12 Scariest Movies About Bears Like ‘Cocaine Bear’

Director Elizabeth Banks‘ horror film Cocaine Bear is all about, wait for it… a doped-up bear rampaging across the Georgia forest. The premise is as follows: when a 500-pound black bear consumes somewhere around 35 kilos of cocaine, the bear goes on a drug-fueled rampage, shortly followed by an eccentric team of cops, tourists, teenagers, and criminals,

Cocaine Bear is inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy has fans of animal-related horror flicks pumped for the release. For those needing more similar movies to watch after Cocaine Bear, there are several other suspenseful films about bears worth checking out. Some may be terrifying, others campy, but there is no doubt that the best bear horror movies will have watchers fearing going out into the woods alone.

12 ‘Prophecy’ (1979)

Directed by John Frankenheimer

Directed by John Frankenheimer, Prophecy is a bear attack horror movie that puts the spotlight on a mutant bear. In the movie, Maine becomes a battleground for survival when Dr. Robert Verne (Robert Foxworth) and his wife Maggie (Talia Shire) investigate a paper mill’s environmental impact. Their research unearths a horrifying truth — the mill’s toxic waste has birthed Katahdin, a monstrous bear that unleashes chaos upon the unsuspecting town.

Viewers should buckle up for a wild ride with Prophecy as it has plenty of intense action scenes and bizarre moments. One scene that sticks in everyone’s mind is the mutant bear attack on a boy in a sleeping bag. The poor kid gets launched into a rock with such force that he explodes in a cloud of feathers. The movie might not be perfect, but it has earned a dedicated fan base for its environmental message and over-the-top scares.

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11 ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’ (2023)

Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield

Winnie the Pooh is reimagined as a terrifying creature in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. After being left behind by Christopher Robin, Pooh and Piglet descend into savagery. Their playful nature is replaced by violent rage, threatening a group of young women who explore the once-peaceful Hundred Acre Wood. When Christopher Robin finally returns, he discovers a shocking truth — the friends he once cherished have become bloodthirsty killers.

Though low-budget and lacking a clear story, the movie claws its way into horror cult classic territory by taking a beloved childhood tale and turns it into a terrifying experience, unlike anything seen before. Horror fans appreciate the bear movie’s audacious concept — adorable characters turned into bloodthirsty monsters! For viewers looking for something truly unique and creepy, this is the movie for them.

10 ‘Bear’ (2010)

Directed by Eric Brevig

Starting with an admittedly overdone horror trope, the underrated horror movieBear follows two young couples whose car breaks down in a secluded area. After an encounter with a curious grizzly bear results in the animal being fatally shot, the mate of the bear shows up and viciously attacks their car. As they struggle with the surprisingly intelligent creature and mull over their uncertain future, secrets start to surface that threaten to split the gang apart before the bear does.

It’s safe to say that the humans in the story were by no means the stars of the movie. With their dim-witted personalities, the bear quite easily stole the show from them. It’s worth repeating that the reason the bear is there in the first place is that it’s avenging its friend — what more reason could there be for audiences to root for the bear?

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9 ‘Maneater’ (2015)

Directed by John Gulager

In the midst of winter, a photographer and his crew ventured out for the Alaskan tundra to make the most of the scarce but stunning daylight. They are greeted by an experienced hunter and the owner of a nearby lodge, who instills anxiety in the group by relating the myth of Maneater, who is a bear with teeth and claws as sharp as metal.

Maneater, which also goes by the title Unnatural, has the perfect mix of intrigue and silliness to it. With a cast of actors who have excelled in other films, the chemistry between them was what saved the film. The bear on the other hand is a goofy-looking costume that will have viewers laughing instead of screaming.

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8 ‘Into the Grizzly Maze’ (2015)

Directed by David Hackl

Into the Grizzly Maze follows the story of two brothers who, after alienating one another, reunite at their childhood home. They decided to take a hike through the wilderness of Alaska, but little did they know that this choice would have grave consequences. Nightmares ensue when they are hunted by a relentless grizzly bear.

At first glance, Into the Grizzly Maze seems like your average cheap movie that goes straight to DVD, which it unfortunately did, but it doesn’t mean it deserved that. The thrilling action-horror film offers steady intensity in its fight scenes and some pretty great acting from the likes of James Marsden, Thomas Jane, and more. The film is pretty much the standard for a bear attack movie, so watchers can’t go wrong.

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7 ‘Grizzly’ (1976)

Directed by William Girdler and David Sheldon

A prehistoric grizzly bear that is 15 feet tall, 3,000 pounds, and has a craving for human blood and flesh goes on the rampage while being pursued by a park ranger, a seasoned helicopter pilot, and a naturalist. While the bear continues to kill campers and hikers, the supervisor won’t shut down the National Park.

In the scary bear movie’s climax, the bear unleashes its fury on a helicopter during a desperate battle that leaves Kelly and his team clinging to life. Driven by grief for his fallen comrades, Kelly makes a final, explosive stand. He blasts the bear with a bazooka, the resulting inferno marking a bittersweet victory. Coming out a year after the legendary Steven Spielberg movie Jaws, Grizzly takes on the same storyline but with different animals and different landscapes. In that regard, Grizzly manages to create for itself a nice little horror story about a killer bear.

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6 ‘Grizzly Man’ (2005)

Directed by Werner Herzog

Grizzly Man is a heartbreaking and insightful look into the lives of grizzly wildlife activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who died in October 2003 while living in Alaska with grizzly bears. The movie follows Treadwell as he lived a kind life and found refuge among these threatened animals.

Treadwell was a fierce lover of the wild beasts he lived among, and while he gave them as much love as he had, he never quite understood that the beasts are wild after all. What first seems to be a tribute docu-drama winds up having audiences face the harsh realities of just how dangerous these animals can be. Understandably, the movie had a huge impact on the director Werner Herzog, as he wasn’t sure if he could use Treadwell’s footage after the unfortunate misfortune that befell him.

5 ‘Arctic’ (2018)

Directed by Joe Penna

After a plane crash leaves him stranded in the Arctic, a man, Overgård (played by franchise king Mads Mikkelsen), must choose between staying in his temporary camp with the woman he is trying to save or setting out on a perilous walk into the wilderness in the hopes of surviving, all the while being pursued by a deadly polar bear.

Not every film can manage to seem bleak and hopeless while also being beautiful and uplifting, but Arctic does a fantastic job of pulling off that challenging and rare mix. While it may be similar to the standard survival movie, Arctic creates a depth so vulnerable with Mikkelsen’s character’s pursuit of saving the woman who was stranded with him.

4 ‘Annihilation’ (2018)

Directed by Alex Garland

A mysterious substance known as “The Shimmer” begins to slowly spread from the site of the meteorite impact on the American coast. In an effort to learn more about The Shimmer and why no one has ever emerged from it, a team of scientists enters it. What they discover is that there are unfathomably large numbers of genetic mutations that have occurred in humans, plants, and animals.

The mutated monster in Annihilation is a terror to sight and behold. Disregarding its horrific decaying appearance, the bear also has the bone-chilling ability to mimic its dead victims’ voices using it to taunt and terrify the group of scientists. The bear may only appear in two scenes, but it will haunt viewers forever.

3 ‘The Revenant’ (2015)

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass (masterfully played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is injured by a vicious bear assault in 1823 while exploring an undiscovered country. Based on a true but terrifying account, Glass must use his survival abilities to find a way home after his hunting squad abandons him for dead while pursuing their own hunt. Glass travels over the snowy landscape in search of John Fitzgerald, his former confidant who deceived and abandoned him, grieving and driven by retaliation.

The Revenant begins with the calming sound of water running, lulling the audience into a state that is almost meditative. Then it hits — an action-packed sequence follows in what seems to be a single sweeping shot. The bear attack scene is incredibly harrowing and almost too disturbing to watch.

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2 ‘Backcountry’ (2014)

Directed by Adam MacDonald

A city couple goes camping in the wilderness of Canada. Alex (Jeff Roop) is a seasoned outdoorsman while Jenn (Missy Peregrym), a corporate lawyer, is not. She finally agrees to let him take her to the isolated Blackfoot Trail, one of his favorite locations, deep within a Provincial Park. They are completely lost as their path vanishes after three days. Being lost becomes the least of their issues when they realize they have entered a bear’s territory.

Although Backcountry has an intriguing setting, the danger is less noticeable and more subtle than in other horror films. The victims are totally unprepared, and the bear poses a real threat. The totally underrated survival horror movie does, however, frequently change directions in order to make its point and keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

1 ‘The Edge’ (1997)

Directed by Lee Tamahori

A billionaire and his supermodel wife travel to Alaska for a photo shoot. The men venture out in search of a decent spot, only for the shoot to end up crash landing in the woods. What was supposed to be a pleasant holiday turns into a game of life and death when they begin to be hunted by a man-eating bear.

The Edge is a harrowing action drama starring the unlikely duo of Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. Written by David Mamet, the film keeps its integrity as an action flick and provides audiences with many a great fight scene to feast over, but the film also presents audiences with a heartbreaking drama. And the ending is painfully sad, yet satisfying.

NEXT: The Scariest Movie Monsters, Ranked