Saturday 18 January 2014

MOVIE: The Pack (1977)


The Pack aka The Long Dark Night

US 1977, 95 mins, Warner Brothers

DVD: Warner Archive Collection (US import), UK Cert 15

After the close of the holiday season, the residents of an island find themselves terrorised by a pack of dogs. All are discarded strays, left to fend for themselves by careless holidaymakers.

Hitting the animal horror boom of the mid-to-late 70's, The Pack does have quite a novel premise in that man's best friend turns on humankind through being abandoned and mistreated. Perhaps a tad padded at the beginning, and feeling at times like a TV-movie writ large, it is nonetheless entertaining enough once it gets going.

The attack sequences are effectively handled by director Robert Clouse (Enter The Dragon), whilst a cast of reliable performers like Joe Don Baker and RG Armstrong inject life into some more unusual characters than you normally find in this kind of movie. Not for those seeking major chills, this is more of an action thriller with horror overtones. Still, it's a good matinee for a wet afternoon with a bit more thoughtfulness than many of its peers.




Original Theatrical Trailer:

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