The Hunted

When I was a kid, we used to tell ghost stories or re-tell urban legends around the the campfire. With the advent of the "found footage" genre, we've found a whole new way to keep our kids awake all night, even camping in the backyard.

"Blair Witch" did it first. But in my opinion, Josh Stewart has done it best. The filming wasn't so obviously orchestrated as to suggest a D.O.P., but then again, this stuff doesn't just 'happen'. The editing was great and the thrill of terror and suspense was heightened by the anticipation of the next 'event' (don't want to spoil what happens).

This is a very well crafted, well presented and well produced film - unlike so many other "found footage" projects that make you wonder if maybe someone's dad bought them an editing suite for Christmas.

Next time I pitch a tent around a campfire - if I'm ever so brave after watching this - I'll bring along a laptop and share this tale. Then, spend the night in my SUV with the doors locked.

Ironically, the only thing missing in this film was an actual campfire. Otherwise, very very well done and the cast and crew deserve an 'A' for effort and an "A+" for execution.

I'm a huge fan of horror, found footage, and Josh Stewart. How could The Hunted not be good? It has all the right ingredients: a creepy setting, two promising actors, and a nice low budget feel. Somehow, The Hunted is just plain awful. There is no sugar coating it. The script feels like a skeleton. The "screams" that scare these two throughout the movie are just plain not scary. Why is there music in a found footage film? You don't need suspenseful music to create a mood - let the situation speak for itself. The ending is frustrating and enough to make you question why you even bothered watching in the first place. Josh Stewart, always reliable, is actually kind of bland here. It is probably to blame on the characters, which feel as hollow as a chocolate Easter bunny. I wouldn't have minded not seeing the entity stalking these two if the film itself had come out on top in the end and really delivered some great moments. The film was clearly heavily influenced by The Blair Witch Project: if you're going to imitate one of the greats, you had better be bringing something original and awesome to the mix. The one and only compelling aspect of this movie lies in the ghost story told during the middle. Sorry, Josh, but it's time to go back to the drawing board for your next movie. I'm rooting for you!

I had high hopes for this movie. I really liked "The Blair Witch", and I thought that this effort might be reasonably close. Unfortunately, I was wrong. You would be better served to watch an episode... ANY episode... of the television series "Mountain Monsters".

Someone else said he or she was being merciful bu giving it a 2. This isn't even worth a 1. These are supposed to be established actors? This is barely a quarter or a camp fire story. A beginning build up with nothing else. Just random noises and movements in poor light. The scariest part of the movie was at the very beginning where he scared his daughter in their house before even going on his adventure to the woods. I waited until the end, yet there was no climax. Nice scenery. That's the only redeeming quality. It was like a first time YouTube video with a cell phone done by 4 year olds.

Great directorial debut.

The plot is actually fairly good. Two men set out on a hunting trip filming in an attempt to start a new hunting show.

"I just hope we have enough to show the programming people what our show would look like" - Jake

Hopefully better camera work than what's showcased in The Hunted.

Frequently subjects are out of focus. Poor lighting. Extremely noisy footage. Somethings looked kinda like a poorly done green screen.

Despite the horrible camera work, I thought the movie was fairly scary. It builds tension well, the screams caused me to jump several times!

The acting was done fairly well. The dialog felt organic. The plot was great. I think this may have been a little too ambitious for the budget, or skillset.

Overall The Hunted is definitely worth the watch.