Grizzly Park (2008) User Reviews

Not worth the DVDs it was burned on

[JMAN-8 · 4/10 · 26 February 2008]

Grizzly Park is about a group of miscreant youths that are forced on a hiking trip through the eponymous park as part of their sentence (or something, I didn't really care).

The film is both written and directed by newcomer Tom Skull. Few good writers also make good directors, and unfortunately he is neither. The visual look of the film is passable, but the artistry of the shots and footage is bland and uninteresting.

And the writing is often uneven and boring, not to mention filled with dumb lines like this: "If a tree falls in the forest, do you hear the tree? I mean, how do you know it's been more than ten minutes, can you tell time by the sun or something?" A potentially important plot line of an escaped rapist/killer makes a cursory appearance and two homicides, only to be ended before it affects the main storyline in any real way. While his dispatchment might make sense if the ultimate direction of the movie wasn't clear from the beginning, here it just seems sloppy.

Add to that fact that all the characters are completely unlikeable, save for the ditsy Bebe (Emily Foxler) and Ranger Bob (Glenn Morshower, slumming here). This is a combination of the bad writing and mostly poor acting, but especially the writing. For instance, a buff, white-power twentysomething seems almost polite for the majority of the film, even towards Ty, the requisite black character.

Finally, this film commits the cardinal sin of horror movies: it was boring. At a scant 91 minutes (including credits), it should move pretty briskly, but the opening drags on, treating us to not one, not two, but three introductions to the characters, including a totally unnecessary cut to their mugshots. By the time the action gets going in earnest, some hour and seventeen minutes in, I just don't care anymore.

Nick Nunziata, founder and now-infrequent contributer to CHUD.com (which I refuse to read now since Devin Faraci took over and ruined the site), co-produced this film, and I must say that I'm disappointed in him. After running one of the most successful movie websites, it should be clear to him what works and doesn't work in a movie, but he seemed to strap rose-colored glasses on for this. Perhaps his next outing will be more productive.

Bottom line: Don't see this film.

Grisly prank

[Abominog · 5/10 · 27 February 2008]

Finally I acquired an opportunity to dig my teeth into the anticipated DVD release of Grizzly Park, which I grabbed in a local video store without reservations after having read a couple of positive reviews on an advanced screening of this latest monster flick.

As I expected the film is packed with many obligatory elements and features that make up for a good horror movie: gorgeous scenery, murderer on the loose, deadly giant bear, severed heads and limbs and, of course, a handful of screaming hot chicks.

The acting is decent, with not so many annoyingly stupid dialogs often expected from independent shoestring budget slashers. I was impressed with strong and forcible performance of the leading man Glenn Morshower assuming the role of Ranger Bob, a man who was assigned to guide a bunch of kids sentenced to community service in a remote ranch forest under a correctional program for young offenders.

Visual effects, although not abound and could hardly be regarded as awesome, are quite plausible anyway.

To my disappointment a serial killer subplot is underdeveloped and very little contributes to the entire context of the film and building of tension. After stabbing a couple of insignificant characters the killer saunters meaninglessly between different locations of the woods only to disappear without a trace fairly early in the movie.

Also shamefully, adorable Brody that has landed a role of the protagonist Grizzly Bear was offered too little screen time to stretch his undeniable acting talents.

Yet the relationship between the Ranger and the Bear, as well as the context of Bebe's last phone conversation is beyond my apprehension. The idea is either too complex and not very obvious or, otherwise, too simple to be easily overlooked and maybe requires a second viewing.

But all these minor shortcomings become unimportant when you realize that the main riddle and intrigue of the film unveiled towards the end (in pretty inventive if somewhat obnoxious manner) is whether mother nature bestowed Emily Foxler (Bebe) with a pair of authentic tits or are they just regular silicon (silly-what?) fakes? The temptation to find out the truth was so alluring that one especially curious lad stopped at nothing even in the paws of death to complete his research. I don't want to ruin the surprise ending by delving into further details (watch closely for the final Grizzly attack).

All-in-all a passable start for the first time director and mostly lesser-known cast, and not bad for a brainless Friday night time-killer.

S_W's review of 'Grizzly Park' (2008)

[Shattered_Wake · 5/10 · 29 February 2008]

I went into this film knowing absolutely nothing about it other than the title, hoping that the whole 'ignorance is bliss' cliché would work out. To be honest. . . it kind of did. Not knowing the plot or reviews of others does help.

The story opens on a park ranger station preparing to shut down Grizzly Park (once home to more grizzlies than anywhere in the world, but the last grizzly was shot in 1922) because of the raging wildfires in southern California. If the fires weren't bad enough, a serial killer charged with the rape and murder of 11 women escaped from police custody. On the run, the killer finds a corrections officer on the side of the road repairing a tire and, after a quick slice, takes his identity and proceeds to pick up a group of lightweight criminals on their way to a cleanup program at, where else. . . Grizzly Park.

The film itself is pretty enjoyable, and a not-too-shabby animal attack horror. Even with the early murder, however, the film takes its time getting going and there are long periods of time where nothing at all really happens, but somehow it kept my attention. Also, you really don't get any good gore or violence until the last half-hour or so. It actually seems like they didn't have the budget to get use any of the gore effects until the last chunk of the flick, and that definitely hurt the quality. To be honest, you could probably fast forward to that point and still get the best experience from this movie as possible.

The acting wasn't awful (and bordering on good for a couple of the actors), but the dialogue was poorly written and very clichéd. The characters were essentially walking stereotypes. Well, other than the least believable Neo-Nazi in history, complete with the obviously fake Swastika and 'White Power' tats (if you look closely, you can see the Swastika smudge at one point. . . no joke). The soundtrack got repetitive and boring, which kind of affected the mood negatively. But, I'll admit. . . the ending is kind of hilarious and gave me the chance to say, 'I so knew it!'

Even with the flaws, the film itself is actually very watchable. Keep with it for the first half or two-thirds and you actually might enjoy yourself. You could do worse.

Final Verdict: 5/10.

-AP3-

Like porn without the porn

[markismijnadviseur · 1/10 · 27 February 2008]

I voted 1 and I am not too critical about horror. You know that the acting probably isn't Oscar material, but in this movie it is really bad.

The acting and the story are so awful that you can compare it with a pornmovie,without the porn.

The storyline (if there is any) is thin and the characters are so shallow, you just want them to die as soon as possible and get it over with.

The effects are OK, but considering the poor acting it just isn't scary anymore.

Don't waste money and time on this movie. It just isn't worthwhile.

Whoever wrote this piece of crap should be fed to a grizzly bear.

[callingelvis · 19 April 2008]

I watched this movie online, thank God, because I didn't actually pay to see the stupid thing. From the description, I thought it would be about an escaped murderer hunting a bunch of dimwitted petty cons through the forest, but the escapee died soon after the movie started. Instead, this bunch of petty criminals is pursued by a bear that behaves unlike any bear I've ever heard of, stalking people while they sit in a large group, and ripping a building apart (not a tent, people) to get to the people inside. All those Hollywood roars just made it even sillier, and since when do wolves go after humans, especially a human whose not even injured? I'm surprised there weren't evil squirrels bent on infecting these idiots with y-pestis.

None of the characters were likable, especially Bebe, who was so dumb I wanted her to die a gruesome death immediately. I was disappointed to see Glenn Morshower, who I've always liked as Aaron Pierce on 24, starring in this garbage. The dialogue can only be described as wooden. You would think that with a bunch of criminals out in a beautiful setting like this, that the screenwriter would have included the characters involved in some self reflection. But, you'd be wrong. All of these people were basically soulless; in a group like this in real life, I'd expect some would feel no remorse for what they did, but certainly some of them would have felt bad about it. So, I didn't care when any of them died, all in ways that were over the top gruesome, which is, I believe, the only reason this film was made. And if you were hoping for some beautiful shots of the woods a la A River Runs Through It, forget it; imagination in the cinematography department is as lacking as it is in the screen writing department. The conclusion was a bit clever-a very tiny bit-but other than that this movie amounted to what a bear does in the woods.

Glenn, you deserve so much better.......

[andrew-552 · 2/10 · 9 March 2008]

The excellent Glenn Morshower was my main reason for watching this film. Over the past few years he's cornered he market on stoic, dependable, "down-home," authority/military types, with his performance as Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce on, "24," being the pinnacle of that particular type and a true highlight of that series. Therefore I was naturally excited to see that he had finally been given the lead role in a movie (as opposed to standing behind the lead, usually in a military uniform).

It would seem at first glance those doing the casting had a keen sense of humour, having Glenn doing his, "stoic," bit as a park ranger to a bunch of Community Service teens being stalked by a grizzly in the wilds providing a funny dynamic in a well worn horror staple. How wrong I was.

The film itself suffers from a terminal case of slowness, with scenes that should move along with pace (as should the whole film) being bogged down with performances where everyone....pauses...before....saying....their...lines in response to another characters remarks, almost like the editor just couldn't quite bear to part with those few seconds between the director calling, "Action," and the actor remembering their lines. As a result already stilted performances are made even worse by long bouts of silence. Endless scenes of walking through the woods before we actually get to any action doesn't help either.

The cast of young actors are also undermined by the list of stereotypical characters they are given. Granted, this is a horror movie, they deal in stereotypes, but in this case it just comes across as incredibly lazy and tired. Making them, "Young Offenders," in an effort to add depth to the proceedings is a total waste of time as nothing is made of it. It literally doesn't matter. As does the subplot of the, "Escaped Maniac." Quite why he's in there I have no idea. Reading the synopsis, it would seem to be to add another element of danger to the story (If the bear doesn't get them, the killer will!) but the fact that he is eaten pretty much straight away kind of undermines that attempt at, "tension." He could quite easily have been the Corrections Officer whose identity he steals in the first place (and, in a totally logic defying decision, whose job collecting a bunch of kids from the local cops, who one would presume are all looking for him, he decides to carry on with) and it would make no difference to the story.

When the bear finally does arrive the level of the effects just makes the whole thing even more laughable, with paws that don't look all that more convincing than those on, "Trickster's," bear costume (which must have had some kind of inflatable head given the size of it in comparison to the backpack he's carried for the rest of the film) dragging poor teens through cabin windows.

In the end it's only Glenn who comes out of this whole thing with any kind of dignity intact, putting in a performance worthy of a far better film. Reading the trivia section for this film on IMDb, I see that the director got his break by thrusting his home made movie into the arms of the producer and it endeared it to them so much they gave him his shot. Perhaps next time the producer could just smack him over the head with it and tell him to go practise some more before letting him loose on another movie.

Oh boy was this a bomb!

[bigdarvick · 1/10 · 5 July 2008]

Hi. The best part of the entire movie was not the movie itself, but the behind the scenes material. The way the writer/director and some cast members describe the making of this film, was worth the $1.07 I spent to rent it. To them, it was if they were creating a masterpiece, a Citizen Kane or a great Hitchcockian gem. Talk about being in denial!! Rent, then watch this poorly acted, directed, written, produced, edited, scored little pile of bile and then brace yourself for the behind the scenes material. I slid off my couch laughing hysterically watching this stuff. If you're looking for a good scare, this film won't do it for you. My 4 year old thought is was goofy and unrealistic. The bear claws used in close ups looked like it was Black tooth from the Soupy Sales show--a guy with his arm in a moth riddled bear suit. Loads of laughs!!!

How can anyone BEAR to watch this sh*te? Spoilers

[phantasmda · 1/10 · 16 March 2008]

Oh my god!!! Where do I start?

This has to be one of the most poorly made movies I have ever seen. Dire acting (with the exception of Ranger Bob, who at least tries), a script that is, well, I can't do it justice as to just how bad it is in mere words.

EG: A bear attacks and kills 2 of the 5 cast members, the other 3 lock themselves in an old barn with 10 inch gaps in-between the wooden panels which it never occurs to them to look through before attempting to go outside. The bear walks round the barn sniffing at the 3 geeks. 10 seconds later it all goes quiet and one of the geeks is told to 'check outside to see if it safe' 10 whole seconds and so he opens the door (instead of simply looking through the gaps) and says the age old done to death line, 'it looks safe, were in the clear' just before the bear drags him outside screaming ((YAWN!!))

Every character in this movie is cliché'd to death and poorly done at that. 4 guys, 4 gals, all the guys have 6 packs and all the gals have perfect bodies and huge fun bags so they can all pair up like a nice jigsaw puzzle ((YAWN!!)) Don't average people or fat people or even everyday type people exist in these movies?? They always have to be glamour models, it's pathetic beyond belief.

The bear suit that one of the guys apparently carried up the mountain in his backpack to scare the babes, didn't anyone realise that the bear suit head alone was bigger than the backpack let alone the whole suit? There's no way it would have fit inside the pack.

The effects, while 1 or 2 of them are imaginative enough, they are so poorly done that any effect they might have had is wasted.

Excitement factor, there isn't any, the whole movie is slow and boring (with the exception of a few of Ranger Bob's dry, sarcastic, one liners) nothing really happens until the last 10 minutes, it's basically watching a bunch of obnoxious teens hiking up a mountain for 80 minutes. If Tom Skull ever gets another budget to make a movie then whoever sanctions it deserves burning at the stake.

Dull, boring, poorly done in every way possible and even Ranger Bob who surely deserves better, can't save this huge Christmas turkey.

Oh one last gripe, what the hell was that bloody song in aid of?? I saw a bear, I saw a bear, a great big bear, a great big bear, oh way up there....WHAT????? It sounds like a pre school early morning hymn, totally out of place in a supposed horror flick and only serves to add to the movies tedium factor.

DREADFUL!!! Give yourself an extra 90 minutes of life on earth, don't watch this.

Worst horror movie ever

[plot180 · 1/10 · 21 April 2008]

I actually bothered myself to comment this film, directed by the unknown Tom Skull. Now, I am a filmmaker and I have to work and fight a lot to get half the money this movie got. And yet here it is, how is possible to make such an awful picture. Ed Wood, please return, we forgive you. Please, do not ever watch this, don't waste your money, don't even download it. This film's like a bad version of Friday the 13th, but with lousy bears that actually do a better role than the actors. Glenn Morshower, he is the only good thing in this. And i'm surprised why he accepted the role. Let's hope somebody erases this film from history. Still it got my comment to it :)

No masterpiece, but entertaining

[allgood_2000 · 6/10 · 31 May 2008]

It seemed like this movie was a PG-rated family comedy for most of the way through (save for language and a few sparse kills), and then they set a hungry grizzly bear loose on the characters in the last ten minutes of the movie. I would not have had a problem with this if there had been more character development, but the first half of the movie was wasted with the group walking around picking up trash, without much suspense or dialogue. Although Glenn Morshower was the star of the movie, I thought his time on screen prevented the development of the other characters. It also seemed like they killed some of the more interesting characters too early in the movie. All in all, I felt that there was more that could of have been done to make the story and the characters more interesting.

Grizzly Park is by no means a masterpiece of cinema, but it did keep me entertained. It's a good movie to watch with friends and laugh at or make sarcastic commentary. The movie was not terrible, but there was definitely room for improvement.

Grizzly Park, what a name.

[jcmason87 · 5/10 · 26 February 2008]

So the film, a group of teenagers are sent away for a few nights camping with Ranger Bob. For some reason at the beginning there's a murder for no apparent reason but that fault is soon corrected. Basically if your looking for a not so great horror and fancy something simple to watch this is for you. Some parts were decent(Half dressed girls/ blokes, you decide what you like). The film seems to be called grizzly park due to the rampant crazy animals that are running about. Some of the characters are completely stupid, such as the White Supremist who is the most untough guy in the film, and the black from the "hood" who dresses like a choir boy.

Is an OK watch but nothing special.

I really liked it!!!!

[jaimee1999-460-59939 · 10/10 · 6 January 2013]

So, i watched this movie and I found it to be funny and thought that it was really great! I cant understand all the bad views! It had everything a horror needs, blood, guts and fun! It really got me going a few times, and Had some great twists. I really did like it and i have to say it's on my top 10 list at the moment! Please watch, it really is a GREAT movie, so great I made an account on this site to tell you about it! PLEASE WATCH!!!!!!!! REALLY GREAT MOVIE!!!!If you are looking for a horror reminiscent of Scream, watch this movie! Funny, gory, scary! Horrible special effects, but thats what makes it sooooooo good! and REALLY GOOD ACTING!

community service at the park

[kairingler · 7/10 · 2 April 2009]

Don't you just love watching a bunch of stupid kids, getting knocked off one by one by a slasher,, well this movie does you one better,, a big huge grizzly bear,, now i will tell you the one thing i absolutely hated int his movie was only one thing, and that was that ridiculous bear song at the beginning of the movie,, but hey i am very forgiving, the bear was not no CGI bear either,, real bear here folks. i loved the ranger,, pretty neat character if you ask me,, now the ending is really great i thought, but i can't give that away,, you'll just have to watch it for yourself.. there is also a killer on the loose in the park also,, which is something else to look out for too. all in all the movie had it funny moments, and some gore too,, not the greatest movie,, but a lot better than some of the garbage i've seen.

Don't usually do this but...

[brokensilent · 1/10 · 5 April 2010]

This movie bored me so bad that I didn't finish it. I have a quirk, where for the most part, I have to finish a movie, even if I can't stand it but this movie was actually bad enough to make me turn it off. It was on television and I thought it sounded fun.

The serial killer story had potential to be interesting but for some reason, they nixed that in one of the first few deaths. It didn't even make sense for them to have the serial story, as it provided no substance to the story and didn't carry anywhere. So, right off, I was disappointed with that tale. That meant from thereon out, a movie that claimed a group of teenagers were going to face a serial killer and bears, was really only about nature killings. Which, don't get me wrong, nature killings can be entertaining to watch too but this movie failed in that area too.

Every character except for Ranger Bob was poorly written. The acting was about as good as you could expect considering the characters were horrible. They had no and I mean NO redeeming qualities at all. And there was the reason why I shut it off. I didn't even care enough about their bad qualities to enjoy seeing them die. They were just a bunch of soulless evil little twits who didn't seem like teenagers I've ever met (yes, I've met soulless but these guys seemed old), and I just wanted a big rock to fall down and smash them all. So, after two died, and I realized the film really wasn't going anywhere entertaining, I turned it off.

The idea behind the film was interesting and perhaps with better writers and directing, it could have been something worth watching. But the carryout of the idea fell far too short to even be worth finishing. Shudder, will skip this movie next time I see it on TV.

Don't throw any more money out the window.

[tessearthalterations · 1/10 · 28 April 2008]

This movie should have been watched first by the writer/producer before it was let out to public. Could he really not see the impact this could have on his career? Could none of the actors not see how bad this was? I feel terrible for them all, really, but they let this stinker go. Awful effects. Holy cheap rubber Halloween props. Anyways, I think that the story was in essence a good idea, but it was not very well padded out to make the story interesting as far as a movie should go. Most of the events were totally foreseeable. There were some good sound effects which caused the watcher to jump, however that is all you got. It seemed that blood and gore were very amateur. I felt I was watching a high school type movie, where the people had access only to the few things in the kitchen and basement. You would not think that you could go wrong with a live Grizzly bear, but again it was not used very well. There were no real twists and turns in the movie, with the exception of the path they traveled through the forest.

totally agree.

[atheresedunlap · 1/10 · 28 January 2009]

Okay so I had read mixed reviews on the movie "Grizzly Park" so I decided to watch it. Well horrible does not even cover how awful this movie was. I agree on how the mugshot pictures were totally annoying and the characters were lame. It was also annoying that the movie kept going to random clips like the girls sleeping or an owl just sitting on a tree. The opening title kinda of got me for a minute with the passage of the bear but after that it was dumb. The serial killer idea was not bad however he died in fairly early in the movie. So I'm not even sure as to why the serial killer was ever brought into the movie. Yes he did kill people but their was really no purpose to it. I do give the movie kudos for using a real bear but that doesn't make up for the fake and stupid death scenes. Every death scene was laughable due to the fake organs and blood. It surprised me that this movie was made in 2008. You would think they would have been a bit better. The ending was also a major disappointment. It had nothing to do with story and it clearly had no motive. Also the last girl to die was confusing. I had no idea why she faked the entire movie. In conclusion, I can't believe I wasted 90 minutes of my life watching the worst horror movie of all time.

Pretty awful !!

[ebiros2 · 13 November 2011]

There's not much action in this supposed thriller.

This is one of those movies that you hardly see the antagonist, but lot of people shots to fill the time. Hardly anything happens until the very end, but even then it's just silly action that looks so fake. The real bear scene in this entire movie is less than one minute. There are many movies of this type that is about nothing but watching people being scared for the entire length of the movie. This is one of them. The quality of production and acting are mediocre at best.

Asides from that, I don't see any motivation on the bear's part to take the action. Not even hungry bears destroy a cabin to have its meal (unless it was guided, but then the motivation is so vague). The characters in this movie weren't so nice, and didn't get you emotionally involved in any ways.

And what's that music in the end roll? Surely the producers are mocking at everyone who've paid to see this movie.

Best avoid this like a plague.

This ain't no Gentle Ben!

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 13 June 2014]

2008's "Grizzly Park" piqued my interest because I liked the trailer (see it on IMDb) and it was shot near the Mt. Rogers region in SW Virginia & NE Tennessee (Marion, VA, and Backbone Rock Recreation Area, TN), which is one of the places I vacationed last summer.

THE PLOT: Eight delinquent youths from the city are assigned community service at Grizzly Park, CA, chaperoned by no-nonsense Ranger Bob. What they don't know is that there's an escaped killer on the loose, as well as a killer grizzly!

The movie starts out great with a quote of 2 Kings 2:23-25, which refers to the occasion where a bunch of youths jeered the prophet Elisha and his baldness. When he couldn't take it any more, Elisha cursed them and two bears came out of the forest, mauling 42 kids. The following opening credits sequence is creative and well done, the music too. At this point I was wondering if I may have stumbled upon a hidden gem, like "Sasquatch Mountain" and (much less so) "Flu Birds," entertaining Grade-B creature-features that shoot for more depth than the norm (see my review of each). From there, however, the film derails into serious C-Grade territory with bad dialogue, a mildly campy approach, lousy pacing and no suspense. Fortunately the film makes up for it in the last act, the final 30 minutes or so, which is a killer grizzly gorefest, but you have to slog through a semi-uneventful first hour to get there.

Despite the negative comments there are a handful of positive points:

• Gorgeous late Summer/early Fall locations in SW Virginia & NE Tennessee; although the story takes place in California. - A good cast of women: a brunette, a blond, a Hispanic and an Asian. The brunette, Bebe (Emily Foxler), struck me as a likable character who unlocked my compassion and favor despite being a seemingly total airhead (until the end, that is, which ruined it; you'll know what I mean when you see it). The Hispanic girl, Lola (Zulay Henao), is the real beauty here and the viewer is treated to some quality eyecandy. - One white dude, Scab (Randy Wayne), turns out to be slightly likable, even though he's supposedly a hardcore "white power" racist. His indoctrination is shattered, however, when he discovers himself falling for the Hispanic Lola, which gives indication that he's actually a very smart young man. This leads to a beautiful and touching scene between the two. I wasn't expecting this in a Grade-C campy gorefest. - There's no CGI. The bear is real, except for a couple parts where there's a human stand-in. - Like I said, the last act features some hardcore gore, like one of the girls being bit in half with her entrails laying loose, heads getting bit in half, etc. I don't watch these types of movies for the gore, but some like it. The only thing is, although the gore is very extreme in the last 25 minutes I didn't find it shocking or scary at all; in fact, sometimes I just busted out laughing, but that's mainly because of the campy tone more than anything. In other words, since the filmmakers deliver the goods in a semi-serious this-is-all-a-joke manner I couldn't very well take the shocks & gore serious. Yet this doesn't mean it's not entertaining. - The old campfire classic "I Met a Bear" is utilized a couple times during the movie and fully during the end credits, performed here by Twin Sisters .

For those who argue that the murderer subplot seemed totally pointless: It's more than just a red herring and ties into the media's theory for the so-called murders revealed at the end, a doofy bear costume being a chief piece of evidence.

The DVD features a handful of "making of" extras with cast and crew, including the 1300 lb. bear, Brody; each one is only a few minutes in length. You'll marvel at how close the trainer and other crewmembers get to the bear. I'm glad each segment is short because I only prefer the gist of it; I don't care to see a friggin' movie on the making of the movie, if you know what I mean; unless of course it's something like "Apocalypse Now."

BOTTOM LINE: Despite being a semi-campy Grade-C film with a fairly uneventful first hour and some bad writing, pacing, etc., "Grizzly Park" possesses a curious 'cult' ambiance highlighted by a great opening credits sequence (big deal, huh?) and a violently gory climax. I like the women (Lola!), the real bear, no CGI, the campfire classic "I Met a Bear" and the gorgeous Eastern locations, plus there's at least one touching, nigh reverent romantic scene, no kidding.

Part of me wants to rate this 6/10 Stars since, in many ways, "Grizzly Park" delivers the goods, but I'd feel too guilty because this isn't really a good movie. It's equal parts boring, dumb, eccentric, fun, inept, impressive and fascinating. A guilty pleasure that will likely develop a small cult following who'll openly admit it's not good, but like it anyway (sort of).

GRADE: C

Even the soundtrack was appalling

[gregfilipczak · 1/10 · 3 January 2009]

Along with being definitely one of the worst movies I have ever seen due to its terrible acting, complete lack of story, and confusion on what type of genre it wanted to be, this movie had the worst soundtrack I have ever heard. It featured what must have been some friend of the producer's original music and it was incredibly bad. It was along the lines of a Trey Parker and Matt Stone original song for one of their movies, only the comedy was missing. Dreadful. I usually enjoy watching movies that are this bad, but this is in a whole different ballpark. The attempts to include humor soured any moments that would otherwise make you laugh due to its awfulness. I wasted 95 minutes of my life, don't make the same mistake.

You've GOT to be KIDDING ME!

[lillygirl14 · 1/10 · 4 October 2008]

I love horror movies. Grizzly Park is not a horror. I've seen a lot of awful movies, this was the worst. It would take to long to cover everything that was bad in this movie but let me just give you some highlights (or would it be lowlight?). First, there's some unrelated sereal killer that kills a bus driver that's supposed to be picking up murdering juvies (yes some were murders, and no they didn't go to jail, you can't go to jail for killing people they just send you to pick up trash)anywho, the sereal killer poses as the bus driver, he has blood allover him and no one notices. He then kills a ranger and then gets eaten by a bear. (YAY) No one was sure what he was going to do anyway, they just wanted an unrelated person to die.

For the first hour NOTHING happens. Then people start dying. Which by this time you want them to die very violently, which they do. However you only see like 2 people die.

In summary, it was just like someone wanted to make a movie for no reason at all. LET ME JUST SAY, PLEASE DON'T WAST YOUR TIME. PLEASE!!!!!

A Valiant Effort

[alicedick · 6/10 · 28 February 2010]

I wasn't expecting much when I rented "Grizzly Park." I'm not a fan of horror movies and only rented this due to the presence of Glenn Morshower as Ranger Bob. After reading a lot of reviews I was expecting a total mess of a film; it wasn't quite that bad.

The idea of characters getting killed as punishment for their misdeeds isn't a new one in horror, or even in mystery (see "And Then There Were None"), but I liked the idea of this group of offenders being given a chance to repent their misdeeds. Needless to say, they don't. "Grizzly Park" is also beautiful to look at, as it was filmed on location in a couple of state parks (quibble: the movie is supposed to be set in a California state park, but the vegetation is clearly Eastern, witness all the deciduous trees changing color. It obviously isn't California). Some horror film aficionados may have downgraded the film due to its lack of sex and minimal violence - for a horror film. There are a couple of fairly graphic deaths for those who enjoy that sort of thing.

Glenn Morshower turns in a great performance and I think his presence is reason enough to rent the film. It actually would have benefited from being longer, as we really don't get to know the characters very well. One of the extras on the disc includes interviews with the actors describing their characters as "deep" and "troubled." I'd call them "sketchy" myself.

The so-called twist ending really didn't come as a surprise, but it was very rushed; not enough time was spent on it for it to be believable and it really felt tacked on. A couple more minutes would have been better here. Overall, if you're a fan of Mr Morshower and cheesy movies I think this is worth your time on a slow evening. I've certainly seen worse.

This is one of the worst pieces of Crap I have ever seen.

[kaaria1-1 · 2/10 · 28 August 2009]

I am so glad that I did not pay for this movie. I just happened to be up feeding my baby one night and saw this on the Chiller channel. I thought it sounded interesting so I dvr'd it to watch the next day. I would rather watch paint dry. First the stupid song. I felt like I was listening to nursery school rhymes! What in the hell was that?? Then the whole serial killer plot. That had nothing to do with the movie. He died before the juvenile delinquents. No point to him in the movie at all. I guess they were trying to tie it up with the end scene and Ranger Bob, but why would Ranger Bob want the other park ranger to die. I am little confused by the ending, but I guess I will just remain confused. Hopefully they will spare us and never make a sequel to this mess. I gave it two stars because Ranger Bob was funny, that is about it. Do yourselves a favor. If you see this mess on TV, keep channel surfing and don't bother giving it a second of your life. It is a second you can never get back.

Silly, ridiculous, often funny, and hence quite enjoyable tosh

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 25 September 2011]

Eight rowdy, unruly, and unrepentant young adult troublemakers are assigned to do community service at a remote California forest preserve under the strict supervision of the no-nonsense Ranger Bob (a fine and credible performance by Glenn Morshower). However, there's not only a vicious escaped serial killer on the loose in the immediate area, but also an even more deadly and ferocious grizzly bear stalking the grounds as well. Writer/director Tom Skull relates the delightfully inane story at a snappy pace, handles the blithely absurd premise with a sly sense of deadpan self-mocking humor (the surprise ending in particular is absolutely gut-busting), delivers a handy helping of graphic gore, and makes the most out of the gorgeous sylvan scenery. The eager and attractive cast have a field day with their stock juvenile offender parts: Randy Wayne as swaggering gas-huffing white supremacist Michael "Scab" White (the scene with White confronting the grizzly while stoned is simply sidesplitting), Emily Foxler as sweet and ditsy bimbo Bebe, Shedrack Anderson III as smooth dude Ty, Zulay Henao as scrappy'n'sultry street gang moll Lola, Julie Skon as sexy'n'snooty rich tramp Candy, Kavan Reece as smug and stuck-up wealthy preppie Ryan, Jelynn Rodriguez as the brassy Kiki, and Trevor Peterson as sarcastic smartaleck Trickster. Popping up in nifty bits are Rance Howard as the folksy Ranger Howard and Susan Blakely as a fierce castigating shrew. Matt Cantrell's polished cinematography boasts lots of neat prowling camera shots and a few sweeping helicopter shots of the beautiful woods. Anthony Marinelli's twangy and harmonic score hits the flavorsome spot. A good deal of amiably inane and campy fun.

Slightly uneven but still somewhat enjoyable

[slayrrr666 · 7/10 · 28 July 2010]

"Grizzly Park" is a fun but somewhat flawed killer bear film.

**SPOILERS**

Out on a special mission, youths Bebe, (Emily Foxler) Ryan Forbes, (Kavan Reece) Ty Brown, (Shedrack Anderson III) Lola Sanchez, (Zulay Henao) Candy Reece, (Julie Skon) Kiki Saito, (Jelynn Rodriguez) Scab, (Randy Wayne) and Trickster, (Trevor Peterson) are lead by Ranger Bob, (Glenn Morshower) out into the wilderness to do their community service by cleaning up the state park. All trying to get along together, they begin to hike into the forest to the cabin where they will undergo their treatment, and after experiencing a few side-adventures, they make it to the cabin. After settling in, they realize that several of them have gone missing along the way, and it soon dawns on them that a killer bear has been stalking them the entire time and attacking the stragglers, forcing them to try to get out of the park alive and away from the bear.

The Good News: There was some good stuff when it really got going. The fact that when the bear does attack it usually results in positive attack scenes is a great move, allowing for some good stuff here and there. The first one, on the human killer incredibly early on in the film, is really good with the darkness, the stalking camera and growling sounds from the bear as well as the creature stumbling out after him to brawl around the campground before a brutal blow is quite enjoyable, and a later attack on stranded campers is just glorious. From the ensnaring foot-trap and the encroaching darkness, as well as them being lost in the wilderness and the wolves appearing at the foot of the trap before they attack, it creates a fantastic set-up that is admirably played off with the arrival of the creature and the resulting mayhem it unleashes. The main campground attack is just spectacular, pretty much containing nothing of fault and is overall the film's best feature. From the initial ambush of the stoner, which is the cruel punch-line to a joke set-up slightly earlier that is just played off nicely, with the colors of the air and the pawing at the head before the attack and eventual realization make for a classic scene, and once it gets to the others around the fire, it's just as much fun. With the atmosphere coming on strong with the fog rolling in, the antics of the individual in the bear suit, from the humorous to the serious and finally the bear attack, leaving several wounded before it starts off stalking the escapees in the log-cabin hideout is just a lot of fun. The suspense of waiting for an attack to happen that is bound to happen and checking for the appearance, as well as the ultra-brutal attack and the aftermath to the twist in the finale, where the appearances from the beginning are duped quite nicely and the final attack is another punch-line to an earlier-set-up, this whole part of the film is just too good and features nothing really wrong with it. The film does contain a few other good parts, namely the suspenseful trail-of-corpses-in-the-forest that is found, with the severed fingers being devoured by the local animals, the pile of uneaten meat on the ground and the severed leg and face found, the result is an insanely creepy moment that is nicely utilized here. The last part is the gore from the bear attacks, which are pretty brutal. From being chomped in the face to having their chest scratched open in one slice, arms scratched and torn off, bitten in half at the waist and a decapitation, it provides the gory goods. These here are the positives.

The Bad News: There was some pretty big problems to this one that held it down. One of the biggest, and most obvious one as well, is that the film is just way to slow in the first half to really get going at all, taking way too much time to finally get to the main bear attacks. The fact that there's four different times in which the people in here decide to go hiking around, as we go from the ranger station where they start off at to the resting spot, then they go marching through the woods to a waterfall in order to cope with events that transpired there, then off to the main cabin where they then realize the missing couple, who themselves have a hiking through the forest segment that's prominently featured. All of these are pretty pointless, just them going in a straight-line occasionally picking up a piece of trash but mostly talking amongst themselves about the torture of their assignment, and none of that translates into fun viewing and the repetition of these scenes is pretty off. There's also bits that don't really belong there, such as the inclusion of the skunk and that subplot, which is the reason for two more marching-through-the-woods scenes and the removal of that eliminates a bit more time that is freed up later, along with the killer's inclusion, the scenes of the group playing pranks on the ranger and him playing sympathetic with the one camper, so that the main flaw is then fixed. That is that the bear is barely in the film until the ending, which really can't happen all that much and keep the villain effective. That is what happens here, and it causes the film to suffer through the continued use of keeping the main point off-screen as long as it does. These here are the film's flaws.

The Final Verdict: While not overly problematic, there's enough good stuff here to overcome the flaws and become a relatively enjoyable killer bear film. Recommended to giant animal creature feature enthusiasts, those interested or lovers of cheesy horror films, while those looking for more serious fare should heed caution.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Brief Nudity

Ranger Bob!

[ctomvelu1 · 2/10 · 31 October 2010]

Great title and cover art, but a poorly executed movie. Eight troubled teens are sent to the woods to do community service, accompanied by Ranger Bob (veteran character actor Glen Morshower). Soon enough, they are being offed one by one by a very large bear -- but not before they get to deliver lame lines and act like they're appearing in a high school play. The level of acting, except for Morshowe, is abysmal. The bear is portrayed both a live bear and various prosthetics that do not match the real bear particularly well. The only reason for watching this turkey is to see Ranger Bob in action, as Morshower has this kind of role down to a T. And if you do make it through to the very end, there is a nice, macabre twist awaiting you. Oh yes, there also is one female whose perky boobs out-act her.