No matter how anyone feels about the act of hunting, it’s rooted in about every culture around the world. However, what was once a means of getting food has somehow evolved into a divisive ‘sport.’ While animals are the designated game in real life, so many movies have hunters setting their sights on… something else.
The idea of stalking humans for fun was notably put to paper in The Most Dangerous Game, a tale inspired by trophy hunting and safaris. Aside from direct adaptations of Richard Connell’s short story, other notable films about literal manhunts include Turkey Shoot (1982), Hard Target (1993), Surviving the Game (1994), Battle Royale (2000), and, most recently, Ready or Not (2019). The timeworn plot has been tweaked so much over the years in a bid to keep things relatively fresh.
With Blumhouse’s The Hunt out in theaters this weekend, we’ve gathered fifteen reminders that even humans can become the prey. So, find yourselves a safe place to hide because these underseen movies about hunting people are ready to maim.
Deadly Game (1991)
Settling a score or seeking revenge are common motives when devising these taboo hunts. Such is the case in the 1991 TV-movie Deadly Game. A group of seven strangers are brought to an island where they are pursued in the name of a mysterious, all-knowing figure called Osiris. As with other movies with this theme, Deadly Game is impelled by a strong And Then There Were None type design. Everything plays out in the most soap-operatic fashion possible, but this violent telefilm includes a delightful performance by Roddy McDowall of Fright Night fame.
Punishment Park (1971)
Mockumentaries don’t get much more realistic than Punishment Park. In this faux docuthriller, President Nixon approves a plan that gives new prisoners a choice between serving their time traditionally, or spending three days in the film’s namesake. Without fail, they choose the latter option, which entails them being hunted by the feds. This biting, fictional indictment of the U.S. judicial system stands the test of time.
Dark Highlands (2018)
If there’s anywhere you can go in the world to feel utterly alone, the Scottish Highlands seems like a right proper destination. For one man, his idyllic getaway goes straight to hell when a masked madman comes after him. The victim is relentlessly pursued until he has no choice but to fight back. There’s very little dialogue here, and the camerawork mimics the mood of each scene. Dark Highlands conceivably drags, but the cat-and-mousery here keeps viewers on their toes.
Shopping Tour (2012)
Retail therapy and a low sense of self-preservation leads to trouble for a party of Russian shoppers. When visiting Finland for some coordinated consumerism, a bus full of unsuspecting Russians are lured into a trap laid out by the cannibalistic residents. Shopping Tour, an entertaining dovetail of black comedy and found-footage horror, is an express line to micro-budgeted mayhem.
A Million (2009)
In spite of their popularity on the small screen, competition-based reality shows aren’t exploited as much as they could be in movies. In the South Korean thriller A Million, contestants on a Survivor-like show endure seven days in an Australian desert all for a $1-million prize. Unfortunately for them, no one will ever see their television debuts. The nerve-biting, twisty narrative more than makes up for the fact that A Million is low in originality.
Rituals (1977)
In the wake of Deliverance came a few survival-based films where urban dwellers are besieged by backwoods sadists. Rituals is no mere echo of John Boorman’s seminal movie, though. This 1977 entry about stalked doctors left to die in the Canadian wilderness is both grim and brutal. And, so often, it’s nearly too painful to watch. In the end, Rituals sets itself apart by being as unshrinking as it is cruel. If your taste for backcountry barbarity isn’t satisfied just yet, then check out Southern Comfort (1981) and Hunter’s Blood (1986).
Blooded (2011)
Sport hunting has always been criticized by animal rights activists. In this British shockumentary, a group of such people capture and toy with five deer hunters in the Scottish Highlands. It’s of no surprise the film incited discourse between both sides of the argument at hand. The film’s promotion strategy sparked a small scandal, too, that made some people believe the incident in the film was factual. Nonetheless, Blooded is a vicious yet totally fabricated example of turning the tables in the most merciless way.
Slashers (2001)
Unprepared American contestants are pitted against three ruthless masked killers — Chainsaw Charlie, Preacherman, and Dr. Ripper — on a popular Japanese reality show. So long as they stay alive, they each have the chance of winning a $1-million jackpot. Slashers is shoestring-budget schlock with a glaring amount of middling acting. On the other hand, this update of The Running Man is both a crude and shrewd criticism of modern society.
Series 7: The Contenders (2001)
This satire of instant stardom by way of reality television shows the lengths some people will go to for fame. It’s kill or be killed in this bleak dramedy about randomly selected, everyman competitors. This oddity of a movie is more about the human psychology that drives six people to stoop so low. That doesn’t mean there isn’t unflinching violence on occasion, though.
The Zero Boys (1986)
There are few horror movies that involve paintball to begin with, but, of those that are available, you can’t go wrong with Nico Mastorakis’ The Zero Boys. Filmed on the same sets as Friday the 13th Part III, the movie follows a group of competitive paintballers heading to a remote cabin after winning a tournament. It’s there that they must put their skills to the test when unseen intruders attack. Solid atmosphere and thoughtful pacing certainly help stress the kills’ impact.
Scared (2005)
A school trip goes terribly awry in this Thai horror movie. As their bus fails to cross a suspended forest bridge, the surviving students inside trek across a forest in search of help. What they find instead are well-concealed killers who are all waiting to pick the teens off, one by one. Scared adapts the more torturous elements of Saw, and puts them to good use in this thrilling quasi-slasher.
Manhunt (2008)
It feels like déjà vu in this Norwegian flick. By that, the story starts out like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It’s even set in 1974. The similarities don’t end there either—a group of friends traveling by van end up being seized and tortured by homicidal locals. From that point onward, Manhunt (originally known as Rovdyr) gets gory. This movie is not a glowing example of individuality, but it’s a worthwhile homage to grindhouse horror loaded with commendable practical effects.
Savages (1974)
Matlock himself gets nasty in this 1974 TV-movie based on Robb White’s novel Deathwatch. Andy Griffith amazes as the diabolical lawyer who mistakenly shoots a prospector while on a hunting trip in a desert. His small-town guide, a young gas station attendant, is the only witness, and Griffith’s character isn’t about to let him tell anyone what happened. A more recent adaptation, Beyond the Reach, stars Michael Douglas as the hunter.
The Million Game (1970)
This German hidden gem was ahead of its time. A Million Game, produced for television, tracks a man who agrees to be hunted by several other men. If he can survive for one week, he will be paid handsomely. If not, the money goes to the hunters. Cameras follow them to ensure viewers can watch at home. The same audience is also encouraged to help either the prey or the predators. Perhaps the strangest part of A Million Game, which is full of bizarre and radical new ideas for the time, is the setting. Rather than taking place in a dystopian, jaded world, the story occurs in a very average-looking part of Germany. Another highlight is the movie’s plain ability to generate important conversations about TV’s credibility.
A Game of Death (1945)
The most well-known, faithful adaptation of The Most Dangerous Game is a 1932 movie bearing the same name. In 1945, RKO Radio Pictures put out a remake that borders on being a shot-for-shot. The two films even share footage. Like its predecessor, A Game of Death involves a shipwrecked man washing ashore on Ban island, and then being hunted by a madman. In its defense, the ’45 version retains a sharper hero who poses a bigger challenge for his opponent, who is now a Germanic villain. Some might say to skip this one in favor of the first movie, also by RKO, but they each have their own merits.
