With the release of Cocaine Bear, the unabashedly ridiculous horror-comedy from director Elizabeth Banks, it's time to recognize one thing: audiences love bears, they love violence, and they love violent bears. As it turns out, the silver screen has seen no shortage of deadly Ursidae. If Cocaine Bear leaves you craving more, here's a collection of the finest, most furious bears on film.
Annihilation (2018)
Alex Garland's adaption of Jeff VanderMeer's novel of the same name runs for nearly two hours, but by the time you reach the climax of the film, all sense of time and place has withered away. We follow Lena (Natalie Portman) as she ventures into a quarantined site of mystery. As she and her group descend further into the unknown, the rules of reality fall apart and reforge anew. The creatures of this place morph, too, in increasingly horrific ways. The epitome of this is the mutant bear. Its face now a hollowed-out skull, this absolute abomination is able to absorb the voice of its first victim. As it stalks the remaining survivors, it tauntingly uses their deceased partner's final screams in lieu of a bear's roar.
Prey (2022)
Last year, the Predator franchise saw a refreshing new arrival with Dan Trachtenberg's Prey. While the movie has been widely praised for its take on the extraterrestrial hunter, Prey features more than one predator. That's right — there's a bear. Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young warrior of the Comanche Nation, is on a trying pursuit to prove herself both skillful and brave. Early on, she's confronted by a massive grizzly, and this is how she's introduced to the Predator. There's nothing more terrifying than certain death by the wrath of a bear. That is, until that threat is somehow stopped by a new, completely invisible opponent. As we all know, one of the trademarks of this villain is its cloaking technology, making it an almost impossible hunter to evade. Picture this: the bear is bested, and the consequential blood dripping from it finally reveals the Predator, dripping over its iconic silhouette.
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The Revenant (2015)
If Family Feud asked moviegoers to name a film with a memorable bear attack, the top answer on the board would undoubtedly be The Revenant. It finally got Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar, and it's fittingly found its place in film history. The Revenant, through the masterful skill of director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, prides itself in its realism and visceral believability. No scene showcases this better than that scene. Over six minutes long, the sequence feels like a century, and you feel every bit of it -- every gouge, every slash. The entire film is a harrowing tale of survival, and DiCaprio's showdown with this bear will not soon be forgotten.
Grizzly (1976)
Think of it as the Jaws of the woods. William Girdler's Grizzly takes the crown of the classic among the bear-centric flicks. Although it may not be as circulated as its Spielberg peer, it's got a respectable cult following, and it's time for a re-watch. In the echelon of horror, the group-against-beast trope will always exist, and Grizzly can be considered one of its founders. After the first tragic kill of many, a gaggle of park rangers must stop the rampaging grizzly at all costs. It's classic schlock in all the best ways.
Swiss Army Man (2016)
Once you've seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, it's clear why it's the most talked about film of the year. But before Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert began receiving their well-deserved flowers for the Oscar contender, the writer/director duo gave the world Swiss Army Man. As unique and charming as their latest turn, Swiss Army Man tells a story of profound loneliness through a quirky visual style, fart jokes, and yes, a bear attack. However, in true Daniels fashion, this one stands out in a special way. Violent, yes, but it's also somehow beautiful. As the intensity of the threat increases, the focus remains on the characters' conversation — a touching culmination of the film's arc of self-discovery.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
'90s kids, you haven't been forgotten. In the era before CGI, simple voice dubbing turned roaming shots of a golden retriever, an American bulldog, and a fluffy Himalayan house cat into convincing protagonists for the Homeward Bound films. Separated from their human family, these three lost pets band together on a wholesome journey home. Chance (voiced by Michael J. Fox), the bumbling bulldog of the trio, scoffs at the sharper two as they warn him of approaching wilderness danger. It's a classic "It's behind me, isn't it?" moment, as a towering bear's shadow stretches over Chance. Not too scary — it's a family movie, after all.
The Edge (1997)
With this survival-thriller from prolific scribe David Mamet and director Lee Tamahori, we have another case of not a singular bear attack, but a recurring threat. Anthony Hopkins, fantastic as always, plays a stranded billionaire in a group rife with tension as they fight their way out of the wilderness. The script ebbs and flows with keen precision, the crescendos of conflict brought to life by the increasingly violent Kodiak bear.
The New Mutants (2020)
This inclusion may be a surprise, considering how relatively under-the-radar it went, but every good bunch needs a superhero flick, and The New Mutants is here to fill that role. Oh yes, there's a bear: the Demon Bear. One of the many forms that the villain takes in this X-Men spin-off, the Demon Bear terrorizes a group of young mutants held captive in a secret facility, manifesting itself based upon their individual fears. We'll likely never again see this particular set of characters on screen, as it barely crossed the finish line before Disney's purchase of 21st Century Fox, but we'll always have our brief encounter with Anya Taylor-Joy versus a giant, trauma-fueled bear.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
"His name is Beorn, and he's a skin-changer." In the opening act of Peter Jackson's second Hobbit film, Gandalf, Bilbo, and the company of Dwarves barely escape Beorn's brutal fury, seeking refuge in their pursuer's own home. Before he shape-shifts into something more friendly, Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt) takes the form of a berserk bear. Although his scenes may be brief (less-so if you watch the Extended Edition), fans of the novel would likely be pleased by the character's portrayal in an otherwise tepidly received film. Peter Jackson is at his best when he lets himself play with childlike wonder, and that he does when it comes to Beorn. In all the fantastical glory of a Tolkien classic, Beorn has earned his place among the iconic bears in movie history.
Borat (2006)
Sacha Baron Cohen drives an ice cream truck alongside a group of children. A bear lunges out and horrifies the children. That alone is worthy of recognition.
