Review: Cocaine Bear: A Not So Scary Horror Flick

Photo+courtesy+of+Universal+Pictures.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Gabriel Flynn, Staff Writer

 “Cocaine Bear” is a movie that needs no introduction. Everything you need to know about it is said in the title. When I saw it announced I knew that it was a must-watch.

  Loosely based on a true story, “Cocaine Bear” follows several groups of people all in the beautiful woodland mountain, Blood Mountain, as they travel the trails for a variety of reasons. 

  The story starts off with a drug trafficker passing out while jumping from a plane, spreading massive amounts of cocaine throughout the forest below.

  While not following any main character, the two that could be considered primary protagonists are Sari (Keri Russel) and Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr.). Sari is a mother searching for her daughter who got chased into the woods, and Daveed is a drug dealer looking to collect the lost cocaine for his boss.

  Both make strong impressions but mostly due to humor, Daveed was definitely the character I paid the most attention to. Especially because the stakes are so high for him.

  Daveed somehow manages to find himself in the worst situations and, while you may not think it, “Cocaine Bear” is technically a horror movie.

  I use that term loosely as being chased by a bear high on cocaine, while scary, is honestly more humorous as a spectator. The movie didn’t make me feel remotely tense but I laughed quite a bit.

  Writer Jimmy Warden is known for his humorous horror, namely through his two “Babysitter” movies, both of which I would highly recommend for fans of horror from the 80s.

  His style of comedy and hyper-violence shines through, especially the gore, given the movie’s introduction has a bloody leg thrown at someone and it just gets bloodier. If you like stylized gore, then you’re in for a treat.

  I’ll refrain from talking about those moments as they are the majority of the movie. If you’re looking for an interesting story, you won’t find it, but for some simple, dumb fun this is an amazing pick.

  The movie will supposedly come to streaming on Peacock on April 14 or can be seen in theaters now.

  While I enjoyed my experience, it’s a movie more fitting for having friends at home with snacks rather than a movie theater. 

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