Climate of the Hunter (Fantasia Fest)
**Seen for the 2020 Fantasia International Film Festival.
I really appreciate the slow-burn setup of Mickey Reece’s “Climate of the Hunter.” We get two middle-aged sisters (Alma, played by Ginger Gilmartin, and Elizabeth, played by Mary Buss) meeting at a cabin for some time with a long-time acquaintance, Wesley (Ben Hall). Wesley is dashing and sophisticated, and a first-class charmer who leaves the women feeling desired fully, even when he talks about the ailing wife, who is in a home. Is there something a bit off about Wesley, though? Visits from his son, Percy (Sheridan McMichael), and Rose (Danielle Evon Ploeger), Alma’s daughter, only add to the uncertainty, as do the observations of a neighboring hunter (Jacob Ryan Snovel), who doesn’t like the vibe he gets from Wesley.
My favorite part of “Climate of the Hunter” might be the fact that Wesley, whom may or may not be a vampire, has the look of a sophisticated man, but the dress and environment of a white collar man who lost out on the divorce, and was stuck with their dilapidated vacation home on a lake. There’s a cognitive dissonance between the premise (which is essentially a classic vampire story) and setting (which feels more like a cabin-in-the-woods teen movie) that is highly enjoyable in this movie, and Reece and his co-writer, John Selvidge, play into it quite well. This has an ’80s slasher movie vibe to it that feels oddly appropriate, and the actors understand exactly how to play these characters to keep them engaging. There’s not too much more to it than that, but really, there’s not much more that you need. For horror fans, I think this will play just fine.
