Review: Happy Hunting

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In horror, hunting season often means something entirely different from the daily grind of deer meat-seeking outdoorsmen. Over the years, a multitude of releases have featured prey that is disturbingly human. Movies like Carnage Park and the classic short story, The Most Dangerous Game, all see hunters becoming the hunted as crazed maniacs stalk our victims down. Happy Hunting is in a similar vein.

Following a recovering alcoholic who gets stranded in a rural town, Happy Hunting is an aggressive thriller that finds our protagonist struggling for his life against the townspeople who kidnap drifters and hunt them for sport. While shaky at times, this movie is a bloody heap of crazed fun. Happy Hunting stars Martin Dingle Wall (Gun Shy) as Warren Novak, our struggling alcoholic. Ken Lally (Heroes) and Sherry Leigh (Poseidon) as the Pattersons, an unhinged couple that seems completely rosy until the hunt begins, Connor Williams (The UnMiracle) as the youngest prey, Robbie, and Gary Sturm (Sasquatch Hunting) as the games spokesperson, Sheriff Burnside.


Pairing camp and grit, Happy Hunting finds comedy in its vicious premise. There's moments reminiscent of The Purge, stylized kills that bend into grindhouse and overall, plenty of chase scenes to make audiences' hearts race. Wall and Lally are definitely the film's biggest standouts. Wall gravelly voice works well as he struggles to cope with his sobering brain and Lally gives off major creep vibes until he becomes the intense killer seeking revenge.


Visually, Happy Hunting is a perfect end-of-summer bash. Set in a desert, there's an almost monochromatic tone to the film. The harsh, sunbaked lighting of the treeless land makes for an experience that'll leave viewers thirsty for water. This works in favor perfectly with Warren's struggle with sobriety as his thirst and delusions are exasperated by the harsh landscape around him.


Audiences have seen this kind of movie done better, but there's no denying the entertaining gut punch resulting from the graphic imagery, stark desert landscape and deeply unsettling villains. Happy Hunting could stand to polish up, but for all it is, it’s satisfying. The acting of the leads, at least is worthy, the violence is visceral and gory and for fans of similar films, Happy Hunting should quench their thirst. 6 out of 10.

Review: 68 Kill

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Grit and gore; two words that make for a pretty wild ride in the world of horror - or at least should. In the best cases, movies that fully embrace gratuitous violence, tap into some shock comedy and make the most of their bottom line, can be amazing little cult films. Films like last year's Green Room prove just how special these cinematic moments can be. In the worst cases, these movies are unbearable foolishness in the worst way. Luckily, IFC Midnight's latest, 68 Kill is more so the prior.  


Written and directed by Trent Haaga (Deadgirl), 68 Kill follows a financially struggling couple who attempt to steal from girlfriend Liza's sugar daddy. In the process, Chip, Liza's girlfriend, realizes just how untamed his wild girlfriend truly is. As the film progresses and the body count rises, 68 Kill becomes a wild ride in low-income suburbia. With plenty of players in the game, Liza and Chips uphill battle becomes even more tumultuous.


69 Kill stars a particularly strong performance by Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds) and equally as strong, and definitely more terrifying one, courtesy of AnnaLynne McCord (90210) as Chip and Liza. Alisha Boe (Split) is also featured as a witness to the eventual murder of the sugar daddy, and Sheila Vand (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), plays a trashy convenience store clerk with her eyes on the prize. These two young stars are powerhouses in a film that offers a fair share of distraction and comedic ploys.


The best thing working for 68 Kill is its willingness to go off the edge. Despite its faltering moments of silliness, this movie offers plenty of comically intense fun. From a scene that so casually announces that Liza's brother has a pension for dismembering young women to the constant and quite literally skull-bashing, 68 Kill never blinks. It isn't nearly as stylistic or polished as the critically acclaimed Green Room, but for fans of that movie, they can expect a similar experience. Its aggressive, unrelenting, but never loses a sense of lightheartedness.


Overall, 68 Kill is more than watchable. It's a romp of a good time and despite some questionably on-the-nose moments that feel almost too off-center, 68 Kill never loses site of its product. The actors are at some of their best, the characters are some of the most daring and while maybe some parts may feel one-note, the result as a whole is particularly entertaining. 6 out 10.

The Overlook: Carnage Park

(imdb.com)

Violence and horror go hand in hand. When done well, things like gore and extreme injuries can become compelling additions to a story. If done poorly, these aspects can often come off as cheap or grotesque in the worst ways possible. In many cases, these films entice viewers with twisted points of views and retro style to enhance the experience. Movies like The House of the Devil, have found fondness balancing time-period stylizations and grindhouse gore. The IFC Midnight-distributed, 70s-inspired Carnage Park capitalizes on these elements.

Following a bank robbery and kidnap escape gone wrong, Carnage Park follows two criminals and the woman they abduct as they encounter more than they bargained for when they accidentally drive through a crazed sniper's land. The film plays out with the woman and her captors attempting to escape the fenced in property as they're being stalked. Carnage Park stars a particularly amazing Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism) as the uppity and confident Vivian, James Hebert (Recovery) and Michael Villar (Visions) as the two robbers and Pat Healy (The Innkeepers) as Wyatt Moss, the sniper.

The film does have moments of displeasure. Carnage Park features plenty of dismembered body parts, sometimes too many twists and a strange final act. While all of this is forgivable given it's less than lengthy runtime, the taut Carnage Park may be too much for certain viewers. The faint of heart, the weak of stomach and those looking for something strictly horror based should look elsewhere, because this is a film that is attempting to stand alone.

Carnage Park is intensive and gory. It's a stark film inflected with the plenty of 70s costuming and atmosphere. Similar to a grindhouse film, there is a certain brutality present throughout the movie, but it never exceeds to the point of distaste. Sure, there are moments, - like when an unsuspecting Vivian comes across other victims - but Carnage Park has an innate ability to keep the focus on the short, but fiery story, rather than the trauma. As noted Ashley Bell is fantastic in her role; continuously becoming more unhinged as her sense of privilege is tested.

Carnage Park is a really particular film meant for a really particular audience, but for people who are willing and able, it's sure to be an explosive experience. The film is truly entertaining, which is an especially strong feat given its pitch-dark plot and depiction of desperation. The film is currently streaming on Netflix and is definitely worth it.