Grizzly(1976)
1976 · William Girdler · 91 min
An eighteen-foot grizzly bear figures out that humans make for a tasty treat. As a park ranger tries rallying his men to bring about the bear's capture or destruction, his efforts are thwarted by the introduction of dozens of drunken hunters into the area.
Horror · Adventure · Thriller
5.2165 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How Grizzly scares
It opens slow with a few campers and rangers going about their business, then settles into a steady rhythm of build-up followed by sudden, bloody bear attacks that get more frequent as the runtime goes on. This is a straightforward creature-on-the-loose movie in the mold of Jaws, just swapping the shark for an oversized grizzly, so the fear is mostly about being caught out in the open with nowhere to run. It leans into practical gore for its attack scenes but doesn't dwell on dread or mystery, it just wants to deliver a fun, punchy monster-movie thrill. Good for anyone who likes cheesy 70s nature-attacks-back horror rather than something that messes with your head.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Grizzly rates psychological 2/5, visceral 4/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 35 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 95 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 20 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A Jaws-in-the-woods rhythm of calm patches punctuated by sudden bursts of attack, building to a hard, violent finish.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 4, 4, 5.
How scary is Grizzly?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Grizzly rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It attacks the body more than the mind — physical, in-your-face horror. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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