Hunter’s Blood (1986)

Directed by Robert Hughes [Other horror films: Hunter’s Blood (1986), Memorial Valley Massacre (1989)]

There aren’t many movies out there like Hunter’s Blood, which is a shame, because I’ve seen it twice now, and it’s a pretty damn fun movie.

Many compare it to Deliverance, which is likely a fair comparison. I’ve only seen Deliverance once (and I probably wasn’t older than 11), so I can’t say, but I can say it’s not too dissimilar from films like Whiskey Mountain or Rituals, the difference being Hunter’s Blood is a bit more action-packed as opposed to suspenseful. To be sure, there’s suspense here, but it’s not often the focus.

In the film, five city folk go hunting deep in the woods of Arkansas, and run into some poachers, who aren’t keen on outside folk poking around their business. There’s a bit of build-up before things really get going – before any violence rears it’s head, there’s some conflicts of culture (one of the city folk, a guy named Marty, has apparently never been to the south before, and can’t resist doing and saying stupid things), but once things blast off, they blast off hard.

This is a pretty violent film once the violence starts up. Among the most disturbing scenes is the body of a man who’s been half skinned, and people also stumble upon a decapitated head (not unlike the scene in Rituals). There’s a shotgun blast that blows someone’s head off – even I was surprised by how violent the aftermath of that was. Someone gets a knife right through the jaw, which was a fun scene. It’s an action-packed film, and has the violence to attest to that.

It’s also a beautiful setting. I’m not much of an outdoorsy type – I’ve never been fishing, let alone hunting, and I don’t believe I’ve ever been camping in my life. If I were to, though, I would hope it’s be as pleasant-looking as the location in the film. IMDb states, without detail, that the movie was filmed in California – whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but wherever this was filmed, it really does look quite nice.

Sam Bottoms isn’t a name I really know, though he was also in Up from the Depths. He’s a great lead, and though I wasn’t fond of his wife, played by Kim Delaney (Project: Metalbeast), she did decent during the finale. Joey Travolta (brother of John Travolta) played such an annoying character, but he eventually grew on me. Mayf Nutter and Ken Swofford were both good, especially Swofford, but it’s really Clu Gulager (A Nightmare on Elm Street Part II: Freddy’s Revenge) who pulled everything together wonderfully, and though he’s incapacitated during the latter half of the movie, his character was one of my favorites.

Among the many antagonists, there’s plenty of good performances, but I think the leader, played by Lee de Broux, was easily the most threatening. He had a great aura about him, and he definitely seemed like a tough customer. Others that may be recognizable include Charles Cyphers (Halloween), Mickey Jones (Penny Dreadful), Bruce Glover (Night of the Scarecrow), and Billy Bob Thorton (in his first acting role).

Hunter’s Blood might not seem like a good movie, and it’s definitely atypical compared to other horror films from the 1980’s, but it’s a rewarding experience, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a nice slice of culture conflicts.

8/10