Call of the Hunter

This is a really good film - It has lots of content and in that I mean, plot, story etc. The premise is set around the Legend of Herne the Hunter (Who was also featured in the Robin of Sherwood series - and badly!) The protector of the forest and heroic Game Keeper of Richard 11. It's a film that packs a lot of information about the legend of Herne and covers the aspects a little Shakespeare to boot from the Merry Wives of Windsor - The monologue performed by Ralph (Don McCorkindale) What a great actor and what a fabulous voice.

There are flaws in this film but for such a small amount of money, I don't know how they achieved this. I saw the short that came on the DVD and like the humour that Anthony Straeger, the director injects into his pacey and action packed production.

There are a few other performances I'd like to mention, Dan (Michael Instone) Holds the humour card and plays it to great effect, Tamsin (Sarah Paul) is a first rate actress how holds the production in check all the way through. Max (Jonathan Hansler) A cameo role but his delivery is fabulous.

What can I say - I really enjoyed this and don't begrudge a cent of it. This will stay in my collection - unlike some.

Upon entering the cinema expecting to be grossed out by a slasher/gore movie I was pleasantly surprised to find that The Call of the Hunter does not rely on over blown horror effects to grab my attention. I was drawn into a ghostly tale following the fate of a group of film-makers on location to shoot a documentary who find themselves stranded in a spooky house. The story unfolds with a liberal smattering of slapstick horror and tension as one by one the characters each meet a mysterious and grizzly end. Performances by all of the cast are engaging.Personal favourites include scenes with the gorgeous Tamsin(played by Sarah Paul)or scenes watching the demure character of Natasha(Katrin Reidel-Kelly)develop into a raving maniac.Although I must confess I probably enjoyed the cheeky shower scene featuring Dan(Mike Instone) a little more than is decent. Over all the movie is a ripping yarn which romps along beautifully, driven by a blistering rock sound track,a solid cast of entertaining characters and a director with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

I came across this title whilst doing some research on the Green Man - and one of the connections is a book by a really excellent author John Matthews. The title is, The Quest for the Green Man. So one lead to the other and after reading the green man I decided to see what this film was about. The trailer looked interesting and I love horror movies and independent work so took a chance.

Having found out how low the budget, I was not only surprised by the quality, but was enthralled by the content. The first half is filled with great information and legend about Herne the Hunter, the Green Man and by not showing too much of him keep the interest in the character.

The acting is superb, the writing is excellent and it's been edited at pace so is never boring. The DVD also has quite a lot of extras which in the end made this a 10/10 vote for me in terms of value for money. I really believe that they could exploit other English legends and folklore.

In conclusion: Worth every penny, because every penny is on screen.

A documentary crew stays in an old, spooky mansion in hopes of seeing a legendary character known as "Herne The Hunter". This is the second team to attempt this, as the first met with tragedy.

Much time is spent on scary Herne stories, until things take a bizarre turn, and mysterious, supernatural events unfold, resulting in terror and death.

Or, something like that.

CALL OF THE HUNTER is a super-low budget movie from the UK. Even with its extreme budgetary constraints taken into consideration, it's all rather silly. Scenes meant to cause fear and tension bring smiles and laughter.

Though it's not a complete abomination, a second viewing is out of the question...

Standing as director Anthony Staeger's only feature film to date, this movie is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, the score and soundtrack leave a lot to be desired and the cinematography and editing make the whole movie feel like a music video and those reenactments in true crime shows had a baby.

On the other hand, the acting was shockingly good and the characters were all very likeable (or weird enough to be interesting). The gore, what little there is, is also pretty freaking good. I was pleasantly surprised, considering the film's extremely low budget.

It's narmy and stupid in places but I feel as if this could definitely find its own dedicated fanbase if it had a wider reach. Overall, it's a weird little movie and I had some fun with it.