The Hunted

I went with this movie not knowing much about it, so when I first saw it was POV\FF format I thought "Oh boy, not again" because last movie I saw as in fact a terrible found footage movie (not to be named here).

Then I saw Josh Stewart and thought "Ok it might not be that bad".

and to my surprise, this turned out to be not only really good P.O.V. movie, but also a very effective horror movie. Even bigger surprise was "Directed and written by Josh Stewart". Starring in all those horror movies recently really payed of for Josh, because he clearly picked up few tips on what scares the people... and that's coming from a horror veteran who nearly lost all hope in new(er) horror movies for relying either on too much jump scares or too much gore, or just plain old stupid guys doing stupid things in stupid screenplays, surviving only because script said so.

The movie is about two guys, one of them being hunter Jake (Josh Stewart), the other his friend journalist Stevie (Ronnie Gene Blevins), who go out on private ranch to hunt animals and record it so Jake would get enough footage for his planned hunting show... Then they soon realize they are the prey and something else in the woods in hunting them.

Honestly, if you want to be surprised like I was, don't read anything about this movie. Don't even read cast listing (it gives too much).

It's has good atmosphere which is missing a lot from new horror movies, it fallows "the less is more" logic which works well for the movie, it's really tense in "night in the woods" scenes and it becomes very tense and creepy when things finally get going.

Now, Josh clearly got influenced by Blair Witch Project (maybe unintentionally) because he manages to capture similar mood of that movie (only better in my opinion) and feeling of unease while characters are all alone in the woods surrounded by pitch black of the woods.

It's a horror movie that relays heavily on the sounds, which is perfect. Think original The Haunting. You'll hear that sound and know something is there, something is right in front of the characters. Sometimes it's falls alarm, sometimes it's there.

Big thanks to Josh for not relying on jump scares too much, there are few of them, but they are not annoying like in most of modern horror movies. They are not accompanied by loud orchestra music that will pierce your ears, they come naturally and usually have good build up before it, so they are earned and you as viewer are satisfied. (first jump scare is actually really good because there's a huge build up to it)

"The Haunted" reminded me of John Carpenter's "The Thing" at one point. Josh was very effective in building up tension where most of the tension comes from expecting things to happen, just like J. Carpenter played with us with "The Thing". You knew Thing was going to pop up eventually, it was just a question when it will show up. It's a same thing here. You know it's going to happen, it's just a matter of time when it will happen.

so this reminds me, why are you still and actor Josh? You're a good actor in my opinion, but you're even better director, and horror director on top of that and all of us horror fans know we need more of those these days!

This is far from original at all, especially when The Blair Witch Project remains the scariest film I've ever seen. That film's tension is just masterful, and I have to say that this film is able to recreate some of its ingenuity and real terror. I think the acting in this is really good and a big part as to why it's pretty effective. At times, the film is a bit too similar in its showing-less-is-more approach, but I'm glad it took that route. I wish the ending had been crazier and that it had done more, but I guess that it was comfortable just feeling safe. Overall, this isn't a necessary viewing, but it is pretty good, especially for such an indie.

When I was a kid, we used to tell ghost stories or re-tell urban legends around the the campfire. With the advent of the "found footage" genre, we've found a whole new way to keep our kids awake all night, even camping in the backyard.

"Blair Witch" did it first. But in my opinion, Josh Stewart has done it best. The filming wasn't so obviously orchestrated as to suggest a D.O.P., but then again, this stuff doesn't just 'happen'. The editing was great and the thrill of terror and suspense was heightened by the anticipation of the next 'event' (don't want to spoil what happens).

This is a very well crafted, well presented and well produced film - unlike so many other "found footage" projects that make you wonder if maybe someone's dad bought them an editing suite for Christmas.

Next time I pitch a tent around a campfire - if I'm ever so brave after watching this - I'll bring along a laptop and share this tale. Then, spend the night in my SUV with the doors locked.

Ironically, the only thing missing in this film was an actual campfire. Otherwise, very very well done and the cast and crew deserve an 'A' for effort and an "A+" for execution.

I had high hopes for this movie. I really liked "The Blair Witch", and I thought that this effort might be reasonably close. Unfortunately, I was wrong. You would be better served to watch an episode... ANY episode... of the television series "Mountain Monsters".

TL;DR: I really enjoyed this one! Solid acting, pacing, atmosphere, and cinematography. Unfortunately, it commits so major FF sins. (Strong 6/10)

"The Hunted" is the directorial debut of Josh Stewart (who also wrote the script and stars in the film). He crafts a dense and moody atmosphere that creates a lasting sense of dread and keeps you glued to the screen. The film manages to be pretty creepy and features two main characters who are, thankfully, not incompetent fools. I was impressed and relieved to see that this wasn't going to be just another typical found footage horror. The script is smart and knows exactly what it wants to be/do. I was never bored and never felt like I was watching an amateur project.

Also, the audio is mixed extremely well! Every bit of audio feels like it was captured by the camera's internal mic. Never once did they just slap a bunch of digital sound effects on in post. At least not that I could tell. This is one thing that helps the atmosphere feel so tense and creepy.

However...

There are 2 key flaws:

1. While the mood is dense, visceral and creepy... Every. Single. Scare... is a jump scare (with large variations/sudden jumps in volume). Yes, the atmosphere is near perfect, but its such a shame that all that build up, all that tension and all of the attention to detail is spoiled by cheap jump scares with little variety. They had so much going for them and they resorted to the oldest trick in the book. Dear filmmakers, jump scares are not "scary." All they do is startle you, not terrify you. So much potential wasted on lazy jumps.

2. For some reason, they used a freakin soundtrack... Why, why, why do so many found footage directors keep slapping on soundtracks? This film could have easily stood on its own without it and it would've been better for it. I will give it credit and say that it was fairly unique and fit the theme of hunters in the woods. But soundtracks Do Not belong in FF. If you want to use a soundtrack, use a traditional narrative style of filming. Period.

Despite these major gripes, I still think the film had enough going for it to mostly transcend its flaws. But it had the potential to be so much more than the final product.

Overall, I'd recommend it to any FF junky. I enjoyed it quite a bit and it is well above the average FF indie flick. Especially when you consider that this is the director's first feature film.