Watch the finished film
I read about Roar long before I actually sat down and watched it, but nothing I read could quite prepare me for the reality of it. It’s such a strange film! The tone is all over the place, reeling back and forth between moments of genuine terror and moments of slapstick farce.
Of course, I should mention that the film includes a number of upsetting scenes. No animals are hurt (the scenes where animals appear to have been shot were filmed when these animals were tranquilised for their annual veterinary checkup), but many, many humans are. You’ll see real blood many times throughout the film.
And one other curiosity to look out for: some of the animals involved are given a writing or directing credit. This was because so many scenes were made up of footage captured while filming the animals acting naturally and unpredictably – and thus it was considered that the animals truly had contributed to the creative direction of the film.
The Shambala Preserve
The preserve set up in the wake of the film is called The Shambala Preserve, and Tippi Hedren is still – at the time of writing – the president of the charitable organisation that runs it. Here’s the preserve’s website if you’d like to take a look.
It’s possible to visit and even volunteer at the Shambala Preserve, which to date has given sanctuary to more than 200 exotic animals. As well as the animals who featured in Roar, there are also animals who have been abandoned, rescued, or retired from zoos and circuses.
However chaotic the filming of Roar was, it’s reassuring to see that something stable, lasting, and genuinely positive came from it. It’s certainly not what you might expect when watching the film for the first time!
Fascinating Horror
2023-06-08 12:09:12 +0000 UTCMichael Rutherford
2023-06-06 18:58:58 +0000 UTCAmy Frushour Kelly
2023-06-06 10:47:00 +0000 UTCMarie Horton
2023-06-06 10:31:14 +0000 UTC