Grizzly 1976

As the helicopter whisks over the untouched treetops of a vast National Park, pilot Don Stober (Andrew Prine) sets the tone for an adventure that will delve into the very heart of nature. He points out the unspoiled woods, unchanged since the days when Native Americans roamed free, their footprints long since erased by time.

The serenity is shattered when two female hikers are ambushed by a merciless bear, leaving one dead and the other fighting for her life in a nearby cabin. The authorities spring into action, with Chief Ranger Michael Kelly (Christopher George) and photographer Allison Corwin (Joan McCall), daughter of the park’s restaurant owner, joining forces to track down the hikers. Their grim discovery - the mangled body of one of the women amidst the ruins of the cabin - sets the stage for a desperate search that will push their skills to the limit.

As the investigation unfolds, Kelly and Kittridge (Joe Dorsey) clash over whether to close the park or risk further tragedy. Meanwhile, at the hospital, the diagnosis is clear: the women were killed by a bear. But as Kelly delves deeper into the mystery, he’s met with skepticism from Naturalist Arthur Scott (Richard Jaeckel), who insists that all bears have been relocated and this particular creature must be an unknown anomaly.

Undeterred, Kelly recruits helicopter pilot Stober to aid in the search, and together they scour the mountain, their searchlights illuminating a path of destruction. But it’s not until they stumble upon Scott, camouflaged in an animal skin, tracking his quarry that the true magnitude of the threat becomes clear: this is no ordinary bear - but a prehistoric grizzly, at least 15 feet tall, roaming free in the heart of the forest. Kelly and Stober are stunned, their initial skepticism giving way to a sense of awe and trepidation as they realize the gravity of the situation.

As the campground bustles with activity, a sudden and brutal attack unfolds, as the behemoth grizzly tears down a tent and claims the life of an unsuspecting woman. Once again, Kelly urges Kittridge to shut down the park, but his counterpart refuses to budge, despite the mounting toll of human casualties. The attacks become a national news sensation, prompting Kittridge to permit amateur hunters to enter the forest in a futile attempt to quell the public’s growing unease. Kelly, Stober, and Scott are appalled by this turn of events, their disdain palpable as they watch the amateur hunters venture into the bear’s domain. Later, a lone hunter narrowly escapes with his life after evading the grizzly on foot, stumbling into a river and drifting to safety.

Meanwhile, a fire lookout tower on the mountain becomes the site of yet another gruesome attack, as the grizzly ransacks the structure and claims the life of its occupant, a park ranger. Kelly and Kittridge continue to engage in a heated debate over closing the park, their disagreement fueled by politics and a refusal to acknowledge the stark reality of the situation. Frustrated by the impasse, Scott slips away to track the grizzly on his own, driven by a sense of desperation and a determination to put an end to the carnage.

As the body count rises, a mother and child living in a secluded cabin on the outskirts of the park fall prey to the grizzly’s fury. The mother meets her demise, while the child survives but is left severely mutilated, their innocence shattered by the brutal attack. This latest atrocity prompts Kittridge to finally relent, allowing Kelly to close the park and ban all hunters in a last-ditch effort to contain the crisis.

Undeterred, Stober and Kelly decide to take matters into their own hands, setting up a trap by suspending a deer carcass from a tree. The grizzly falls for the bait, and the two men pursue it through the woods, only to discover that they have been outmaneuvered. Tracking on horseback, Scott stumbles upon the remains of the carcass and radios Stober and Kelly, determined to lead the grizzly into their trap. However, his plan is foiled when the bear kills his horse and leaves him unconscious. Scott awakens to find himself half-buried in the earth, a grim reality that he can’t escape.

As the stakes grow higher, Kelly and Stober are left with no choice but to abandon their trap and retreat to the helicopter. From the air, they spot the grizzly in a clearing and quickly land, only to be met by a ferocious attack. The bear swipes at the helicopter, sending Stober tumbling to the ground, where it claims his life. The grizzly then turns its attention to Kelly, who frantically retrieves a bazooka from the helicopter’s cargo hold. With seconds ticking away, Kelly fires the bazooka, ending the grizzly’s reign of terror and leaving him stunned and grief-stricken in the aftermath.