After much controversy, multiple release dates, and a global pandemic, Blumhouse’s The Hunt is finally available to watch On Demand in your home.
Vulture has pretty comprehensive coverage of the pre-release controversy for this film over here, so if you want to read more about that, have at it. Then come back and join me when you’re ready. I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.
Okay hi. Welcome. Thanks for coming back. So a lot of people who haven’t seen this movie are angry about it and refusing to see it because of violence and potentially controversial views on politics, etc. etc.
The Hunt is a satirical horror film directed by Directed by Craig Zobel and starring (just to name a few) Ike Barinholtz, Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, and Hilary Swank. In the movie, they try to leave Hilary Swank’s role as a surprise up until the very end, but she’s featured heavily in all of the trailers and promotional material so… I’m not sure why. This wasn’t like an Ed Harris in Snowpiercer situation, even though it seems like that’s what they wanted it to be. Spoiler: Ed Harris is in Snowpiercer.
GASP IS THAT HILARY SWANK?
Woo. That was a tangent. All this time indoors is getting to me. Anyway. As I was saying. This movie is a satire that pits wealthy liberals against working class conservatives in a highly elaborate game of cat and mouse. And just like in a real game of cat and mouse, the mice all get killed. One of my favorite things about this movie is that you were never really sure who was going to get killed and when. Yes, this movie is very violent. Yes, that’s played up to an absurd level. That’s… kind of the point.
But violence isn’t the only thing that’s upsetting people about this movie. There’s the whole liberals vs. conservatives battle, which is very central to the plot and difficult to ignore. A lot of people seem to be up in arms about the fact that liberals might be the “bad guys” in this movie because they’re, you know, hunting people for sport. And if liberals are the bad guys, then that must mean conservatives are the good guys.
On the flip side, a lot of conservatives seem to take the being-hunted-for-sport thing a bit personally. I can’t imagine why. Again, read more about it in that Vulture piece. My take is coming after another fun picture from the movie. And…
Here we go. I think this uproar about the movie is simultaneously giving the movie too much credit while also not reading into it enough. Hear me out. Let’s talk about why people might be giving this movie too much credit. It’s a Blumhouse film. I’m not throwing shade here. I probably go see every Blumhouse movie, and sometimes they’re great fun (The Visit). Sometimes they’re terrible (Fantasy Island). Every now and then they’re AMAZING (Get Out) Most of the time? They’re fun horror movies that are supposed to be quick, enjoyable, and easily forgotten. So in that sense, getting all up in arms about what the violence means in this movie? Calm down. It’s a satirical horror film.
But in terms of Blumhouse movies, this movie is doing a lot more than your average forgettable horror flick, and I want to give it credit for that. I think the film’s take on liberals and conservatives in America is a little more nuanced than either side wants to give the movie credit for. The entire set up of the movie is poking fun at how America has become so divided politically. Both sides see the opposing side as villainous, to the point where both liberals and conservatives become the monsters the other side thinks they are. I don’t think anyone in this movie is without fault. Both sides are portrayed as self-centered, stubborn, at times evil, and frequently dumb. So if you watch this movie and you’re offended by that portrayal, just know the other side is just as offended as you are.
Political satire isn’t new, but what is new is our sensitivity to it. As politics become more and more personal and more and more divided, it becomes harder to make jokes about it. Maybe we should take a step back and consider why, and question whether that’s the movie’s fault or ours.
This isn’t a perfect movie. There was a tiny (and unnecessary) twist at the end that I thought was done just to be sure our hero was not seen as super conservative or “bad” in any way. I can’t say more than that without giving it away. But I will say that this twist did pull back on some of the complexity that the movie had been playing with between dueling political sides. And that was disappointing. This twist was so small that even if you’ve seen it, you might not remember what I’m talking about. But oh well. I promised not to spoil the movie.
I’m glad I finally got to see The Hunt, but after all the controversy and uncomfortable whisperings about this movie before its release, seeing the real deal felt kind of underwhelming. It’s just a fun little horror movie, everyone. And I say “little” because it has a very short runtime. Overall, I think this movie really is just harmless fun that’s also kind of saying something interesting. But for a movie that was so heavily maligned, it’s really not taking that many risks. Everyone calm down. And see this movie if you want to.