Wilderness survival horror is one of those sub-genres that never really broke out with a film to put it on the map. Even major releases like The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Wrong Turn (2003) focused more on the found footage or slasher aspects than it did the survivalist nature of the films. With filmmaker Shawn Linden’s new film, Hunter Hunter, he shows us how in-tuned our survival instincts must be if we want to survive the hunt.
Hunter Hunter follows Joseph (Devon Sawa), Anne (Camille Sullivan), and Renee (Summer H. Howell), a family of fur trappers living off the land in the remote wilderness. The family is quickly losing food and their financial way of life as a rogue wolf seems to be hunting and killing everything in the vicinity. Determined to trap or kill the wolf, Joseph leaves his family at their cabin to wait for his return. As the days go on, Anne and Renee soon learn they must face the terrors of the forest or starve, putting their survival instincts to the test.
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It is obvious the cast for Hunter Hunter was picked with focus and purpose. Devon Sawa was perfectly cast as a gruff live-off-the-land mountain man. His intent on wanting his family to conform to a more natural and less constrictive way of life was serious and convincing. Camille Sullivan really shined, showing the perfect portrayal of a mother protecting her cub. She was fierce, passionate, and bordering insane. Intentionally, there wasn’t a large amount of dialogue in this film, so a lot of the acting was built on visual cues and emotional reactions. Everyone stood out and was memorable, including the few supporting characters.
The story threw me for a loop. I went into this film thinking it was going to be a completely different kind of horror film than it was. This isn’t a bad thing for me. I love being surprised, and being taken off guard was appreciated, especially when the genre completely switches. This could be an issue for horror fans that are wanting what they expected from the start, and don’t get it. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but the film is well-worth watching, and I don’t want to spoil anything, so my story description ends there. My only real complaint comes with the fact that I wanted more from the character storytelling point of view. This film focuses on a very specific time in all these characters’ lives, and I wish I knew what led them there, and what happened before and after we meet them. It feels very much like it was written as a short story.
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All the filming looked wonderful. I’m a sucker for natural imagery and the Canadian wilderness, where this was filmed, was beautiful and creepy at the same time. The woods are a naturally spooky place. Every sound and glimpse in the dark are threatening and anxiety-inducing, and Linden takes full advantage of that atmosphere. The gore and practical effects were top-notch as well. The usage of a real wolfdog and not a CG wolf was a welcome sight. There wasn’t a lot of gore throughout the entire film, but a few specific shocking moments made me wince and had my eyes wide. This film did not shy away from brutality in the least. In fact, the final act was both simultaneously hard to watch as a human, and hard to look away from as a horror fan.
Overall, Hunter Hunter is a beautiful and vicious horror film, and a hell of a way to kick off 2021. I’m excited to see what Shawn Linden has in store for us in the future. I definitely recommend giving it a watch. Hunter Hunter can be rented or purchased on Amazon starting at $4.99 USD.
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