Let me pose an utterly pointless question. Are we currently witnessing the genesis of “bearsploitation” cinema? Of course I ask that with my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek, but it does seem like there has been a rather noticeable wave of movies featuring man-eating bears, much like we’ve seen with sharks. Either way, “bearsploitation” sounds hilarious so I’m sticking with it.

The latest entry into this potentially made up subgenre is “Grizzly Night”, although in fairness it attempts to be a much more serious-minded movie. This survival thriller is based on a true story as told in John Olsen’s 1969 nonfiction book “Night of the Grizzlies”. In 1967, on the night of August 13th, two 19-year-old girls were killed in separate bear attacks some nine miles apart. Both were mauled to death by grizzlies while camping at Glacier National Park in Montana.

Regardless of how its title may sound, “Grizzly Night” is a sincere dramatization of the deadly attacks and the subsequent search and rescue attempts made by park rangers and fellow campers. On that fateful night, Julie Helgeson (Brec Bassinger) heads off camping with her boyfriend Roy (Matt Lintz) near Granite Park Chalet. Nine miles away, Julie’s friend, Michelle Koons (Ali Skovbye) is camping at Trout Lake with four friends. And that’s when the unthinkable happens.

Despite there being no bear attacks in the park’s 50-plus years of recorded history, two happen on that August night in Glacier National Park. The first attack comes when Roy is mauled by a Grizzly who quickly turns its attention to Julie, dragging her deeper into the forest. A bloodied Roy manages to get help from other campers who are on an overnight hike led by a rookie park ranger named Joan Devereaux (Lauren Call). Thrust into a harrowing position, the young ranger must get Roy medical attention while finding the missing Julie.

Joan finds help from the fellow campers including a doctor (Oded Fehr), a minister (Joel Johnstone), and a wildlife expert (Skyler Bible). The bulk of the movie follows their efforts to save Roy and search for Julie. Screenwriters Katrina Mathewson and Tanner Bean develop a handful of fairly interesting side characters, some of whom shed more light on the details surrounding the true account. Others don’t fair as well, serving more as filler while being peppered with shaky performances.

As for Michelle, she too is attacked by a grizzly bear. But the majority of her story is crammed into the final 20 minutes. Compared to Julie’s, Michelle’s story is strangely rushed and underdeveloped which strips it of any real impact. It’s the same with the film’s clunky and abrupt ending that fails to leave the impression it hopes to. To its credit, “Grizzly Night” sticks close to the real-life events. But dramatically, it limps along without ever delivering the dramatic punch it needs.

First-time feature film director Burke Doeren does what he can with an unbalanced script and a tight budget. He manages to hold our interest, and there’s no shortage of gorgeous Montana scenery to take in. But its wonky narrative structure shortchanges major points of the story. And the lack of a strong punctuation mark at the end keeps us from connecting with the movie’s dramatic ambition or bigger message.

VERDICT – 2 STARS