Reviews (26)

This movie was the worst thing since Mallrats
This movie was the most jumbled up garbage I have ever seen. The acting was terrible and the video quality was below avrage at best. I don't even know if there was a stroy to start with becides showing people being killed with a fake grizzly arm. Don't get me wrong I like all of the old horror movies like The Excorist, Nightmare on Elm Street, and A Streetcar Named desire, but this was awful. How did it ever get made is beyond me. I reminds me of a time I was in the forest though. While I was there I saw a bear. It wasn't a grizzly it was a Black Bear, and it didn't hurt anyone, but the situation is simmilar if you think about it. Overall I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. Not bad, but not great eaither.

A good little horror film from the 70's!
Grizzly is one of the later films of director William Girdler, (best known for his 1973 classic [?] Three On A Meathook) who made a name for himself in the early 1970s horror film scene. This movie works on two levels - as a straight-ahead horror film and as a semi-parody of Jaws, which came out a year earlier. Park Ranger Kelly (Christopher George) discovers that a monstrous grizzly bear has been snacking on campers, so he sets out to stop the creature. Helping him are an eccentric naturalist (who wants to caputre the bear alive for study) and a maverick hunter (who wants to kill it). The Park Director would rather cover it all up - bad for business. Sound familiar? Despite his low budget, Girdler makes it work. The script and acting are pretty good, and the gore effects are decent, despite the bright red Herschel Gordon Lewis - esque stage blood. The DVD video transfer is not that great, but pretty damn good considering the source material. The sound, however, is excellent - clear and strong. There are no extras or menus in this low-budget package, which kind of complements the movie. The DVD print, which is rated R, contains extra gore that was cut from the old, PG-rated video release. A good buy and a good bet for horror fans.

unlike Prophecy, this bear's very tough
last saw this movie in 1985 on VHS(the big thing) when I was fifteen. It was out in '76. The most disturbing two scenes I remember were the two girls who were the first victims. If you don't like graphix, don't even give this a try. If you are a morbid obsessive freak like me, go for it man! It is lacking in charm like most 70's B. S. but it is good on a different scale.

Jaws on land? Not even close...
I'm not sure what movie the viewers who gave this film five stars where watching, but it sure wasn't the one I saw. Maybe their reviews are based off a different rating system than the one here, like one that uses 20 stars...

While watching Grizzly (1976), one cannot help but notice how much the film 'borrows' from the extremely successful 1975 Spielberg movie Jaws. Unfortunately, director William Girdler is no Spielberg. The movie stars B actor Christopher George as Ranger Michael Kelly, who some may remember from TV's Rat Patrol, as Sgt. Sam Troy. Also starring is Richard Jaekel as a naturalist by the name of Arthur Scott. I best remember Jaekel from the Lee Marvin film, The Dirty Dozen (1967), and I felt quite sorry for him that his career has sunk to the point where he got stuck in this pile of a movie.

The film starts off with the brutal killing of two, comely young women in a national park. Limbs are torn, blood is shown, but the only thing we see of the attacker is a pretty phony looking paw groping the women. The now deceased women are found, examined by a coroner, who informs Ranger Kelly that the women where mauled by a bear, a big bear. This sets up the search for the bear, and also for the killing of some more people. Naturalist Arthur Scott, or Scotty, is called in from the woods, and he speaks of the bear being at least 15 feet tall and weighing between 2,000 to 3,000 pounds, based on the size and depth of the bear's paw print tracks, which he has examined.

Most of the film is the characters trying to find the bear, and the bear attacking and killing more people. We don't get to see the bear often, mostly through POV (point of view) shots, which can be useful and create suspense when used properly and in limited fashion, but where way overused here, and quickly became annoying. Hunters show up, things happen, and it's all pretty boring.

I don't mind when films take from more successful films, but here the pillaging from Jaws was so very blatant it only served to highlight just how poor this movie was compared to Jaws. Ranger Kelly (Chief Brody), Naturalist Scott (Matt Hooper), hunter Don Stobler (Quint), Charley Kittridge, The National Park Supervisor (Mayor Larry Vaughn), it's all here and more. Even specific scenes were lifted and not very competently inserted into this movie. Had there been an ounce of originality present, I would have been inclined to judge the film less harshly, but there wasn't. Not one bit. Also, there were a number of scenes with things that just made no sense. A perfect example...Ranger Kelly's quasi love interest is presented early on, and she is, we find out, a professional photographer. Well, after finding the remains of the two women mauled at the beginning of the film, she's at the site taking pictures. Only thing is, it's in the middle of the night, and she never once uses a flash. What kind of pictures was she taking? If you've ever been in the deep woods in the middle of the night, you'll know how dark it can get. And she was supposed to be a professional photographer? There are a ton of discrepancies like this throughout the film. After awhile, these things gave me a headache, and I just decided to go with the flow, and ride this dog out to the end. And what an end! I won't spoil it, but I laughed so hard at the abruptness of the final scene, and couldn't help question just exactly where the character acquired the piece of ordinance he had, useful as it was. And do bears drink gasoline?

The picture quality on this Nutech Digital Inc. release is pretty poor, but watchable, and is presented in full screen format. Don't bother looking for special features of any kind. Heck, there aren't even chapter stops here, which, to me, is a sign of uber-cheapness. I know the film was like only ten bucks, but would it have killed someone to included chapter stops? I guess so...I know many films have tried to catch a ride on the meaty Jaws gravy train, some being moderately successful, but this one tried to align itself just a little too closely, causing a copious amount of dislike to be generated within this viewer. That, along with the just all around poor release on to DVD, elicits a two star rating, which is generous, in my opinion. Oh yeah, a little tip...if you are ever in the woods searching for a giant killer bear that's eating people, avoid separating from your group to take a half nekkid bath in the river, especially if you're a woman. Grizzly bears seem to like to eat mostly women, especially scantily clad ones. Movies teach us so much...

Cookieman108

Seems to be Missing Something
This movie was offered up as a Jaws clone but the actual story was written long before. Tweaking the movie to fit the Jaws theme seems to have made some unfortunate changes.

First we have a sub plot introduced when we first meet Joan McCall. Her character is a photographer and the daughter of the owner of a fine restaurant. The subplot involves the restaurant being on the verge of bankruptcy but it is dropped right after it is introduced.

Another scene is where a radio announcer's voice is heard issuing warnings about a killer bear and that backpackers are urged to leave the area. During the voice over we see a large group of backpackers running through the trees as if they were listening to the broadcast.

Unlike Jaws, which takes place in Amity, we have a nameless location for this movie. The entrance to the park merely says, "National Park Entrance".

The basis of the story is a little silly, that of a prehistoric grizzly (15 feet tall) getting a taste for people. An 11-foot modern grizzly was filmed for the movie, so there really was no reason to allude to a prehistoric origin. A 15-foot modern grizzly would have been just as scary.

So we have a big grizzly stalking territory not known for grizzlies (great whites have frequented the area where Jaws takes place). The park staff, only a small handful for a few million acres, has to stop the bear while management is worried about bad publicity.

In the end, rifles are apparently useless in stopping the beast so other, more Jaws-like, methods are used.

There is some nice forest footage and some of the tension is well done, but the characters seem to be lacking in emotion. For example, the second victim stumbles on the first just as she is killed. She looks for a few seconds then turns and runs. She makes no sound and exhibits no real terror, horror or even fear. Not very realistic.

This movie could have been done a lot better but it still works at some levels. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Also Bad TandA
If you're looking for sexy scenes, and why else would you watch these movies, don't waste your time.

Pam Grier on River? Standard Blaxploitation Action Film
The film is essentially suffers from a too ordinary story and set-pieces such as car bomb and shoot-out, but "Sheba Baby" will surely entertain Pam Grier fans.

Sheba Shayne, a PI in Chicago, has to fly back to her hometown after hearing that her father was threatened by the local mob. Naturally, before she knows it, Sheba is involved in a fight against the cruel syndicate. The rest is almost the same as her movies prior to "Sheba," only difference being some twists in a rather trite story. The most attractive part is the last chase scene on a river, and there Pam herself operates a motor boat. It is enjoyable, but has no cutting-edge of "Coffy." At least "Sheba Baby" is not awfully banal or impossible like "Drum," in which Pam is to appear the following year. "Sheba"s soundtrack by Barbara Mason. Strictly for fans of genre.

Sheba, Baby
Pam Grier being my favorite actress makes it hard for me to rate this video anything lower than a 4. But, in all sincerity, it's a fun, fast-paced movie of revenge and adventure on the high seas. Pam's sexy presence makes it hard to divert your attention from the video, even if it's to pause the tape to take a bathroom break! Pam Grier in one of her more tame roles is sure to please.

Don't Let the pic fool ya
Man I love any blaxplotation but this movie [is bad]. No action no T&A the plot is asinine the sets look like the movie was shot on someones back yard. Good for a rainy Saturday when you don't care if you fall asleep before the movie ends.

Not bad, but it's not Coffey
Let's face it, nothing much comes close to Coffey, but if you like Pam Grier, chances are you'll enjoy this one. It's a good old funky shoot out flick that we love Pam for. There's NO nudity, but she looks great in that blue wetsuit. She's a private eye out for revenge after gangsters shootup her dad and his business. Pam hits the streets 'Sheba style' getting information from low life street scum, one who runs a travelling pawn shop out of the back of his car.

The 'catfight' on the yacht is too short and frankly uninteresting. The big gun fight at the end on yachts and power boats is cool, but has one case of bad editing. Watch for a white guy with long brown hair and a mustasche wearing white pants and a blue shirt. First he gets shot in the chest and falls overboard. Thirty seconds later the same guy (uninjured and dry) is back on the boat and gets shot in the leg. Pam finishes of 'Shark' with a spear gun to the back. Pam looks great as always, but the big fro and shotgun are missing. ... Read more

Description

Asylum of Satan (1971) - Lovely Lucina Martin suspects there's something wrong with the rest home where she's recovering from a nervous breakdown. Therapy includes covering a patient in bugs, setting another on fire, and tossing a third into a pool full of snakes. Then there's the hatchet-faced ghoul running around upstairs and a grinning demon lurking in the basement. Which is why Lucina believes that this is not a tranquil hospital but actually an Asylum of Satan! The first feature from William Girdler, director of "Three on a Meathook" and "The Manitou," is fun, gory drive-in fare direct from Jefferson County, Kentucky. "Satan's Children" (1974) - Runaway teen Bobby is given shelter by a friendly cult of Satanists, but his presence--and questionable sexuality--leads to conflicts within Satan's Children, especially after a lesbian member is damned to Hell. But Bobby proves to be one sick puppy, which he demonstrates in ways that would even make the devil smile. So hilarious, homophobic, and just plain insane, you'd think Lucifer himself was personally involved! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Day of The Animals
The movie had poor quality as far as color was concerned. The movie was good but who ever put the movie on DVD did not get the picture right it had a glare all the way through the movie.
They could have had better coloring,better tint and contrast.

Memorable, Haunting Entertainment.
A great cast of familiar faces make this above average viewing. It is great to see the talented Paul Mantee in one his best screen roles since the 1964 classic Robinson Crusoe On Mars. Likewise Michael Ansara, Richard Jaeckel and Ruth Roman.
For those used to seeing Leslie Nielsen the comedian, beware.
Also good are Christopher George and Lynda Day George.

O.K. scary flick, but the plot with the little girl was good
The plot: ozone deplition causes every animal in the world that lacks the ability to reason to go rabid and band together against humans-everything from rats and house pets like dogs to snakes and bears. This is especially bad for a group of hikers that have gone for a trek up in the hills, who happen to be out in the wilderness miles from civilization when the s--- hits the fan. First a woman is attacked and injured by a vicious leapord, and she and her lover split off from the main group to head back to town for medical attention. (This is before they've figured out all animals in the world are on the rampage.) Then we get two parrallel stories about what happens to the man and woman and what happens to the rest of the group. There is also a third story about what happens in town, as soldiers come in to evacuate the town in responce to the animal revolt. Meanwhile, the man and the injured woman are attacked by berserk birds, (can you say, "Hichcock"?) and the woman is killed. The man escapes and later finds a little girl who seems to be the only survivor of her camping group. So then the rest of the film is about what happens to the main hicking group, what happens in town, and what happens to the man and the little girl as they desperatly search for help. I thought the latter story was particularly suspenceful, as I really cared about what happened to those two. Also, kudos to the film makers for including a charecter who is native american, but not steriotypical. Also I liked Leslie Neilson as a guy who starts out as a standard thorn in the side, but as the situation gets worse, begins to snap and become something of a menace himself.

Eagles, coyotes, and bears...OH MY!
I give the disc itself no stars. The distributors simply slapped Media Home Video's old transfer onto a disc with no chapter encoding or trailers or anything. Fooey. Also the film itself is not letterboxed, which is infuriating because it was shot in aspect ration 2:35:1, so you know what that means? People constantly talking to the edge of your television screen and painful moments where you watch an empty set while something is going on on the half of the screen image you can't see. The movie itself is an entertainingly silly drive-in "disaster thriller" about a group of hikers besieged by animals turned homicidal by the thinning of the ozone layer. A few of the animal attacks are actually quite nerve rattling while others are giggle inducing. Directer William Girdler fared better with his JAWS clone GRIZZLY (his previous film) and THE MANITOU (his next and, sadly, final film before his tragic death at age 30).

Utterly boring
This is definately one of the most boring "thrillers" to ever be made. Nature runs amock from man's incessant tinkering with it, and a group of hikers are conveniantly cught in the middle. No gore, no surprises, no scares, just complete boredom. If you ever wondered what it would feel like to beat time to death slowly with a spiked club, see this movie. ... Read more