It’s not quite enough to balance the “all men are bastards” narrative, with the film putting its message before the medium. There are a number of interesting flourishes, even if these may or may not make sense, such as the blue pepper spray applied to Eve, which leaves her face looking like Boadicea’s European cousin (top). That would be Oscar-nominated animated feature Persepolis, which he co-directed. Paronnaud is a comic-book writer, and brings a similar sense of style here, even if – except for the cartoon sequence – this is light years removed from his best-known previous work. When the film’s script threatens to collapse, the visual side is more consistent. Plot: road rage, maniac, psychopath, woman in danger, stalking, evil man, stalker, mentally unstable, threat, highway, brutality, driving. Though the latter is a bit of a mixed blessing: they encounter a mother and her son in the woods, who seem significant, before the script appears to forget about them suddenly. Or are there? Similar, once you get past the hour mark, the pace quickens considerably, with Eve and her pursuer closing in on each other, and others getting involved. Of course, there are no longer any in the area. The opening does a nice job of setting the mythic groundwork, with an animated sequence which tells the story of a previous visitor to the woods, who was saved by the wolves. The beginning and end of this are considerably more successful than the middle, which is less “stalk ‘n’ slash” than “stalk… and stalk… and stalk some more.” There is a lot of wandering around the woods. But having seen their faces, the men have no intention of letting her get away, and the hunt is on. They end up deep in the forest, where a car accident caused by an animal in the road gives Eve the chance to escape. Which is fine, until his accomplice (O’Brien) gets in the front seat, and drives them off the man’s video camera (and our knowledge of genre tropes) indicates something highly unpleasant is intended. She is rescued from the last-named by another man (Worthalter), and they end up in the back of his car. The heroine is Eve (Debay), a French manager on a construction project, whose life is plagued by unpleasant men of all flavours: her demanding boss, clingy boyfriend, and even a drunk asshole at a bar, who won’t take no for an answer. Give me subtlety over earnestness, any day. It felt as if this got in the way of its own story as much as it enhanced things, however. I’m not sure the same can quite be said of Hunted, which appears to take inspiration from the fairy tale of Red Riding Hood, but casts it against a background of toxic masculinity. Dawn of the Dead, They Live or Get Out, work on their own terms, regardless of whether you agree with (or even notice) the points being made. I don’t mind the concept of social commentary in genre films, but it really needs not to be the primary focus. Hunted premieres on Shudder tonight, 14 January 2021.Star: Lucie Debay, Arieh Worthalter, Ciaran O’Brien, Ryan Brodie Nevertheless, Hunted was a fun film to kick of the year and I give it an okay three out of five stars.

That could just be me though, I'm not a great fan of Grindhouse or exploitation horror. In fact, I'd have liked to have seen a different outcome, one where The Huntress played a greater role, where Eve had more agency than luck, and where our antagonists' fortunes were infinitely more unfortunate. I would definitely like to have seen more of her story explored. There was also the fairytale element, more grim than glitter, and a fantastic cameo from Simone Milsdochter as The Huntress. The forest, with its perils and frozen rivers, made for a very atmospheric setting, disturbed by ample use of the colour red. I loved the forest setting juxtaposed against the modern, soulless houses that Eve builds. When the focus isn't on the wolf and his sick film hobby, Hunted is a beautiful film to watch. It's a testament to Worthalter and O'Brien's performances that I detested them so much, not everyone can play such a convincing antagonist. Ariel Worthalter ( Girl) is the absolutely psychopathic, unhinged wolf and Ciaran O'Brien ( Misfits) is his feckless accomplice. It is also the story of wolves and what one woman will do to survive and get her revenge.īelgian actress Lucie Debay ( The Confession) shines as Eve, our intrepid survivor. Hunted is a gory retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood story with onscreen violence and off-screen sexual assault. Her knight-in-shining-armour turns wicked wolf and suddenly Eve finds herself lost in a forest in a life-or-death battle for survival.

Hunted begins in a bar in Belgium where French contractor Eve is trying to have a good time, despite the uninvited attention of certain men in the bar. My first for 2021 is also my first from French director Vincent Paronnaud, Shudder original Hunted. This year came with no promises, so I'm preparing to bunker down with an endless supply of horror films.

Hunted 2020