Another in the increasingly long line of quality French horror movies released of late, Prey isn’t quite as memorable or harsh as many of the more notorious titles (Martyrs, À l’intérieur, etc) but it’s a decent enough little time filler that builds up to some impressively bloody moments with a mix of solid special effects and character confrontations.
The basics of the story may put some off but don’t dismiss this film because it’s about people being threatened by mutant, killer animals. This is not simply a trashy “big beast” film although it ticks all of the boxes for people who like that particular subgenre. The other important story strand concerns Nathan (Gregoire Colin) and Claire (Berenice Bejo), a young couple happy with each other and about to announce to Claire’s family that the patter of tiny feet will soon be heard. Before the big announcement can be made, however, Claire’s father (Nicolas, played by Francois Levantal) arrives and asks for Claire’s help with the family business. Plans to move on are cancelled, frustratingly, and Nathan is furious that Claire has once again chosen to let her family and the business rule her life. He decides to face up to her father once and for all and takes the opportunity to join a hunting party that includes Nicolas, Claire’s uncle and her grandfather. The quartet then set off to find out just what has started terrorising the deer living on the family estate, a question they may soon regret asking.
Prey never becomes anything spectacular but it’s constantly entertaining and deserves extra points for being just as much about people turning on each other as it is about wildlife getting extra wild. Nathan particularly clashes with Nicolas but, on top of that, Nicolas clashes with almost everyone. His father and brother seem to tolerate him rather than show any actual affection and, seeing his character develop, it’s not hard to see why.
Running at about 80 minutes, the movie never outstays its welcome and somehow blends everything in just the right measure. The characters of Claire and her mother are on the sidelines for a while, as they don’t actually go hunting, but still have at least one memorable moment each and everyone else gets time to show their character and face some adversity before things become a mix of bloodspray and big, damaging animal teeth. The acting from everyone onscreen is just fine, the script, co-written by director Antoine Blossier, is sparse but full of enough info to keep the audience informed and the direction is certainly competent.
Prey is one of those movies that you don’t really think you’re going to rate all that highly but, after considering everything that it puts onscreen, ends up sneaking its way to a solid score. There’s absolutely nothing here that was actually mishandled. It’s no classic horror but it’s actually a bloody good one, in both senses.
Prey is released on R2 DVD on Monday 6th June at an rrp of £12.99. As it’s an extras-free disc I would do some bargain hunting but it’s worth a purchase for horror fans and certainly worthwhile if you can find it at a bargain price somewhere.
DIRECTOR: ANTOINE BLOSSIER
STARS: GREGOIRE COLIN, FRANCOIS LEVANTAL, JOSEPH MALERBA, FRED ULYSEE, BERENICE BEJO
RUNTIME: 80 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: FRANCE
Film Rating: 
