The Story: Four hyper-masculine men go on a wild boar hunt with high-powered rifles. Shit happens.
Expectations: A friend recommended this monster movie to me. I didn't know much about it, except that it's French and French filmmakers have produced some of the most extreme horror films of the 21st century. I had a feeling that things would get messy.
Reaction: There are plenty of disturbing things in this movie, not least of which is the way the characters treat each other. The four main characters are, technically, family -- and with family like this, they don't need enemies. Once they find themselves among primal beasts (not one boar, but a whole herd of mutant boars), the men become equally primal. In many ways the story unfolds like THE DESCENT, with the hunted humans turning into monstrous hunters -- although PREY lacks the mythic quality that distinguishes THE DESCENT and so many other great monster movies. The scare are simple but effective, and the film bodes well for first-time direction Antoine Blossier.
(Gordon, you're 3 for 3... I'll welcome movie recommendations from you anytime!)
Most Nightmare-Worthy Moment: When one of the men realizes that the boars hunt by smell, he implements a gag-worthy plan to disguise his humanity.
I have good instincts. ;) Thank you for these terrific reviews and taking time to vet them out.
ReplyDeleteClearly, we have similar tastes and I look forward to giving them a spin!
Cheers!