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The Pack (1977) More at IMDbPro »

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprisingly exciting, well-made animals-on-the-rampage film., 4 April 2005
6/10
Author: Jonathon Dabell (barnaby.rudge@hotmail.co.uk) from Wakefield, England

After the cheap 'n' cheerful sci-fi movies of the '50s which sometimes featured mutant animals, the animals-on-the-rampage genre was promoted into an art form when Alfred Hitchcock scared us all half to death with his horrifying "The Birds". In the years that followed, we had killer sharks (Jaws); killer bees (The Swarm); killer whales (Orca); killer ants (Phase IV); killer amphibians (Frogs); and, believe it or not, killer rabbits (Night Of The Lepus). The Pack, released in 1977 with a cast of solid but not-all-that-well-known actors, is the inevitable killer dogs variation of the theme. When I sat down to watch the film, I expected little from it. Surprisingly, the film proved to be very well-made, with lots of excitement and some skillfully edited dog attacks, plus an unexpected injection of humour (sample: R.G Armstrong has a hilarious line, commenting upon the disappearance of an overweight tourist: "if he had any sense, he'd climb a tree. That is if he can get his fat ass off the ground!")

Marine biologist Jerry (Joe Don Baker) has been working on a remote island called Seal Island, where he has begun to build a house for himself, his girlfriend Millie (Hope Alexander-Willis), and their children from previous marriages. Seal Island has a fairly steady summer tourist trade, but once the holiday season is over the only folks left around are its handful of permanent residents. This year, a small party of bankers also stick around after the summer season for a little extra fishing and recreation. Things get awkward for the holiday-makers and the residents when they learn that a pack of dogs - mostly pets abandoned by tourists at the end of the season - are roaming the island. Starving and rabid, the dogs have started to target people as their likeliest possible food source. One by one, the people on Seal Island are hunted by the bloodthirsty canines and torn apart, leading the survivors to barricade themselves inside a building where they attempt to survive until the arrival of the weekly ferry.

Writer-director Robert Clouse (of Enter the Dragon fame) has fashioned a genuinely exciting story here. It's predictably plotted, yes, but Clouse quickly disguises the fact that this is an old, old story by introducing a clutch of refreshingly oddball characters and building an ever-present undercurrent of suspense. Because the cast is relatively unknown, it becomes hard to guess who will live and who will die (more than once characters you don't expect to get killed do just that, while characters who you're sure are about to be devoured unexpectedly survive). The dog attack sequences are very well handled and seem realistic, which adds to the film's excitement (in films like Nightwing, the animal attacks looked too fake, too funny, to be frightening... but not so in The Pack!) If you're searching for a rampaging animal movie that is actually good, then look no further.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Move over, Cujo, 1 October 2006
8/10
Author: Candice Boyle (SalamanderGirl) from United States

"The Pack" is perhaps the best Killer Dog movie ever made. At first glance, it appears to be a simple enough story that we've seen a hundred times before. Assorted people trapped in a house, locking doors to keep something out. The Killer Shrews, Savage Harvest, Day of the Triffids, and a hundred other films all used this same premise, some with greater results than others.

"The Pack" is one of the better ones. The people are believable characters with lives that are interesting, not just cardboard cutouts with interchangeable dialogue whom the audience will remember only by their violent deaths. In fact, there's little blood in this film. But lots of menace, as a pack of dogs terrorize people on an island.

What makes "The Pack" a cut above other films in its genre is that the dogs aren't played as blood-thirsty monsters. They're simply pets who have been abandoned on an island, and they're just looking for food. In addition to a few genuine scares, this movie also has heart, and last scene will make you cry.

Joe Don Baker, Richard B. Shull, R.G. Armstrong and Bibi Besch are among the cast, and the performances are good, but the scene stealer is the lead dog, who's manic, vicious, lethal, and still an animal, a living creature, not just a monster.

"The Pack" was directed by Robert Clouse, who directed Bruce Lee in "Enter The Dragon.".

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Island Canines Attack!, 14 May 1999
7/10
Author: anonymous from Venice, CA.

Not bad nature-attacks flick. This one is well made & suspenseful, with great production values and a decent pace. And what a classic final shot! Much better than CUJO or DAY OF THE ANIMALS. 7/10.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable killer animal feature., 5 June 2008
8/10
Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

This is a genuinely gripping movie about abandoned dogs on a forest island which form a pack and go on a rampage. It's up to marine biologist Jerry (an engaging Joe Don Baker) to save his own family as well as some bankers and company who are on a fishing vacation.

Comparisons to the previous years' "Dogs" are appropriate, but this is definitely the better movie. Director Robert Clouse, whose credits include the martial arts classic "Enter the Dragon", and who would go on to direct the rat-themed 1982 movie "Deadly Eyes", maintains a deadly serious tone. The movie always creates the right amount of tension; isolated settings and inclement weather also help to enhance the atmosphere. Unlike "Dogs", this movie has better writing, a superior cast (the fine supporting actors include such folk as Richard B. Shull, R.G. Armstrong, and Bibi Besch) and more likable characters. Baker does a solid job as an amiable yet no-nonsense sort of action hero. Plus, the animal action is exceptional (veteran trainer Karl Miller did a great job with these dogs) and the attack scenes are well staged. The music score (by Lee Holdridge) is good, and the finale is fairly rousing.

"The Pack" is good fun for fans of the killer animal genre. I myself enjoyed it very much. Just the way that it had something to say about human irresponsibility and its possible consequences adds to the overall impact.

8/10

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Man's Best Friend … No More!, 10 July 2007
8/10
Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

The basic premise of this underrated 70's "Nature revolting against Humanity" flick truly fascinated me, because I've always been concerned about how it would affect dogs' most primitive instincts if they were to be abandoned by their owners. Every year, usually during summer time, you hear depressing reports about pets that are dumped, either tied up to trees or simply thrown out of driving cars, whilst the owners go on vacation and just don't ever look back on them. What goes on in an animal's head at such a moment? Do the instincts of loyalty and amiability slowly develop into aggression and even the urge for vengeance? Does their relentless treatment slowly stimulate a hate for humans? Personally I think this is a terrific outline for a low-budget horror movie, and in the competent hands of director Robert Clouse ("Enter the Dragon", "The Ultimate Warrior") it became a magnificently atmospheric and suspenseful thriller, with some very memorable moments and good acting performances. The events take place on a small vacation resort called Seal Island, where tourists mainly come for to fish and to enjoy nature. During the opening sequence, we witness how a family of three is about to return back to the mainland after their holiday but they have one more thing left to do, namely a tying up their cute and howling dog to a tree in the backyard. The animal eventually bites through his leash and joins an entire pack of abandoned and already bewildered of dogs, led by a vicious and truly menacing crossover breed. The pack gradually becomes more aggressive and devours horses and a helpless old blind man before reverting to their main targets, a group of obnoxious tourists and unsuspecting locals. This is easily one of the best "killer-dog" movies I've ever seen, and it benefices from a whole lot of secondary aspects like the isolated and claustrophobic island location, the detailed character drawings of the locals and the fact that the emphasis lies on tension instead of on graphic massacres. Joe Don Baker gives a terrific performance as the marine biologist who eventually also turns into a loud-barking pack-leader himself. The dogs – and then particularly the leader of the pack – are impressively scary, so big kudos to the people who trained them. I can image that this is what behaviorist spiral a once loyal and friendly dog goes through when mistreated like this. Clouse's direction is extremely solid and the cinematography is moody and splendid. The absolute highlight-sequences involve the fierce dogs chasing down an obese victim until he falls of some cliffs, the virulent dog-attack on the jeep and – of course – the fabulous end shot. Highly recommended… And continue to treat your pets with the respect they deserve!

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
corny feral dog flick, 29 July 2006
7/10
Author: jonmyrlebailey from United States

I loved the suspenseful musical score the most. The two "children" in the film were both boys (the sons of the lead woman character, I believe). I own this picture in VHS format. Joe Don Baker's character as the marine biologist is really made to look as a complete idiot. How could someone so smart not have extra provisions on this remote heavily-wooded island for evacuation in emergencies as at least one extra power boat (fully-fueled), more guns and shells than supplied in the movie set, and at least one more radio/antenna set!!! Serious seafarers keep extra equipment as safety in numbers (redundancy). This movie really insults human intelligence as so many cheap flicks do, I suppose. The humans' worst enemy was there own stupidity and not the abandoned dogs, really. Some characters (by a few lines, some rather hostile) in the film even criticize Mr. Baker's character's incompetence as a scientist and tour guide. Mr. Baker's character gets "sly as a fox" toward the climax, though. After a few human deaths, the dogs are defeated in the end decisively, except for that cute innocent little straggler) I still enjoy the picture for its awesome musical score which did put some chill down my spine and make me feel a little uneasy about walking in the woods alone, especially at night, (without at least a loaded gun and one good guard dog)!!

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
decent dog day afternoon, 26 December 2000
Author: mcfly-31 from anaheim, ca

A group of psychotic dogs is running free on a tiny island inhabited by a handful of folk. The requisite number of people are killed to feed the plot before the finale where all the naughty canines are dispatched. For a low-budget 70's action film, this is very well technically made, as it looks like it could've come out a few years ago. Veteran actor Baker holds things together real well, and the dogs are freaky. With constant snarls and bloodied, torn fur, they put a chill into you. The attack scenes aren't too nasty, kept to just the dogs filmed at a distance pouncing on a victim. Sure, in a regular horror, its amusing for a quick flash of metal and bloodspatter then quickly cut to the next scene, but to continuously see someone's flesh torn from their body would be unpleasant, and director Clouse chose right in limiting that. The climax is pretty good, though the lead dog dies sort of mysteriously and too fast. And the one remaining pooch that didn't give into doggie peer pressure of sorts and stayed away from the pack, has a nice final shot with Baker. But mostly this is too slow to really make it worthwhile.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Joe Don and Company settle in for a 'ruff' night., 1 November 2000
7/10
Author: blackxmas from georgia

THE PACK is a pretty good '70's animals attack movie. Mind you, it's no DAY OF THE ANIMALS and could never be a modern day classic the likes of GRIZZLY, but it holds it's own. Joe Don Baker is a marine biologist who has to fight off a crazed pack of hounds left behind by uncaring vacationers. It's funny that there was a time in America where you could be a Joe Don Baker and get the girl and save the day.

There's some good jolts but the dogs aren't that scary. Dalmatians are not scary. Collies are not scary. If it wasn't for the doberman and the lead canine, which is referred to as a "mongrel mix", who'd really care? But Clouse is a competent enough action director to make you believe this type of balderdash and, I, for one, bought it. It's just so damn refreshing compared to the unimaginative efforts foisted upon us today. If I saw it in the '70's, I'd probably tell everyone it sucked, but that's how time changes everything and our perspectives. If it's sitting somewhere collecting dust at your video store, pretend your kissing your grandmother and snap it up. It'll probably be like that time you didn't want to go and see her but ended up having a cool time and then next time it wasn't so bad and....

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1 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
abandoned pets not very scary in this, even though they do kill, 10 December 2004
5/10
Author: CryFi from Lansingburgh, New York, USA

A woodsy island with a few locals that's occasionally visited by tourists is endangered by a pack of about fifteen feral dogs. They're mostly dogs tourists bought and brought to the island to keep them company for a vacation, then left behind. The leader is very mangy- looking, and usually baring its fangs. The rest look more like pets. The last addition is a dog we get to see being abandoned, and while it is accepted by the pack, it straggles behind, often getting its leash stuck on fallen trees and so on. We get to have some sympathy for it. The movie might have been better if they picked wilder-looking or more muscular dogs, or ones that could act meaner.

The wild dogs are first discovered when the dog belonging to Joe Don Baker's marine biologist character is attacked by the leader, and Baker spots it. Initially, it's thought to be the only wild dog. However, it becomes apparent it's one of many, and unfortunately Baker's CB radio isn't working, and a ferry isn't due for four more days.

For those into gore, not much of the attacks are shown, and dead people are never shown (though people are killed), only some dead dogs are seen after being shot or run over. There's some foul language and no nudity.

There's an older man on the island who apparently hired a woman to have sex with his simpleton overweight son of thirty or forty years of age (they don't - he's not interested). Those characters were pretty annoying. Other characters are pretty inefficient about boarding up or barricading doors and windows against the dogs, and people who know about the dogs still drive around with their car windows down all the way. A bit with a rowboat peters out without much resolution, when I expected some.

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1 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
I want my kibbles and bit and bits and bits..., 6 May 2003
Author: Dr. Gore (drgore@hotmail.com) from Los Angeles, California

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

This movie has a problem. Dogs, by themselves, are not scary. Sure if some weird serum gets injected into them or they are bitten by a rabid bat they can be ferocious. But these dogs look like they came out of a dog food commercial. There's one scene where the dogs are chasing after the humans in slow motion and all I could think of was that they were running for dinner time. "I want my kibbles and bits and bits and bits..."

They had one dog who could make a scary face but that was it. He could pull his lips back and show his teeth but the other dogs just stood around with that vacant, happy dog look. They didn't inspire fear.

The ending is what takes it over the top. Humans and dogs reconciling to live in peace. "Shake boy. Good doggie." Blah.

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