La Traque

Don’t go hunting wild boars if the relationships among the members of your hunting team are not harmonious, otherwise you’re calling for trouble; such is the moral we can get from this new French horror flick. Prey is one of the few animal horror films that takes itself (and wants to be taken) seriously, which is a bonus. The problems, though, lie in the typically unlikeable French protagonists (I don’t know why, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any nice characters in French horror), the too short run, and the premature ending – this film could have easily been ten minutes longer, the story had to continue in some way. But my impression is good overall, the pigs are a kind of villain that hasn’t had the chance to saturate us yet. (20.06.2011)

The atmosphere is good for a large part of the film, but Prey can disappoint in terms of its story, which is simply not strong enough to support the atmosphere. It ends up almost being a film that's boredom in disguise. So well disguised that for a while you'll even believe it's a really good horror film. In the end, it’s a rather mediocre horror film. Quite mediocre. (11.12.2017)

I saw Prey and Chaw at almost the same time, both of which are horror films with bloodthirsty wild boars that feasted on more than just animal flesh. When I compare them, they each struck me as something different. The South Korean Chaw mixes horror and (un)intentional humour and it shows the monster in its full glory and it looks decent. Prey, in contrast, doesn’t show much of the monster, it’s more hints and snouts, but it did get me interested in its story. Together with the dangerous animals, there are also family issues being dealt with, which at first glance doesn't lend itself to a horror film, but in this case it was also the driving force behind the plot, so it wasn't too distracting. I liked the music, which complemented the visuals perfectly. In short, a decently made film that benefits from atmosphere and a minimum number oi characters. (30.03.2014)