Call of the Hunter

• Directed By: Anthony Straeger
• Written By: Stephen Gawtry
• Country: UK
• Released: 2009
• Running Time: 82 minutes
• Links: Official Site
• Buy It: Amazon
• Horror, Reviews

If you wanted an example of just how much a film-maker with a very strong visual sense can achieve with a talented cast and a well selected location, you would be very well advised to take a look at Call of the Hunter.

The film centres on a documentary crew that goes into the woods to make a film about Herne the Hunter, the mythical figure associated with Windsor forest. All is not well with the crew, however, and from the outset it is clear that tensions exist between the characters. The early part of the film largely concentrates on establishing these characters and identifying the conflicts and alliances within and around the group. This is time well spent as it ensures that you start to see the characters as people, with all the strengths and weaknesses you would expect from a largely ordinary group of individuals.

It’s an approach that works well because performances are so strong. All of the cast deliver consistent and effective performances which are able to hold your attention while the dramatic elements of the film are built, hinted at and explored.

Ultimately, though, Call of the Hunter is a horror film and, while the characters are forming alliances and widening divisions among themselves, something else is also clearly happening. We see glimpses and hints and hear the occasional sound to suggest that someone – or something – is stalking the crew. With their attention on each other, the crew remain oblivious to this so the question of who or what is stalking them, and why, is left to the audience’s imagination until we’re a good half way into the film.

This gives the film a very strong ghost-story feel and, while there isn’t a lot of action in the first half of the film, this is more than made up for by the utterly incredible atmosphere that permeates everything. Both visually and in terms of the soundtrack, the films delivers a stunningly spooky sense of place and one that draws you into the film long before the carefully established events begin to resolve themselves.

Even when the pacing does begin to pick up, the writer/director team of Stephen Gawtry and Anthony Straeger retain their trust in the sense of atmosphere that they have built. As such, the film retains an unnervingly ethereal feel even when things get bloody. And things do get bloody.

As the film approaches its climax, the actual gore effects are both physical and sparingly used. This, combined with the film’s atmosphere, makes for a much more intense effect when the blood hits the screen,

Overall, Call of the Hunter is a well paced film brought to life by a very strong cast. The real strength of the film, though, is its atmosphere and this makes for a genuinely unnerving experience that steadily draws you in and refuses to let go until the end credits roll.

Tags: Call of the Hunter