The Pack Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Pack Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 21, 2023

Animals attack cinema takes a bit of a breather with 1977’s “The Pack.” It’s a “Jaws” with dogs situation, with writer/director Robert Clouse adapting a book by David Fisher, but he’s mostly interested in the exploitation aspects of the material, excited by scenes where the canine co-stars seek to devour a collection of characters stuck on an island with them. It should be fun, but “The Pack” isn’t as animated as it should be, with Clouse (who’s largely celebrated as the helmer of “Enter the Dragon,” but he also made “Gymkata”) going sluggish with personalities and elements of danger in this mediocre presentation of horror.

The tourist season is over at Seal Island, but a collection of bankers, led by Dodge (Richard O’Brien), have arrived to stay for a week, becoming the talk of the town as local Jerry (Joe Don Baker) looks to keep all systems running for the community, also building a new house for his wife, Millie (Hope Alexander-Willis), and two sons. While fishing is planned and peace is expected, trouble emerges from the woods, with a pack of feral dogs electing to make their presence known. They first take down a horse and soon set their sights on human prey. Chaos erupts on the island, with Jerry soon realizing communications are knocked out and ferry transportation isn’t due to arrive for four days, forced to lead the fight against the hungry dogs.

There’s not a grand scheme of evildoing in “The Pack,” with the dogs basically there from the beginning, making the local dump their headquarters, finding a fresh member in a family pet that’s been cruelly abandoned. In fact, plot isn’t really prioritized in the endeavor, with bits of character about as far as the screenplay gets. Jerry is looking to put down roots on Seal Island, making a life with Millie. And Dodge and the bankers are up to something, playing vague games of seduction and deception using a blonde temptress. Most of “The Pack” roams around the area, studying the drinking habits of the locals and anger issues with the dogs, who become more direct with their violence after scarfing down a horse.

Suspense is limited in “The Pack,” with most of the attack sequences chaotic rather than frightening, watching trained animal actors bark and growl at their human co-stars for extended amounts of screen time. Clouse gets repetitive with scenes of canine commotion, and he doesn’t sell the threat with any style, choosing to stay with the primary image of snarling dogs coming for panicked people. Jerry is the main character in “The Pack,” with Joe Don Baker doing his typical Joe Don Baker thing, showing rural authority while doing is own barking as the community falls apart in the face of what appears to be an easily contained threat. Complications in radio contact and boat passage are promising, but Clouse doesn’t increase pressure on the players, routinely returning to the dogs, and the bad batch mostly looks like they’re waiting for trainer cues or treats.

The Pack Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed in press releases as a "new 2K restoration from the best surviving element – a color reversal intermediate." With that in mind, the viewing experience is enjoyable, with a slightly softer level of detail, but lighter textures remain. Rugged clothing retains some fibrousness, and skin particulars are acceptable, exploring age and weariness. Canine co-stars maintain furry appearances, mixed with some gore. Island tours are decently dimensional, and interiors do fine with decorative additions. Colors are acceptable, delivering decent greenery. Costuming offers primaries, with a deeper denim blue. Animal fur is also varied. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory, making sense of evening interactions. Grain is passably resolved.

The Pack Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD mix is a straightforward understanding of dialogue exchanges, with performance choices preserved, while argumentative behavior never slips into distortion. Scoring supports with clarity, delivering decent instrumentation and suspense support. Sound effects are blunt but appreciable.

The Pack Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Lee Gambin.

• "Snarling and Sweet" (8:02, HD) is an interview with actress Hope Alexander, who received a job offer for "The Pack" two months after she auditioned. Thoughts on director Robert Clouse and co-star Joe Don Baker are shared, with the latter looking to impress the actress with his command of "Hamlet." The canine cast is recalled, with lead dog "Josh" trained to be a bit more aggressive, resulting in an accident that found Alexander completing her work in an arm cast. The interviewee discusses the message of the movie, and details her time at the L.A. premiere.

• "Activism and Acting" (23:14) is an audio-only interview with actress Sherry DeBoer, who hilariously opens the conversation by sharing her regret that she ever decided to appear in "The Pack," openly loathing the movie. A devout animal lover, DeBoer was against the film's concept about aggressive dogs, fearing the picture's influence on ticket-buyers. Talk of her career in politics is covered, with the interviewee pouring her energy into the protection of abused animals. Effort is made to pull more about "The Pack" out of DeBoer, but she doesn't have much interest in the feature, preferring to discuss animal mistreatment and the animal rights movement. The conversation moves on to the Holocaust and slavery (yikes), making this chat a wild ride, but, again, there's nothing substantial here about the moviemaking experience.

• "The Extra Mile" (22:44, HD) is an audio-only interview with unit production manager Thomas Lofaro, who recalls his hiring on "The Pack" and his production responsibilities. Memories of the dog trainer Karl L. Miller are shared as well, with Lofaro in awe of his command of the animals, making the shooting experience surprisingly pleasant. Technical challenges with the canines are detailed, sharing the creation of shots with "angry" dogs. The interviewee offers thoughts on cast and crew, celebrating artistic choices and professionalism, which maintained an ordered filmmaking experience.

• "Notes on Paper" (19:23, HD) is an audio-only interview with composer Lee Holdridge, who analyzes creative expectations from the producers, who were delighted with musical choices. The tone of the score is explored, with Holdridge maintaining the highs and lows of mood, finding sounds to fit the moment. Production tidbits are also offered, but Holdridge can only go as far as his scoring effort, with the conversation working to find things to talk about.

• Image Gallery (5:58) collects film stills, BTS snaps, publicity shots, poster art, lobby cards, and pressbook pages.

• "'The Pack' Preview Clip" (3:00, SD) is offered.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:32, HD) is included.

The Pack Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All hell should break loose in "The Pack," but it weirdly doesn't, with the overall pace of the feature lacking true energy one might expect from a movie about killer pooches. It's not an especially fun picture either, offering a sad understanding of animal neglect. Clouse doesn't bring momentum to the endeavor, fumbling with storytelling and timing, ending up with a study of angry, insane dogs in a relatively uneventful, PG-rated production. 1976's "Dogs" had more interest in conjuring frights. This effort basically settles on Baker's screen persona, which isn't enough to truly add some squeeze to a high-pressure situation of survival.