser actors then this film would have tanked rather than do the decent box office figures that it did.
The effects are well executed and the dialogue feels real. The locations look wonderful and if it weren’t for a fear of bears my guess is people would flock to this park now. The direction of the film is also well done. Director William Girdler hadn’t done many movies prior to this and sadly would only direct 9 films total before his untimely death location scouting on a new film he was making.
Severin has done a fantastic job of bringing this film to life once more. They start off with a 2k scan from the internegative making the picture crystal clear. On top of that they’ve added a number of extras worth checking out as well. These include an audio commentary track with Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson and film writer Troy Howarth, “The Grizzly Details” an interview with producer David Sheldon and actress Joan McCall, “Towering Fury” an interview with actor Tom Arcuragi, Stephen Thrower (the author of NIGHTMARE USA) discussing the films and life of William Girdler, “Move Making in the Wilderness” a vintage behind the scenes making of short, “Jaws with Claws” an archival making of the film featurette, radio spots, trailers, a reversible wrap and an exclusive slipcover.
I have both this edition and the earlier one released by
Kino Lorber and this one has so much more to offer. If you remember the film
and enjoyed it pick this one up. If you’ve never seen it before now is the
time. For a fun night at the movies this one is worth watching.
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