A agree both are classics.

CUJO and THE FOG(original!) are unsung classics!!

It was actually a made for tv movie - I believe CBS, and they repeated it through the late 70s and early 80's on CBS Late Night.
That doesn't mean you didn't see it at the drive in. Anything is possible and it was the 70's.

If you saw it at a drive-in in '78, that was definitely after its first TV airing.

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The film was originally shown on tv in 1977. After its tv run the film was distributed among theaters for a while. That is probally why you saw it at the drive in.

The fil was originally shown on tv in 1977. After its tv run the film was distributed among theaters for a while. That is probally why you saw it at the drive in.

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I'm going to side on the 'poorly distributed box office failure' theory.
I may not remember much from that night in '78, but I DO know it
was at the drive-in, and I DO know (now) that it was Snowbeast.
I think it bombed out at theatres, so it was quickly ported to
drive-ins and re-cut for TV. That's my theory, anyway.

Butbutits on land! Andthe things furry! And
well, yeah, besides those 2 points its pretty much a
straight rip-off of Jaws. But considering the number
of Jaws clones that came out during that period involving
sharks and other aquatic menaces, this one is almost original.
Almost.
For a low budget 70s horror rip-off, it does a lot of things
right. Hiding the creature to build suspense, majestic
mountain views, a decent score to set the mood
Not that it isnt cheezy. Oh, its cheezy.
I would like to see the original question answered though.
Was it a made for TV movie? Was it a poorly distributed
box office failure?
The freeze-frame red-outs which cover up bloody action
seem more like a TV trick to me. However it seems
pretty well done and well budgeted for a 70s TV movie,
and involves numerous movie actors/staff.
Anybody have a definitive answer?

I assume you liked JAWS then too. After all, this movie was a complete plagiarism of JAWS. Everything from finding the remains of the first victim. The town that refused to believe the truth. Capturing the wrong ceature. Performing an autopsy on the captured animal to prove it's the wrong one. Sending out the "Search and Destroy" party. What other plagiarized events can we pile on here? Let me see.

Just got this film on dvd. It had 3 other strange films on the dvd with it. I liked it.

You're confusing this film with another.
Made for TV films might have shown at drive-ins at one time but I doubt it.