Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Prey (2022, Dan Trachtenberg)

Now this is how you make a good Predator movie. Years after the first two busted onto the scene we finally got one in the franchise that was truly worthy. Dan Trachtenberg knows how to make a sequel or a franchise entry as 10 Cloverfield Lane indicated, and he gives us a movie that both acknowledges the series history while adding to it’s overall mythology. Plus the cast is fantastic, which helps a lot.

Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers are excellent as brother and sister Comanche who end up battling a Predator. I love that this movie had a dog that is almost as much a character as the others. This movie doesn’t skimp on the Predator gore either, and there are multiple parts that are incredibly violent in the grand Predator tradition. This franchise is very R rated, doesn’t go over the two hour mark and is not for those who can’t handle plenty of slicing and dicing.

While some other characters are just there to be cannon fodder and I don’t feel this movie is better or equal to the original, I definitely think it’s near great and very well made. I wish I could have gotten to see Prey on the big screen, and I’m glad it did well on Hulu, which is one of my favorite streaming services. I hope this leads to more period based entries in the Predator series, yet even if that doesn’t happen this fine movie still exists to be watched again and again.