Right, first things first, this movie is weird. It was released in 2017 but everything within the movie is very old, from the cell phones to the cars. I thought this may have come before The Purge, and if it did good on them, but it didn’t. So let’s just say this was a big disaster.

Happy Hunting follows an alcoholic druggy who finds out he may have a child in Mexico. He travels to the border but before he gets the chance to find out where he’s going he is taken by a group of country folk who every year find a bunch of ne’er-do-wells and kill them in very brutal ways.

It is basically The Purge but in their own town. That was my first issue. How do these people get away with this? The people that are killed aren’t always family-less so when they go missing surely there’s some sort of investigation? And it wasn’t like the town seemed way out of the way either. It seems like a small town you’d pass through regularly when trying to get somewhere. If it was more way out of the way, back end of the woods sort of thing the whole movie would’ve felt way more believable.

But I do believe this movie must be part of The Purge universe because how else would they get away with it? And why would they only do the event once a year? All seems very suspicious…

But anyway, back to the storyline.

In the end our alcoholic druggy friend is the last man standing and he knows to survive he must cross the border to Mexico. Which he does, after killing quite a few people and nearly having to pull his foot off because of a bear trap a bit like Saw, but the second he is across the border he is shot by what I’m guessing is drug dealers. Stereotypes right?

Anyway, as he’s dying he starts to laugh hysterically. I’m guessing due to the fact that his situation is so ridiculous and even though he tried so hard he still died. But it felt weird to me. It felt like we had just sat through an entire movie for nothing. No reason, nothing. Yes a few people died in the community and whatever but there’s no comeuppance there’s no happy ending where he finds his possible kid. Nothing.

Yes maybe that’s more realistic or whatever but that doesn’t make a movie good. It was disappointing and in a way I wanted more. I wanted to know more about the town and the people and why they do what they do. I wanted to know why we were so fixated on the main character when really he was just a bit of a lay about and didn’t have much excitement about him. What about his kid? Is she ok? What was the point?

And until I get those answers, I won’t rewatch this movie, give me The Purge: Anarchy over this any day, that is so much better.

What do you think of Happy Hunting?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding