“Hunted” Wants More Than Your Viewership, It Wants Your Anxiety
I grew up in a fairly religious and equally conservative home. My parents didn't allow for my sister or me to watch horror movies. They weren’t allowed in our house. Yet, somehow we owned a copy of Scream. When I turned 18, all bets were off. Even though I would still live under my parents’ roof for another two years, their influence on me had weakened. While most of my friends went to buy cigarettes, among other things, on their 18th birthday, I marched my happy little butt up to my nearest blockbuster and signed up for a card. The first thing that I wanted to do was get an education in the medium of film - I was passionate yet naive.
The first thing that I began doing was going back through classics like Psycho and the aforementioned Scream. When I saw Scream, something within me changed. I fell in love with Wes Craven and I wanted to know more about what he had done. Admittedly, at this time I would go see his then-new movie, Red Eye. Blinded by my own bias, I thought it was one of the best movies I had seen at the time. I no longer think that and I have only watched the film twice since it’s theatrical release in 2005.I continued to dig deeper to know more about this filmmaker. I watched A Nightmare on Elm Street not longer after that. Then, however, I began my journey through some of his earlier films. To be honest, I kind of regret that.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Craven as a filmmaker. He has made some of my favorite movies of all time. Scream is one of my favorite film series of all time. I just don’t enjoy rape scenes in movies. His debut movie, The Last House on the Left, showcased a young woman hounded by three strangers who rape and attempt to kill her. It’s a hard watch. It’s films like Left that I find myself grimy and dirty after, like I need a STRONG shower after watching them. Nearly ten years after his last film, Chicken with Plums, writer-director Vincent Paronnaud returns to tell a similar story to that of Craven’s debut. Hunted tells the story of Eve (Lucie Debay), who goes out for a walk one night, after being stressed by work, and stumbles into a bar. It is here that she meets a man (Arieh Worthalter) who charms her into being kidnapped and ultimately leads to her being hunted for sport.
Hunted feels like a distant cousin to the previously mentioned The Last House on the Left and even perhaps I Spit on Your Grave. Paronnaud does a phenomenal job at bringing viewers to the edge of their seats and leaving them there. He does a great job at setting up the frustration of Debay’s character very subtly. We don’t spend a terrible amount of time with her character, prior to the club, but we’re given enough context to understand her need to drink. That’s something I really found myself respecting about Paronnaud’s writing. It never drags itself more than it has to - for the most part.
There comes a point in the movie where Debay reaches her breaking point, as the poster for the film demonstrates. This otherwise brilliantly anxious movie switches its tone from horror to a nearly straight-up action blockbuster. The final act feels out of place from the rest of the film. The pacing that has been established up to this point in the movie is essentially ruined, and Hunted basically falls apart in the end. I hated that so much. Paronnaud does an incredible job with pacing and character building throughout the entire movie up to this point, but much like sand, this movie slips through his hands.
Outside of the successful tension Hunted beautifully establishes, the performances are what make this movie. Debay conveys so much to the viewer within the 96 minute run time by taking the audience through her vulnerable phase, causing the audience to attach themselves to her through the sheer insane breaking point of her character. She is the emotional linchpin of this entire experience. But she just mind be outshined by Worthalter, but if so, only just by a little bit. I know that we’re only a week and some change into the year of 2021, and this may be a bit premature to say, but he could be one of the best antagonists we see this year. His charisma is so untouchable throughout the first act that when he turns, it comes as a genuine surprise. As the movie develops his character more and more, you learn to authentically hate him. He’s wise, cunning, and just downright evil. He’s incredible at being the antagonist. With the sheer amount of tension this movie produces, you need an antagonist that knows how to elevate the picture to new heights. Without a doubt, Worthalter does that magnificently.
Overall, Hunted crafts a perfect blend of tension and brilliant performances. Its protagonist in Lucie Debay and antagonist in Arieh Worthalter elevate what would have been an otherwise dull movie to new heights. The script from director Vincent Paronnaud successfully establishes the horror of the story with significance. However, while the film boasts an impressive first two acts, its final act feels out of tone from the rest of the film. Its characters outside of its lead feel pointless and waste screen time. Hunted is a film with potential that never quite arrives at that potential.
RORSHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: Remember when you were younger and your parents emphasized never to talk to strangers? Now, we live in a world where that message gets lost. We live in a digitized world that can effectively turn friends to foes, strangers to friends, and relationships to marriages virtually overnight. What makes the journey of Eve so incredibly heartbreaking is understanding how vulnerable she was when she found herself in that situation. The ideas and themes of Hunted beg the importance of knowing your limit. If you're not necessarily in the right mental health headspace, perhaps a bar is not in your best interest. Even when you're vulnerable, I would encourage you to know your limits for your mental health, especially what you can and cannot take.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Hunted is property of Shudder. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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