Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Night of the Hunted’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Camille Rowe as “Alice” in Franck Khalfoun’s NIGHT OF THE HUNTED. (Photo Courtesy of Troy Harvey. A Shudder Release.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Night of the Hunted’. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the motion picture being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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One thing that we can all agree upon, is that our world is a supremely angry place at the moment. After all, there are old ideological conflicts happening around the globe, and there are wars raging, and the chaos doesn’t end there. For in America, there is a grand divide likely not seen since the Civil War. Where certain factions of Americans have denied the very science, they use to function within their day, and now subscribe to conspiracy theories and lies, and outright insurrection and violence when they don’t get their way. Which has ripped apart the fabric of the United States and left many Americans, and other folks around the world wondering… what the heck has gone wrong in the Land of the Free. Because this wasn’t what the founding fathers envisioned, and it isn’t a way for a modern society to live.

But alas, there are now two sides in America. Those who subscribe to freedom and progressive movement that reflects the year present on our calendars, and those who claim to back freedom but do everything to deny it to others and are eager to set America back some fifty years in the name of stupid ideology. Which leaves all of us wondering… what it will take to end the divide and bring us together and how bad it will get before that day comes and well, that has all of us nervous and worried. To the point where we aren’t sure if we are safe out and about anymore since it all it takes is one bad day for someone to resort to violence to feel whole, and well, that’s why it should come as no surprise that horror is starting to explore those feelings.

For that is what the genre does best, and it just so happens that Shudder is now home to a violent and angry film that reflects the zeitgeist of America and the stalemate its citizens are enduring and that makes Night of the Hunted, quite the curious watch. For this is that rare horror film that offers no easy answers, just fascinating observations about the current state of the U.S. of A., and it accomplishes such a feat, by way of one bad night for a woman named Alice. For on her way home from a convention, she finds herself under fire from a mysterious sniper at a gas station, who will kill just about anyone that comes near the station… but he is eager to spare Alice. For he believes she is the genesis of his problems, and he wants to offer her a special death, one that is painful and terrifying for reasons unknown. 

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Which is… the perfect way to reflect the divide in America and much of its problems. Because random shootings in public places are a thing here, as is gun violence in general, Not to mention, the sniper’s words about how he cannot stand being seen as a nut or how no one will listen to his thoughts, deeply reflect the corner of America that call themselves ‘The Silent Majority’. For they speak exactly like the sniper, talking about a country they think has fallen because it no longer caters to their understanding of Americana, and that talk exists because they despise change and despise those who lead it, for reasons no one understands. And of course, Alice represents the other side, and the desperate attempts made from more tempered Americans who want unity and peace and to move the country forward at long last.
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All of which brings forth, a raw and visceral and wicked horror film. One grounded in the cruelty of mankind and that makes for an uncomfortable viewing experience. Because all too often this movie feels as though it is ripped from the headlines or social media, and it echoes so much of what we hear on the news and lament, and that is scary. As is the fact that it more or less expresses a very bleak idea of what is come to regarding this problem. Nothing as terrifying as say, the end of everything, but the film does ponder upon the reality that this is now the norm, and we are now entering a vicious cycle of violence and rhetoric that will not end until someone finally stands up and says enough. Who will that be exactly? Certainly no one embroiled in the current fight for logic and supremacy. Because they’re all dug in. But the movie does offer one hopeful thought regarding this.

In that, perhaps it is up to the next generation to end this. Through voting and reforms so that the old guard and their old ideas are quelled and so that a new measure of tolerance can be instilled to ensure a generation no longer feels left out. But until that day, this is life, this is our world and perhaps a different approach is needed if we want to put an end to the madness now. But while we wait to see how we make peace; we can celebrate this brutal horror film. One that showcases the mess we are and the mess we will continue to be, and it deserves a round of applause for offering up an honest and angry look at American culture at the moment, in a manner that unsettles. Because we need to be unsettled by this, and not feel comfortable with it, for to do so… would in fact bring about the worst-case scenario, for apathy destroys everything.

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