Grizzly Night is a 2026 American survival thriller film directed by Burke Doeren in his feature directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Katrina Mathewson and Tanner Bean, based on a story by them and Bo Bean. The film is a dramatization of the 1967 "Night of the Grizzlies" attacks in Glacier National Park. It stars Brec Bassinger, Jack Griffo, Charles Esten, and Oded Fehr.
The film depicts the events of August 12, 1967, when two separate fatal grizzly bear attacks occurred on the same night, miles apart, changing the national perception of wildlife conservation. Grizzly Night was released in the United States on January 30, 2026, by Saban Films.
Contents
Plot
A woman arrives at a ranger station and informs Ranger Joan that a bear has been repeatedly attacking park visitors, including a recent encounter with a group of Girl Scouts. Despite Joan noting that the issue has been reported multiple times, Ranger Chief Gary prioritizes dispatching rescue teams to 21 active smoke sightings caused by recent lightning strikes. Gary assigns Ranger Leonard to the McDonald ranger station and tasks Joan with guiding a camping group.
Elsewhere, Paul, Julie, and Michelle discuss their camping plans. Julie declines Michelle's invitation, opting to camp with her boyfriend, Roy, while Michelle persuades Paul to join her group. Later, Joan leads her hiking group into the park, confirming rumors of a local bear to the campers despite never having seen it herself. Roy and Julie hitchhike further up the mountain, while Michelle, Paul, Robert, Dennis, and Dennis's brother hike to their destination, accompanied by Paul's dog, Score.
Joan's group, along with Roy and Julie, arrives at a heavily booked farmhouse lodge managed by Tom. With no rooms available, several visitors, including another couple, are turned away. When questioned about the bear threat, Tom responds dismissively. Because the lodge's incinerator can only process 10 garbage bags per day, excess trash is left outside, attracting bears that the tourists carelessly treat as a photo opportunity. Due to the lack of accommodations, the unbooked couple and a young man sleep under a cabin, while Roy and Julie set up camp outdoors nearby. Joan confronts Tom about the severe danger of the bears feeding on the garbage, but Tom insists that park management is fully aware of their waste disposal limitations.
At a separate location, Michelle remains at the campsite to tend to the dog while the rest of her group goes fishing. Later that evening, a bear interrupts the group as they cook their catch, forcing them to scramble to higher ground. The bear consumes their food and ransacks the campsite. Despite Paul's urging to hike to the ranger camp, the group refuses due to the distance and impending darkness. Concurrently, a separate bear attacks another campsite, dragging a camper named Rachel from her sleeping bag while the others escape.
During the night near the farmhouse, Dr. Lundberg and his wife are awakened by screams. A bloodied Roy stumbles toward the cabin, waking the campers sleeping outside. He reveals that a bear attacked him and dragged Julie into the woods. The campers signal the farmhouse for help, waking Joan and the guests. A rescue party, armed with torches to deter the bears and accompanied by Dr. Lundberg, reaches Roy. A guilt-ridden Roy begs them to search for Julie. Dr. Lundberg treats Roy's severe injuries while Joan radios headquarters, reporting the attack and requesting medical supplies and backup. Father Connelly volunteers to search for Julie, but Joan strictly forbids it, citing the danger of navigating the dark woods without weapons.
The group evacuates Roy via stretcher back to the farmhouse.
Chief Gary arrives in a helicopter, and Joan's group lights a signal fire to help him land safely in the dark. Gary delivers medical supplies to Dr. Lundberg, who stabilizes Roy but stresses the need for an immediate hospital transfer due to severe blood loss. Gary and his armed team then track pools of blood into the woods and discover a critically injured Julie. They transport her back to the farmhouse. Joan feels immensely guilty for the delay, but Gary reassures her that preventing an immediate, unorganized search in the dark saved other lives.
Julie's injuries—including severely damaged veins and punctured lungs—prove fatal. Dr. Lundberg notes that even a fully equipped hospital would struggle to save her. Following last rites from Father Connelly, Julie succumbs to her injuries. Her body is evacuated via helicopter.
The following morning, Michelle's group descends from the rocks and discovers Michelle is missing. They hike to the McDonald ranger station to report her disappearance. The ranger on duty, initially believing they are referring to Julie and Roy's incident, doubts a bear could orchestrate two separate attacks in a single night. Once convinced, he alerts headquarters of the second fatal attack. Paul, grieving after learning of Julie's death, joins the rangers to search the campsite, where they discover Michelle's deceased body.
In the aftermath, Joan evacuates her tour group via van to leave the park. A remorseful Tom aggressively burns the remaining garbage at the farmhouse, vowing to destroy it all. As reports of further bear activity emerge, park authorities issue a lethal mandate. Due to staffing shortages, Leonard is drafted into the armed ranger teams, who successfully track down and euthanize the responsible bears. An epilogue reveals that the film is based on true events.
Cast
Brec Bassinger as Julie Helgeson
Lauren Call as Joan Devereaux
Jack Griffo as Raymond Noseck
Charles Esten as Gary Bunney
Oded Fehr as Dr. John Lindberg
Ali Skovbye as Michele Koons
Joel Johnstone as Father Connolly
Josh Zuckerman as Robert Klein
Matt Lintz as Roy Ducat
Sophia Macy as Denise Huckle
Michael Vlamis as Leonard Landa
Production
Development
The film is based on the true events known as the "Night of the Grizzlies," which resulted in the deaths of Julie Helgeson and Michele Koons and led to a massive overhaul of bear management policies in American national parks. The project was produced by independent production company FourJFilms. It marks the feature film directorial debut of Burke Doeren.
Filming
Filming took place near Park City, Utah from August 20, 2023 to September 14, 2023. Filming utilized practical locations to recreate the dense forestry and mountainous terrain of 1960s Montana. Cinematographers Brian Mitchell and Ian Start focused on low-light techniques to emulate the claustrophobic atmosphere of the night-time attacks.
Release
Grizzly Night was released on digital and video on demand platforms in the United States on January 30, 2026, by Saban Films. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film was acquired by Lightbulb Film Distribution and set for release on February 2, 2026.
Reception
Pre-release reviews praised the film for its tension and historical basis. Future of the Force highlighted the "breathtaking cinematography" and "brutal Grizzly action," noting it as a significant entry in the "creature feature" genre.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 17 critics' reviews are positive.
Joe Lipset of Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting gave the film positive review and a 2.5/5 rating and wrote: A soft recommend. The intentions are earnest and the bear looks great, but the hair and costuming is questionable and, though based in fact, the decision to divide the narrative between victims means the characters don't pop.
Karina Adelgaard of Heaven of Horror gave the film a rating of 3/5 and she said that: GRIZZLY NIGHT is a survival thriller based on true events that happened in 1967. This is a well-paced and brutal movie with a character-driven story about several tragic...
Nathaniel Muir of AIPT also gave the film a positive review and wrote: That being said, Grizzly Night is an entertaining watch. There are some disgustingly good gore effects following the attacks and the brisk pacing keeps things moving. The grounded approach is surprising, but is perfect for the story being told.
However, Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave the film a negative review and a rating of 2/5, stating that: Doeren clearly has a feel for the bear necessities, but the human interest hardly gets its boots on.