Killer Animal Attack Movies You Need to Watch

There was something in the air back in the late 1970s. Well, not just the air. There was something in the water and the ground as well. That something was Mother Nature looking to reclaim her dominance from the pesky humans who were mucking up the works. And she was using the animal kingdom to do it.

At least, that’s what Hollywood was focused on. 

When Animals Attack!

While Jaws (1975) wasn’t the first film to pit a critter against people, it was certainly one of the most successful. Naturally, movie studios instantly jumped on the bandwagon and quickly pumped out almost two dozen natural horror films over the next five years or so. It didn’t take long before just about every animal that walked, crawled, slithered, flew, or swam got their 15 minutes of fame on the silver screen. 

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

I’m just old enough to remember when these movies were coming out, first in theaters and then hitting TV a year or two later. I know I saw at least one or two at the drive-in with my folks, though I don’t know how long I lasted before I finally crashed out in the back seat. And I may or may not have stayed up way past my bedtime watching a few of them on late-night TV.

Grizzly (1976)

Abnormally large animal? Check. Insatiable hunger for human flesh? Check. People in charge who refuse to take appropriate action? Check!

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

It’s like they decided to redo Jaws, but on land. Instead of a great white shark, we have a grizzly bear. Not a normal, run-of-the-mill one, either, but it’s a prehistoric species that somehow not only didn’t go extinct but also went undiscovered until now. It stands 15 feet tall, weighs well over a ton, and would look dandy as a rug on the cabin floor if someone could just take it down.

When a monster like this decides to start mowing down hikers and campers at a national park, the smart thing to do is to shut things down and evacuate everyone to safety, yeah? Instead, the head ranger decides to just move folks to lower elevations, as surely the bear won’t come down off the mountain. 

That works just about as well as you’d expect. At one point, they find a bear cub. Assuming it’s the grizzly’s, they figure they’ll use it as bait to lure the grizzly in so they can kill it. Except that not only is the cub not the grizzly’s baby, but it also treats the cub as an appetizer.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

I won’t spoil how it all ends, other than to say a rocket launcher is involved.  

Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)

There are a few animals that creep most people out, and spiders are one of them. Especially big, hairy spiders that seem to hunt in packs. If there’s one guy who can take on that challenge, it’s Captain Kirk, right?

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

Well, kind of. This time around, William Shatner is playing Rack Hansen, a veterinarian in Arizona. After examining a sick calf, he sends a blood sample to a university lab. The results indicate the calf was killed by spider venom. Hansen is dubious, but agrees to take a local arachnologist out to the ranch. There, they locate a large hill that’s pumping out tarantulas like crazy.

Yes, when presented with a giant hill filled with spiders that seem to want to attack you, burning it with fire is the correct response. Unfortunately, several spiders manage to flee through an escape tunnel. Wily bastards, aren’t they? They soon find several more spider hills have cropped up in the area.

In what seems to be a running theme, the mayor of the town declines to pursue the remedy offered by the experts, namely bringing in rats to hunt the spiders, as he’s afraid of the impact it will have on tourism. Because, y’know, tourists are going to be giddy about spending their vacation time fighting off tarantulas. Instead, he suggests spraying pesticides with a crop duster. That’s when we learn just how smart these spiders are, as they manage to bring down the plane.  

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

As the film crawls toward its conclusion, you can’t help but wonder when Shatner is going to finally ask Scotty to beam him up.

Day of the Animals (1977)

When you see the name Leslie Nielsen, many of you no doubt picture Lt. Frank Drebin deadpanning his way through one or another Naked Gun film. Some of us, though, remember a different Leslie Nielsen. One who is filled with bravado and machismo, who isn’t afraid to take charge in a bad situation, and who is completely off his rocker, and not in a fun way. And this is where we met him.

It seems the ozone layer has been damaged to the point that UV radiation is beginning to affect animals at elevations above 5,000 feet. They’re becoming hyperaggressive, particularly toward people. Everything from birds to bears is out for blood. In northern California, the decision is made to evacuate all towns and settlements above that altitude. Unfortunately for them, some tourists in the area miss that memo. As a result, they’re a bit confused when it suddenly seems like the animal kingdom is giving them the proverbial stink eye. These tourists are part of a sightseeing group led by a tour operator and his Native American guide. 

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

Deadly Animal Attack

Shortly after the group is attacked by a wolf, they split up. One party, led by the tour operator and the guide, plans to head down the mountain. The others are going to keep going up the mountain to reach a ranger station for help. Paul Jenson, the character played by Leslie Nielsen, leads the latter group. Up until this point, he’s been arrogant and standoffish. But as they travel to higher altitudes, his behavior becomes truly psychotic. At one point, he murders one of the group members and then later attempts to rape another one. Make no mistake, this is about as far from Police Squad as it gets. Fortunately, a bear steps in to show him the error of his ways.

Several of the other tourists don’t fare much better when they encounter wild dogs, venomous snakes, and more. Tell you what, the animal wranglers earned their keep whilst making this film, that’s for sure. 

The few survivors eventually make contact with U.S. Army personnel and learn that the UV that caused the critters to go wild is also killing them off. Yay for radiation!

Orca (1977)

Imagine John Wick as a 6-ton killer whale. That’s kind of the gist of Orca. For the record, orca is another name for a killer whale. It isn’t just the name given to this one in particular.

While on the hunt for a great white shark, a fisherman named Nolan comes across a killer whale. Deciding to switch gears, he goes after it, but accidentally kills its mate. A pregnant mate. Both momma and calf die.

Over the next 80 minutes or so, Daddy does everything in his power to kill every human being he can, with special attention paid to the fisherman and his crew. And, I mean, I get it. This is one of those animal attack films where you’re kind of rooting for the critter to win.

After a series of attacks against local fishing vessels as well as his own home, Nolan vows to end this feud once and for all. He manages to assemble a crew, and they head out to find and kill this orca. For his part, the orca signals to them to bring it on. 

As they enter the Strait of Belle Isle in eastern Canada, the crew is taken out one by one. Eventually, Nolan is left stranded on an iceberg. Orca then teaches him how a seesaw works.

While the effects in these films all pale in comparison to what you’ll see in theaters today, the movies are still a lot of fun. And they just might give you a little more respect for Mother Nature the next time you hit the trail yourself.