New Releases for Tuesday, June 9, 2020

The Hunt

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Directed by: Craig Zobel

Run time: 90 minutes

Rating: R

Format: Blu-Ray

The Lowdown: For all the ranting and condemnation expressed over the latest Blumhouse production, The Hunt, uninformed viewers might expect to actually be shocked when they sit down to watch the movie, now that it’s available on home media and video-on-demand.

Don’t be fooled, The Hunt is neither ‘the most talked about movie of the year’ nor a worthwhile waste of 90 minutes.

The alleged social satire, written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof, manages to flail and fail at every turn except one, which is the only reason to tune in – the gratuitous, almost cartoonishly comical gore that results in a slew of body parts, internal organs and brain matter being sprayed across the screen.

For the stellar practical effects alone, The Hunt is worth the time of horror fans still staying home and waiting patiently for movie theaters to reopen.

Trust me when I say, if you go into The Hunt expecting a popcorn-munching, politicized skewering of both liberals and conservatives, prepare to be disappointed. Cuse and Lindelof, despite having been involved with some of the best, smartest, most engaging entertainment of recent history, inexplicably never wade out past the most shallow of waters possible and park the boat, refusing to go deeper into fresh, unexplored, unexpected territory.

Ironically, the heroine that they choose to lead The Hunt – Betty Gilpin’s ‘Crystal’ – is one of the most loathsome characters I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching on the big screen.

She’s neither too-Trumpian nor too-snowflake. She’s so firmly fixed in her unlikability that it’s impossible to root for her in any context other than secretly hoping she steps on a stray landmine.

The Stuff You Care About: Hot chicks – Yes.

Nudity – No. Gore – Wow, gratuitous.

Drug use – No.

Bad Guys/Killers – Anyone who pledges allegiance to party over country.

Buy/Rent – Rent it.

Also Available:

Advocate

Two Films by Sautet/Schneider: Les Choses de la Vie & Cesar et Rosalie

L’Important C’est D’Aimer

Lost in America

Now on Video-on-Demand:

The Candy Witch (Uncork’d Entertainment, 94 minutes, Unrated, Video-on-Demand): Buckle up, kids, here comes another direct-to-streaming horror movie about a murderous witch who finds a way to escape the trappings of urban legend and assume corporeal form.

But be warned, I barely made it to my 30-minute threshold before switching The Candy Witch off.

Again, if you love witch movies, then maybe this is your bag, but it’s not mine, not now, not at a point when familiarity breeds contempt and lack of originality can doom a movie before the full plot is even revealed.