It's very rare ambition for a low-budgeted European exploitation movie to, apart from to shock and repulse its target audience, also make a point and even attempt to provoke a socially engaging moral debate. I don't immediately claim that director Jorge Grau (director of the almighty "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie" fully succeeded in this courageous design with "Hunting Ground", but it's definitely a remarkable effort and it is most unfortunate to establish that the film is so obscure and nearly impossible to track down. The concept is basically a variation on the commonly known and numerously imitated "Last House on the Left", in which the relatives of a brutally killed individual take the law into their own hands and seek bloody vengeance against the culprits. The main difference in this film, however, is that the lead character is actually a devoted attorney and usually defends the rights of these low-classed rapists and relentless killers; supposedly because "society" forces them to revert to committing these vile crimes. Adela (splendid performance by Assumpta Serna) one days obtains the acquittal for a trio of thugs, but they promptly repay her by stealing the keys to her Christmas holiday resort and killing her husband in a fight. Adela remains behind with her two children but still she doesn't betray her moral principles, much to the disgust of her rancorous mother-in-law and even her own youthful son. But the criminals return and when one of them gets apprehended by the police and dies in prison due to medical circumstances, all hell truly breaks loose.
The pacing of "Hunting Ground" is very uneven. The fascinating plot and detailed character drawings unfold rather slow and atmospherically, but then the climax is suddenly extraordinary sick, repellent and most shocking. Especially when you carefully and attentively followed the elaboration of the story, the finale will hit you in the face like a ten ton hammer and leave you near speechless. I don't want to reveal everything, but it involves explicit rape scenes with penetration through torches and an almost equally grisly retaliation. Admittedly the moralist discussion evoked during the first 80 minutes of the movie suddenly don't mean much anymore after this, but seriously - what a climax! "Hunting Ground" suffers from extremely poor productions values, like bad lighting and shoddy cinematography, but Jorge Grau's skilled direction keeps everything on track. The film has its flaws and shortcomings, but it's a hidden gem to treasure and certainly one you won't forget lightly.
The pacing of "Hunting Ground" is very uneven. The fascinating plot and detailed character drawings unfold rather slow and atmospherically, but then the climax is suddenly extraordinary sick, repellent and most shocking. Especially when you carefully and attentively followed the elaboration of the story, the finale will hit you in the face like a ten ton hammer and leave you near speechless. I don't want to reveal everything, but it involves explicit rape scenes with penetration through torches and an almost equally grisly retaliation. Admittedly the moralist discussion evoked during the first 80 minutes of the movie suddenly don't mean much anymore after this, but seriously - what a climax! "Hunting Ground" suffers from extremely poor productions values, like bad lighting and shoddy cinematography, but Jorge Grau's skilled direction keeps everything on track. The film has its flaws and shortcomings, but it's a hidden gem to treasure and certainly one you won't forget lightly.