Grizzly Night (2026) | Film Review

There’s a particular kind of disappointment that comes with a film like Grizzly Night – the kind that isn’t outright terrible, but instead quietly underwhelming. The sort of film where you can clearly see the potential lurking beneath the surface, yet it never quite claws its way out.

From the way this one was marketed, I went in expecting a full-throttle creature feature. Proper old school Man vs Monster movie. Something tense, brutal, maybe even a bit mean-spirited in that classic survival horror way. Instead, what we get is something far more restrained – and not in a good way. For a film centred around a deadly bear, Grizzly Night feels oddly hesitant to actually show it.

That’s really the biggest issue here: the bear itself is barely in the film. When it does appear, it’s fleeting, almost cautious, as if the film is afraid to commit to its own premise. The attacks – what little we see of them – lack impact. There’s no real sense of danger or escalation, and at times it feels like key moments happen just out of frame. A found-footage style or at least something similar to what Alejandro González Iñárritu gave us in 2015 with The Revenant. Could’ve added something visceral or immersive, but the film never even attempted it.

To its credit, the cast do a decent enough job with what they’re given. Performances are solid across the board, and there are moments where the character dynamics hint at something more engaging. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t give them enough to work with, and much of the runtime feels like it’s treading water rather than building tension. Much like In a Violent Nature (Chris Nash, 2024), I found myself sitting there patiently waiting for something to happen.

In fact, that’s where Grizzly Night might have worked better – as a short film. Strip it down, tighten the pacing, and focus on one or two effective set pieces, and you could have had something sharp and memorable. Instead, stretched to feature length, it loses momentum and never quite finds it again.

It’s frustrating, because the ingredients are all there. A remote setting, a dangerous predator, a group of people in over their heads – it should be a recipe for something gripping. But the film never leans fully into its horror elements, leaving it stuck somewhere between survival drama and creature feature without satisfying either.

Grizzly Night (2026) | Film Review

Ultimately, Grizzly Night is a film that had potential but never capitalised on it. Not a complete write-off, but certainly a missed opportunity – especially for those hoping for a proper monster movie. Better off reading the true story that inspired this instead of watching this; far more frightening.

Grizzly Night is out now on digital, DVD & Blu-ray. You can check out the trailer below.