Upcoming Horror Movie ‘Cocaine Bear’ Is Inspired By A True Story

Alright, this headline is a bit deceiving and sounds worse than it is. But let us explain.

The upcoming horror movie Cocaine Bear is coming to theatres later this week and it turns out that it is based on a true story from 1985 about a bear eating cocaine.

However, in contrast to the movie, where the jacked-up bear goes on a rampage, killing many, many people, the real-life cocaine bear died of an overdose. In the autopsy done on the 80-kilo black bear, it was revealed that he had absorbed around 3 to 4 grams into its body, but may have eaten more.

How did the bear get access to the cocaine?

The packs of cocaine had been intentionally dropped in the forest by a flying drug smuggler, Andrew Thornton, an ex-drug cop.

After strapping 35 kilos of cocaine to his waist, the pilot parachuted out with plans to retrieve the remaining dropped packages. However, he fell to his death, and his body, along with the cocaine, two guns, and $4,500 in cash, was discovered in a driveway in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The bear’s lifeless body, along with duffel bags holding approximately 130 kilos of cocaine, was discovered in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia three months after the incident.

Obviously, this story begged for a Hollywood movie. And thus, Elizabeth Banks, took it upon herself to trade in her spot in front of the camera for one behind the camera and directed Cocaine Bear.

During the press tour for the film, Banks was asked about directing Cocaine Shark and expressed interest, but mentioned a few conditions that would need to be met.

The topic of a potential Cocaine Shark came up in the media after the New Zealand police reported discovering 3.2 kilos of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean.

“I would seriously consider anything with a script as good as the script was for Cocaine Bear. It’s got to have just some great elements.”

Check out the trailer for Cocaine Bear below and let us know if you plan on visiting the theatre for it!