Call of the Hunter (2009)

Touches You

That was an excellent one.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This film was shot a few years ago and what with the updates in cameras like the Canon D5 etc. One can see that this was done on possibly a lower grade camera. It has moments when you can tell it's the magic word - VIDEO.But that aside and having seen how much it was made for and am impressed - mainly with the story and the actors, all of whom are excellent with a couple of exceptions. But do not want to sound negative about this - It's good, it's entertaining, has it's horror moments with a smattering of good humour.The cut is very sharp and there is little waste, which keeps it's pace up, this is often a big problem with very low budget as they tend to labour over things... this doesn't - it's lean and at 85 minutes zips by.My favourite character is Dan - he's so affable, cheeky and has most of the best lines. Max is a smaller role but is played beautifully. Of the Ladies, Tamsin is the main lead role and is very much the holding role as a character - done really well. Also the crazy transformation of Natasha is very interesting.Is it worth a watch - damn right. I enjoyed this movie... a lot!

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.

Of all the things I can say of 'Call of the Hunter', the most important is that it certainly wasn't what I was expecting first off. But who doesn't like to be surprised by a film? I went in with the preconception of an American slasher/splatter horror with a British twist, and whilst neither element disappointed, neither was the key thing I remember about the film. Incredibly well-written and developed; a plot that on the surface is fairly simple manages to stay interesting and engaging for the duration. It has twists and turns, unexpected elements, and most importantly a cast that hold their own and make it all come alive. Katrin Reidel-Kelly (Natasha) develops beautifully and subtly throughout the film from an adorable young woman into a pixie-like, mentally disturbed killer, and Michael Instone (Dan) provides a much-appreciated sense of comic relief and unique British feel. Also, although he does not see quite as much screen time as some of the other leads, I found Jonathan Hansler's performance as Max thoroughly enjoyable and reminiscent of all my favourite misanthropes.The humour is perhaps one of the things that delights the most about this film, as the last thing you see coming is the kind of laugh-out-loud comedy that is so simple and subtle, but in the context of a terse horror also so much more amusing, especially promoted by Michael Instone's 'Northerner'.Verdict: A brilliant piece of independent British cinema, worth a watch for horror and humour buffs alike. £25k for this? It would have been a bargain at twice the price.

Considering the pittance that this really entertaining and inventive film took to make, it is very much a minor miracle of a film. Everything from the direction and stylised shots to the soundtrack, score and overall quality is amazing. Apparently the budget was around £25k!!! Well for that I would have expected a b-list feature length soap with wooden acting and poorly lit sets. I was very surprised to be totally engrossed in the film and had no 'niggles' in my mind like 'that looked cheap', 'that sound was dodgy' and so on. In fact it was the opposite. The shots were excellent and interesting, the rock soundtrack was superb, the script flowed extremely well and the plot was intelligent. It reminded me a little of a really good quality, contemporary, feature length version of 'Tales Of The Unexpected' mixed with a Hammer House Of Horror film and it felt like 'something a bit different' from horror movies that have been released recently which I have found boring with little imagination. The performances from every member of the cast were excellent with a lot of variation in characters. Mike Instone came across very well indeed as the cheeky Brummie with a heart ( a heart of gold or a cut out of the chest beating heart with a knife in it??? Go see it and find out!).Also Katrin Reidel-Kelly did a great job of a very spooky and quirky loon.but overall the acting performances were spotless. I thought that the effects in the film were very good and not too 'over the top' and the guts and gore were very convincing. The mainly rock soundtrack suited the movie perfectly and drove the plot along with gusto and the score was very well done indeed and created the right tense atmosphere. Overall, I think this movie has got the chance to become a real cult hit. £25k for this!! Miracles do happen.