Reviewing "Hunter Hunter": A disturbing thriller offering non-stop excitement and a gruesome finale

Hunter Hunter is a horror/thriller directed by Shawn Linden and starring Camille Sullivan as Anne and Devon Sawa as Joe. It centers on a couple living in the wilderness with their daughter, making a living catching and skinning animals to sell their pelts. However, their lives come under threat from a hungry wolf in the nearby forest as well as something more dangerous.

The film is extremely tense, but there are quite a few sequences of visceral violence, so it is definitely not for the faint of heart. I must say that I have quite a good tolerance for gore and this film was not an easy watch for me. However, the conclusion is rewarding and satisfying in a very morbid way even though the twists in the film may come off as predictable, since the endless tension and the engrossing performances help keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

The cinematography is also very good, being full of sweeping shots of beautiful forests which serve as a nice contrast to the disturbing developments throughout the plot. The environment of the 

The performances by Summer Howell as Renee, Joe and Anne's daughter and Camille Sullivan are powerful and affecting, especially near the end when the full horror of their situation dawns on them. There is also somewhat comedic subplot involving local police officers dealing with reports of bear attacks by clueless young people, before the officers get involved in the larger plot, which takes a dark, dark turn.

One thing I must complain about is the lack of resolution to some degree. Something that occurs relatively  early in the film in the burgeoning conflict between Joe and Anne over how their life in the wilderness is unsustainable, especially for Renee, and Anne suggests moving out to a larger town or even a city while Joe is adamant that they stay in the forest to keep their livelihood. This actually doesn't lead anywhere, since it isn't really brought up again. Sure, circumstances late in the film make this difficult, but I must ask why the film brought this up in the first place if it is never concretely followed up on.

On the whole, Hunter Hunter is a tense horror film with some good performances and a grisly ending.

Score: 8/10