October 6, 2010 - The Wild Hunt

I wasn't sure how much of a horror movie this was when I rented it. After seeing it, I can say it's not much of a horror movie at all. It is, however, one hell of a movie.

Erik's girlfriend is a LARPer, or a live action role player. So is Erik's brother, Bjorn. Erik think they are both weird. But when she sort of dumps up and goes off for the weekend, he goes chasing after her. Once he gets there though, he finds out she has been fake kidnapped by a fake shaman and that he must team with his brother, the fake Viking king, to lead fake Vikings to save her before she fake dies. Along the way though, reality and the game sort have become the same, and things get a whole lot less fake.

This was director's Alexandre Franchi's first feature, and he is the real deal. He gets great performances out of his actors, who do not have the easiest job. All the characters, with one slight exception, are well rounded and interesting. They are all real people, who just happen to enjoy something many others consider ridiculous. And no one comes across as lame, or weird, or a parody. I bought the world and it actually made me want to join in. At least until people started getting fucked up with hammers.

The only problem is Erik's girlfriend Lynn. The actress tries, but the character as written is a bit wishy-washy, She wants space, she wants to sleep with Erik, she wants out of the game, she makes fun of the world outside of the game. There were a few too many character shifts for me to really buy. And her last scene was a bit of a stretch, though it did work in service to the story.

I'm thrilled that this got a theatrical release back in April, and I hope it finds it audience on DVD. Like I said, it's not really a horror film, but it is certainly a cult film. It's well acted, well written, and well directed and looks great. And the ending will stick with you and will provoke conversation. See it with some of your smarter friend and go for pie to mull it over after, this movie deserves it.