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Cocaine Bear: The True Story Behind the Hollywood Blockbuster

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If you haven’t heard about Cocaine Bear, you will soon. The story of a black bear that stumbled upon a stash of cocaine in the 1980s has captured the attention of Hollywood and true-crime enthusiasts alike. And now, this bizarre and unforgettable tale is getting the big-screen treatment everywhere February 24th, 2023.

It’s important to keep in mind that while the origin story of the Cocaine Bear is grounded in factual events, the idea of the bear going on a wild, drug-fueled rampage is purely a product of Hollywood’s imagination. There is no evidence to suggest that the bear exhibited any sort of violent behavior towards humans after consuming the drugs.

Cocaine Bear: The Bizarre Story of a Black Bear’s Encounter with Drug Smuggling

In the early hours of September 11th, 1985, a Cessna 404 aircraft took off from Colombia, carrying Andrew Thornton and his team of smugglers. They had just completed their mission to smuggle a large quantity of cocaine from South America to the United States. But due to unforeseen circumstances, the landing in Georgia was not going to be smooth.

Drug Smuggler Andrew Thornton

Approaching the airport, Thornton was flying too low and had to release some of the 40 plastic containers of cocaine weighing a total of 70 pounds, in order to make the landing safer. Thornton threw the containers out of the plane, hoping to recover them later. The pilot then attempted to land the plane in a nearby meadow, but while trying to escape from law enforcement, he fell from the plane and died.

The containers, however, fell in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia. One of them broke open, scattering its contents across the ground.

A few days later, a black bear was spotted in the same forest. The animal had wandered into the area and stumbled upon one of the containers of cocaine. The bear consumed the contents of the container and suffered a fatal overdose.

While the movie Cocaine Bear may suggest otherwise, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that the bear’s post-cocaine activities involved violence towards humans. In fact, no one was harmed by the bear, despite its likely disorientation and erratic behavior due to the effects of the drug.

The Real “Cocaine Bear”

The bear’s body was discovered by hikers two days later. Officials recovered the remaining 39 containers of cocaine that Thornton had thrown out of the plane, valued at more than $15 million.

The incident caught the attention of the media and soon became a national sensation. The bear’s remains were preserved and became a tourist attraction at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area’s museum in Georgia. Visitors flocked to see the Cocaine Bear, and it became a symbol of the bizarre and unexpected events that can occur in the world.

The story of the Cocaine Bear has continued to capture the public’s imagination over the years. It has been the subject of numerous retellings, including a book by author Kevin Maher, a podcast, and even a song by musician Ruston Kelly.

Most recently, it has inspired a Hollywood movie, with Elizabeth Banks Directing and Keri Russell starring. Titled Cocaine Bear, the movie will tell the story of a group of hikers who discover the bear’s remains and get entangled in the dark world of drug smuggling.

The tragic and bizarre story of the Cocaine Bear is a tale that has captured the public’s imagination and will continue to fascinate people for years to come.

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Cannabis-Themed Horror Movie ‘Trim Season’ Official Trailer

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With tomorrow being 4/20, it’s a great time to check out this trailer for the weed-based horror film Trim Season.

It looks like a hybrid of Heredity and Midsommar. But its official description is, “a suspenseful, witchy, weed-themed horror movie, Trim Season is like if someone took the ‘nightmare blunt rotation’ meme and turned it into a horror film. ”

According to IMDb the film reunites several actors: Alex Essoe worked with Marc Senter twice before. On Starry Eyes in 2014 and Tales Of Halloween in 2015. Jane Badler previously worked with Marc Senter on 2021’s The Free Fall.

Trim Season (2024)

Directed by award-winning filmmaker and production designer Ariel Vida, Trim Season stars Bethlehem Million (Sick, “And Just Like That…”) as Emma, an adrift, jobless, 20-something seeking purpose.

Along with a group of young people from Los Angeles, she drives up the coast to make quick cash trimming marijuana on a secluded farm in Northern California. Cut off from the rest of the world, they soon realize that Mona (Jane Badler) – the seemingly amiable owner of the estate – is harboring secrets darker than any of them could imagine. It becomes a race against time for Emma and her friends to escape the dense woods with their lives.

Trim Season will open in theaters and on demand from Blue Harbor Entertainment on June 7, 2024.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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