A mysterious four-legged creature seems to be responsible for a rash of vicious mauling deaths in a coastal California town.

Local writer John Wetherby (Graves) and girlfriend Sandy (Pflug) aid the local sheriff (Carey), but few clues yield any answers.

Could the ravenous killer be some sort of rabid wolf?

If so, why do the crime scenes always reveal four tracks turning into two...then disappearing altogether?

A werewolf?

Could eccentric hunter Byron Douglas (Walker) be behind the mayhem?

This enjoyable telehorror has all the trademarks of the Dan Curtis style (a spunky score from Bob Cobert, strange end twist); good performances from Graves and Walker, the latter quite effective as the hulking weirdo who may or may not be the murderer.

Best scene: Pflug discovers she's not alone in her mountain cottage.

Fun late nite watch.