This is a strong entry into the selection of my favorite indie horror surprises of 2020, for it offers a lot of what I like, nightmares in nature, forest's damp and mossy atmosphere, grimy story, strong characters, and the unexpected virtues of exploitation horror. It is a family drama, a survival movie, a tribute to the craft of hunting, a serial killer movie, a revenge flick, an exploitation horror - all in one. An adventure worth taking for sure.
Joseph (Devon Sawa) with his family - wife Anne (Camille Sullivan) and daughter Renee (Summer H. Howell) - live in the remote Canadian wilderness as fur trappers, where the struggle is always real. Their lives are about to get harder, as they are haunted and hunted by the return of a rogue wolf. Joseph goes out to get it, but what else will he find... Indeed, the general premise of "Hunter Hunter" might turn out misleading to some, but one can't be too adventurous, right. Wolf is not the only monster in this film, which ponders who and what are the real beasts.
"Hunter Hunter" gets high marks in style, aesthetics and atmosphere. Its misty cold aura is impenetrable, cinematography's alive and breathing, and overall I'm just very satisfied with the filmmaking abilities behind ("Hunter Hunter"), in technological and aesthetical aspects without a single complaint. All FX was solid apart from one sequence, the gore is top notch, etc. The story, however, doesn't flow as evenly as one would want, but that's reasoned with the twists that are to come, changing and adjusting the said flow. Neither is it (the story) very rich, for, in the end, one interpretation of the whole story is a mere parable. The flaws though are compensated with good character work, acting and atmosphere. "Hunter Hunter" feels tight, neat, strong, and performances speak for themselves - Devon Sawa and Nick Stahl put on mean and experienced faces, while the highlight is carried high by Camille Sullivan, providing to "Hunter Hunter" important extra layers of emotion.
"Hunter Hunter" is its own ecosystem, own little world with dangers all around. Minimalist and awesome. You might not see nothing new or sensational, but trust me, it's a horror movie worth seeing. My rating: 7/10.
Joseph (Devon Sawa) with his family - wife Anne (Camille Sullivan) and daughter Renee (Summer H. Howell) - live in the remote Canadian wilderness as fur trappers, where the struggle is always real. Their lives are about to get harder, as they are haunted and hunted by the return of a rogue wolf. Joseph goes out to get it, but what else will he find... Indeed, the general premise of "Hunter Hunter" might turn out misleading to some, but one can't be too adventurous, right. Wolf is not the only monster in this film, which ponders who and what are the real beasts.
"Hunter Hunter" gets high marks in style, aesthetics and atmosphere. Its misty cold aura is impenetrable, cinematography's alive and breathing, and overall I'm just very satisfied with the filmmaking abilities behind ("Hunter Hunter"), in technological and aesthetical aspects without a single complaint. All FX was solid apart from one sequence, the gore is top notch, etc. The story, however, doesn't flow as evenly as one would want, but that's reasoned with the twists that are to come, changing and adjusting the said flow. Neither is it (the story) very rich, for, in the end, one interpretation of the whole story is a mere parable. The flaws though are compensated with good character work, acting and atmosphere. "Hunter Hunter" feels tight, neat, strong, and performances speak for themselves - Devon Sawa and Nick Stahl put on mean and experienced faces, while the highlight is carried high by Camille Sullivan, providing to "Hunter Hunter" important extra layers of emotion.
"Hunter Hunter" is its own ecosystem, own little world with dangers all around. Minimalist and awesome. You might not see nothing new or sensational, but trust me, it's a horror movie worth seeing. My rating: 7/10.