Never since The Pyramid has a Film been both a Found Footage Film, but also not.
This is The Hunt, a 2006 Film I bought a $1 copy of last year.
Time to finally watch it!
The Plot involves a trio who go missing in the Woods while Filming a Pilot for a Hunting Video Series. We've all heard that Plot a thousand times, right?!?
Seriously though, other than why they are out there, it is more of the same...except also not. You see, the Film also mixes in 'footage' of people searching for the people and asking witnesses.
It also includes at least one shot per Scene that was just shot like an actual Film.
This should make me happy. See why this attempt to be like The Last Broadcast meets Pulp Fiction just doesn't work for me.
Of note, the Film is by Fritz Kiersch (who is proudly listed as the 'Director of Children of the Corn') and features Cliff De Young (Brad from Shock Treatment) and Robert Rusler (the 'not boyfriend' from A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge).
One of them won an Award for this Film...from the Chicago Horror Film Festival.
Still counts!
To see what is in these Woods (besides tedium), read on...
The Film proper begins with a guy filming himself acting crazy. Sure- why not?
After that, we get the Plot Setup that involves a Hunter being a Stepdad to a kid. They are going to film a Hunting Video alongside a Cinematographer (Rusler aka the crazy guy).
It is here that we establish that the Mom doesn't trust him and that the bike helmet can film stuff.
Oh, and also they are now missing days after they went out.
I think this is supposed to raise the tension (Oh my- how did this happen, I should ask), but it is just a pointless SPOILER.
We learn that these people are funding the shoot are the actual Dad of the kid and his new Wife.
Cool?
I guess....
Before they go into the Woods- at a rented Hunting Area-, they run afoul of this bald guy.
He's menacing and tries to get them not to go out...but they do anyhow.
After an attempt to kill a deer goes wrong, they keep going and find a fence.
Instead of doing anything logical, they cross the fence, figuring that the deer somehow went under the fence.
Your deaths are on you, folks!
They run across a weird circle of pillars.
Weird.
Is this explained?
Not really.
Weird.
At about the halfway point, we see that one survivor was found...but we don't see them. Wait until the end for THIS SPOILER.
We see De Young and his Wife talking to witnesses from the video, since some unseen Police shut down the search (off-screen).
They film their questions...but who Filmed this? Oops.
The high point of this is when they talk to the guy we saw at a General Store before the trio went into the Woods.
They see him later and then show him the video of...himself to prove it.
He still denies it.
Thanks for that.
They eventually get pursued by people in the Woods and the Cinematographer finally snaps. Earn that Chicago Horror Award!
The bald guy from earlier is revealed and this turns out to be a Hunting Ground...for Aliens. They kill the Leads, but spare the kid.
Oh look- he was the one they found...in footage that they shot DIFFERENTLY for this reveal. Cheat some more.
I should also mention that this Film is set in 1999...for no apparent reason.
The evidence is given to a Government Official...who shreds it.
A bleak text crawl wraps the 'Story' up. Alright then.
The End.
A Film that, unfortunately, fails in most respects. I wanted this to work.
For starters, telling the Story out of order did nothing for it positively. I don't think of it as 'deeper' or find it 'more engaging.' Knowing that they get lost (while kind of obvious for a Found Footage Film) does take the tension away from the later bits.
The parts in the Wood are fine. Why not have more of those?
Why not just have the Film told in linear order?
Again- do you gain anything here?
Also do consider the Plot here- the Government hides the evidence of the missing people in the Woods, destroys the evidence handed to them and apparently kills the Dad and his lady for their work.
Now we just saw this.
Thanks alot- now the Deep State is going to kill me. You too. My bad.
Save us, Stock Footage of a Deer!
Next time, I dig more into that DVD Pile. I must have something good in there, right? Right?!?
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