Vault Master's TOP TEN KILLER ANIMAL FILMS: #8 - Day of the Animals (1977)

Day of the Animals (1977)
a.k.a. Something Is Out There
97 minutes / Color / Not Rated

The Culprit(s): Every type of animal imaginable, including wolves, dogs, rats, snakes, hawks, owls, mountain lions, and bears! Oh my!

The Plot: A hole opens up in the ozone layer around Earth and turns every animal living at high altitudes into a vicious, mindless killer that is hellbent on the destruction of humanity! And wouldn't you know it, just as this happens, a group of hikers decides to climb up a mountain and take in the beauty of Mother Nature. As soon as the group of city slickers is well-stranded up in the great outdoors, everything with paws, claws, and wings begins stalking and terrorizing the mixed crew of (former) nature lovers. After the group is whittled down by several animal attacks, the survivors decide to retreat back to civilization. However, one of the beleaguered hikers, Paul Jenson (Leslie Nielsen!), is slowly going as crazy as the local fauna. He manages to talk half of the group into going with him to "safety," and eventually evolves from an irritating asshole, into a full blown psycho who suddenly decides that he can beat a bear in a wrestling match. In the end, a little girl is the lone survivor of the unlucky group, and she is rescued by soldiers donning haz-mat suits made of aluminum foil. As for that pesky hole in the ozone, it magically patched itself up overnight. And all of the crazy killer animals? They all conveniently keeled over and died after the ozone phenomenon ended.



Why it made the list: Growing up, this was probably the only nature revenge flick that I missed out on, and I filled a huge void in my life by finally buying and watching "Day of the Animals." This is a taut little thriller that features some impressive moments where man and beast interact, and although it contains some truly awful dialogue, I think that it just adds to the film's charm. This is easily one of my favorite William Girdler flicks, and it is a crying shame that he made so few films before his tragic death in 1978. (Rest in peace Bill; you will be missed, but your films will live on forever.)

Why YOU should watch it: Where else can you see Leslie Nielsen (star of "The Naked Gun" trilogy) go batshit insane, kill a guy, attempt to rape a weeping woman, then battle an enraged bear?! If that doesn't sell you on this movie, I don't know what will. (Watch Leslie Nielsen degenerate into a madman in the Youtube clip below. To see him battle the bear, skip ahead to the two-minute mark.)



Is it worthy of a remake? Hell yeah, though I doubt that modern audiences will buy the "hole in the ozone layer makes animals go crazy" plot point. On the downside, if this does get remade, it will most likely feature fake-looking CGI animals terrorizing a group of horny teenagers who completely lack common sense. Hmm... maybe this one shouldn't be remade after all....

Murder, revenge, and a disturbing abortion at sea are just some of the highlights of the next film on the countdown. Check back tomorrow to see what "mystery" movie is occupying the number seven spot on my killer animal flick list!