Grizzly Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Grizzly Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 12, 2021

Severin Films, long the purveyors of cult items designed for the discerning cineaste, may have discovered a new subgenre of releases, at least as evidenced by a couple of recent titles. The recently reviewed Deep Blood from Severin was maybe just a little, um, reminiscent of a certain Steven Spielberg classic, and now comes Grizzly, which even an archival featurette included on this Blu-ray disc as a supplement calls "Jaws with Claws". As commentators Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth get into in their engaging conversation, Grizzly was evidently the first of the so-called "eco horror" outings to arrive in the (figurative and literal) wake of Jaws, and perhaps because the whole (sub?)genre probably seemed innovative and exciting way back in 1976, it did incredibly well at the box office, becoming the top earning independent film of that particular year. That said, while many ascribe Jaws as at least sparking the whole eco horror movement, it's at least somewhat plausible to trace the idea of man receiving a bit of comeuppance from some creature erupting from an uncontrolled nature back to entries like Gojira. That said, Grizzly is more than obviously pretty firmly in the Jaws mold, albeit in the landlocked confines of a national forest, and without some of the supposedly "political" shenanigans the Benchley tale includes courtesy of some the "backstage" drama that unfolds in Amity.

In a way, maybe the subgenre Severin Films is exploring with this release isn't eco horror, but instead the works of producer Edward L. Montoro, who receives a bit of biographical data from both of the commentaries included on this disc. Severin is also releasing Day of the Animals in tandem with Grizzly, and the label has also offered such "delights" as Anthropophagous, though it's been left to other boutique companies like Arrow to release Montoro's Beyond the Door, and MVD Visual's MVD Rewind Collection imprint evidently has Montoro's Mortuary on tap for release later this year. As is detailed in some of the information doled out about Montoro, he wasn't above shall we say "borrowing" ideas from hit films (as evidenced by virtually all of the titles linked to above), and as such, his producing career could perhaps be cheekily compared to the cinematic version of a (somewhat wonky) Xerox copier. Even given that aspect, though, it's kind of remarkable how tuned in to the zeitgeist of the moment Montoro must have been, as evidenced by how quickly he got Grizzly to theaters after Jaws .

You can almost feel writer Harry Flaxman and David Sheldon offering "substitutes" from Jaws for both characters and plot developments in Grizzly. There's chief ranger Michael Kelly (Christopher George), who serves as this film's Chief Brody, with "bear whisperer" Arthur Scott (Richard Jaeckel) assuming aspects of both Hooper and Quint. One place where Grizzly offers something at least a little different is with regard to the main female in the film, Allison Corwin (Joan McCall), who is not married to Kelly, and is also dealing with some father-daughter stuff with her old man (Kermit Echols), who runs the park's restaurant. Also on hand is helicopter pilot Don Stober (Andrew Prine), who helps the rangers try to keep track of errant hikers who keep getting picked off by a mutant, possibly prehistoric, bear.

It's all relentlessly silly, of course, and if Grizzly doesn't have the visceral angst of Jaws, it does at least offer a real, honest to goodness, bear in several scenes which help to at least approach verisimilitude. There's copious gore on hand, and as Thompson and Howarth get into in their commentary, it's therefore kind of surprising in a way the film was granted a PG rating.

Grizzly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Grizzly is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The back cover of this release states this transfer is culled from a "2K scan from the internegative", and while there are still a few issues some videophiles may want to be aware of, there's probably little doubt that this presentation tops the Scorpion Releasing Blu- ray that came out several years ago. The palette is much more vividly suffused for the most part, and detail levels are generally quite commendable throughout. There are some noticeable differences in clarity and grain structure in what I'm assuming may have been second unit material meant to capture the focal bear in some wild environments, and there are a couple of sequences, notably a scene shortly after the eighteen minute mark, where the image degrades and has a slightly sickly green tone (see screenshot 19). There is damage to be spotted throughout the presentation, with nicks, scratches and a few larger blemishes dotting the premises. Grain can look a bit on the chunky side in moments like the optically printed credits or some opticals. My score is 4.25.

Grizzly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Grizzly features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono that has surprising energy, especially with regard to the enjoyable if at times anachronistic score by Robert O. Ragland (it should be noted that commentators Thompson and Howarth seem to think that the National Philharmonic Orchestra of London, which performs the music, is the same as the London Philharmonic, which it most definitely is not). Effects are also delivered with good precision, and all dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

Grizzly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Nightmare USA Author Stephen Thrower on the Career of William Girdler (HD; 45:22) is a really thorough introduction to and overview of Girdler's life and career, to the extent that I almost wondered if Thrower had cheat sheets sitting just out of camera's range, since he is so facile with so many data points.


• Making Movies with Girdler (HD; 36:26) is an audio interview with Girdler's business partner and friend J. Patrick Kelly III. This plays to some fun behind the scenes footage, snippets from films and things like production stills and key art.


• The Towering Fury (HD; 8:56) is an interview with actor Tom Arcuragi.


• The Grizzly Details (HD; 18:51) is an interview with producer David Sheldon and actress Joan McCall.


• Movie Making in the Wilderness (SD; 7:00) is an archival making of featurette.


• Jaws With Claws (SD; 36:40) is another archival featurette.


• Radio Spots (HD; 00:55) play to key art.


• Trailers (HD; 3:29)


• Audio Commentary with Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson and film writer Troy Howarth can be accessed under the Setup menu.


• Audio Commentary with Producer David Sheldon and Actress Joan McCall can be accessed under the Setup menu.

Grizzly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Grizzly is just flat out goofy a lot of the time, but if you're in the mood for "Jaws with claws", this is probably the film you should go to. Some of the gore effects are well done, and performances are generally surprisingly engaging as well. Severin is offering a release with generally solid technical merits and an outstanding supply of supplements, for those who are considering a purchase.