Review of Day of the Animals (1977) by Alan L — 04 Aug 2013

William Girdler's Day of the Animals is an average nature gone wild horror film that is entertaining, but is far from the best in the genre. The reason that it suffers is that the acting here is fairly bland and at times ridiculous.

With that being said, I think more effort could have been put into the acting, while the plot is quite good and is really what keeps you interested in the film. Girdler's direction is good, and his sense of visuals is quite tense as you see the wildlife go crazy on the campers.

This is a worthy addition to the genre, and it is a well crafted film despite its imperfections. The film does manage to be quite intense despite its lack of effective performances. I thought that it added a bit more to the enjoyment of the film due to the fact that you simply didn't care what happened to the characters, which were unlikeable.

William Girdler was able to make a good horror film with Day of the Animals, though the acting suffers, the plot is what keeps you involved from the first frame onwards. This is a must see for obscured cult film fans.

Even if this isn't his best piece of work, Day of the Animals showcases Girdler's talents as a talented horror director. That would materialize in his future project, Grizzly, which is in my opinion his best movie.

If you enjoyed Grizzly, then you're most likely going to enjoy this fine low budget nature gone wild horror yarn. This is an underrated film that deserves to be rediscovered by genre fans due to the fact that it does provide genuine chills and intense, thrilling moments.