Home Entertainment: ‘Hunter’s Moon’ DVD Review

Hunter’s Moon joins the Delaney family, mum Bernice (Amanda Wyss), dad Thomas (Jay Mohr), and teenage daughters Juliet (Katrina Bowden), Lisa (India Ennenga) and Wendy (Emmalee Parker), as they relocate to a new property in a sleepy out of the way town. The house is massive and comes with it’s own rather large orchard, and whilst it looks idyllic, the previous owner was a serial killer of young women. Said owner was himself murdered under mysterious circumstance under the full moon. This news doesn’t go down well with the girls who weren’t aware until one of the locals spills the beans. It also doesn’t help that in the wake of the news Bernie and Thomas go away for the night leaving the girls all alone. Worse still the house is the target for a trio of petty criminals, the Bloomfield brothers Billy (Will Carlson), Lenny (Spencer Daniels) and Daryl (Daniel R. Hill), and after seeing the parents leave they attack the house. The sisters then find themselves held hostage, but someone, or something is stalking the orchard, and it has a taste for flesh. Can the local Sheriff (Thomas Jane) save them before it’s too late?

I’ve been a fan of Thomas Jane ever since I first saw Deep Blue Sea. I remember reading a feature about the film that said that Jane actually performed the scenes where his character had to swim up close with sharks, and thinking he must be crazy. I also distinctly recall the same article stating that these scenes were filmed at the very end, so if anything went wrong, they still had a film. Jane knew that danger was a real concern, but he did it anyway. It proved a willingness to throw himself completely into a role and I’ve sought out his films ever since; rarely have I been disappointed with his work. His turn in Stander needed way more attention than it got, and The Mist is one of the best films of this millennium. So when Jane’s latest project, Hunter’s Moon, was offered to me to review, I couldn’t turn it down. Thomas Jane and werewolves? Sign me up! Sadly, Jane’s character as the town Sheriff doesn’t feature that much. He’s a visible presence here and there for the first half, before becoming more involved in the story, but it’s still a fairly fleeting appearance, which will be frustrating to those like me that have sought Hunter’s Moon out based upon his involvement.

As well as a lack of Thomas Jane, Hunter’s Moon suffers from a lack of werewolves, and the scarcity of them is disappointing as everyone loves a werewolf. The film instead decides to focus on the home invasion aspect of the plot, but it isn’t enough to distract the viewer from willing the story to hurry up and get to the wolf.

For a first-time feature on a limited budget, writer and director Michael Cassie crafts a well-put-together film. For the most part, the modest budget is well hidden; it looks like a ‘proper film’ with high production values. The inclusion of slightly higher profile cast members like Jay Mohr, Thomas Jane, Katrina Bowden, and a brief appearance from Sean Patrick Flanery, adds a little star power to elevate it above fellow first-time films. There’s also some effective camerawork at play, and there are some clever nods to other famous werewolf movies scattered throughout.

A constant point of frustration in Hunter’s Moon is that it appears to think that it is more clever than it actually is. The story is full of twists, turns, and revelations, and whilst I’d love to say that they take the viewer by surprise, personally I had these turns pegged early on. This may of course just be a side-effect of someone that has watched far too many genre films, and Hunter’s Moon may still shock and delight those less familiar with the conventions of this type of film. Anyone with such a familiarity, will however find it a rather tedious affair, waiting for the revelations that they’ve already guessed.

Hunter’s Moon is released on DVD & Digital 24th August from Dazzler Media.