Grizzly (film)
| Grizzly | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster by Neal Adams | |
| Directed by | William Girdler |
| Written by | Harvey Flaxman David Sheldon |
| Produced by | Harvey Flaxman David Sheldon |
| Starring | Christopher George Andrew Prine Richard Jaeckel |
| Cinematography | William L. Asman |
| Edited by | Bub Asman Christopher Ness |
| Music by | Robert O. Ragland |
Production company | Hollywood West Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Film Ventures International (U.S.) Columbia Pictures (international) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $750,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $39 million (Domestic) |
Grizzly (also known as Killer Grizzly on American television) is a 1976 American horror thriller film directed by William Girdler and starring Christopher George, Andrew Prine, Richard Jaeckel, and Joan McCall. It follows a park ranger's attempts to halt the wild rampage of an 18 ft (5.5 m) tall, 2,000 lb (910 kg) man-eating grizzly bear that terrorizes a National Forest, having developed a taste for human flesh. However, a drunken hunting party complicates matters.
Widely considered a Jaws rip-off, Grizzly used many of the same plot devices as its shark predecessor, which had been a huge box office success during the previous year. The giant grizzly bear in the film was portrayed by a Kodiak bear named Teddy, who was 11 ft (3.4 m) tall.
The film was produced and distributed by Film Ventures International, released on May 16, 1976. Despite negative reviews, the film was a considerable commercial success. A sequel, Grizzly II: Revenge, was filmed in 1983 but due to production issues was not completed and released until 2020.