Night of the Hunted – Shudder Review (3/5)

NIGHT OF THE HUNTED on Shudder is a new thriller about survival. With a runtime of 95 minutes, it doesn’t drag out too much, which was something I was nervous about. There is a lot of talking, but that’s a key element of the story. Read our full Night of the Hunted movie review here!

NIGHT OF THE HUNTED is a new Shudder thriller. It is extremely brutal and you will see several people shot and a whole lot of blood. It is also very realistic, so you might want to consider this if it could in any way hit a little too close to home.

It’s a remake of the 2015 Spanish film La Noche del Ratón but with a story adapted to how it now plays out in the US. Also, it’s produced by horror master Alexandre Aja, which means it gets an “Alexandre Aja presents”-moniker attached. Overall, it’s very much a survival story, but it covers a lot more. Many of the hot political issues are mentioned in some way here.

Continue reading our Night of the Hunted movie review below. Find it on Shudder from October 20, 2023.

That escalated quickly

In Night of the Hunted, things change very brutally and drastically when an unsuspecting woman (Camille Rowe) makes a stop at a remote gas station. It’s the dead of night, and no one is around. Once inside the gas station, it becomes obvious that something is wrong.

Not at first, but it’s eerily quiet and then she sees the blood spatter behind the counter.

This is when the shooting begins. With bullets zipping right by her, she does her best to find cover. She has no idea who is shooting, but she will get to talk to him later in the night. To begin with, all she knows is that a sociopathic sniper wants to shoot her. But why and how can she possibly get away?!

Camille Rowe stars

There is really only one on-screen star of Night of the Hunted and it’s Camille Rowe (The Deep House). For so much of the 95-minute runtime, Camille Rowe is alone on screen and only talks to someone via a radio.

Every now and then someone does come by the gas station. It never seems to end well for them once they get out of their car, but there are exceptions. Otherwise, where’s the tension?!

The character played by Camille Rowe in Night of the Hunted is named Alice, and there are plenty of things the shooter can attack Alice for. She’s human, after all, and we all make mistakes. How Alice reacts is what makes for an interesting survival movie. For one, she never gives up.

Also, she gets mad which is a reaction that can both empower and endanger you more. For Alice, it’s often a little bit of both, but she does try to get creative as the hours pass by and she gets fed up with the psycho shooting at her.

Watch Night of the Hunted on Shudder

As mentioned earlier, the new Shudder Original Night of the Hunted is a remake of the 2015 Spanish film La Noche del Ratón. This new version is directed by Franck Khalfoun. He previously directed the horror movies P2 (2007) and Maniac (2012). The first is also a survival horror movie where the person is fighting for survival in an enclosed space. The second is a remake, so Franck Khalfoun has the ideal experience.

More recently, he also directed the 2019 movie Prey and produced the Netflix movie Oxygen which was directed by Alexandre Aja. For this Shudder Original, the roles are reversed, as the iconic horror director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes 2006 remake, Crawl) is now the producer.

If you’re in the mood for a brutal and bloody survival movie that is equal parts action and talking, then check out Night of the Hunted on Shudder. For the record, I don’t mean the action vs. talking to sound negative. I like that there is a lot of talking, though it is obvious that the shooter also really likes to hear himself talk about why he is very much entitled to his actions.

Fortunately, the ending is (ultimately) quite satisfying. Enjoy!

NIGHT OF THE HUNTED will premiere on Shudder on October 20, 2023.

Details

Director: Franck Khalfoun
Screenwriters: Franck Khalfoun, Glen Freyer
Cast: Camilla Rowe, Jeremy Scippio, Aleksandar Popovic, J. John Bieler, Monaia Abdelrahim, Abbe Andersen, Stasa Stanic, Brenda Nunez, Isaiah Reyes