Hunter’s Blood (1986) | Region-Free (DVD)

Sourced from a rare Laserdisc print.

Title: Hunter’s Blood (1986)

Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller

Plot Synopsis:
A group of five city friends ventures into rural Arkansas for a hunting trip, seeking relaxation and camaraderie. Their excursion takes a perilous turn when they encounter hostile local poachers. The friends must navigate a deadly game of survival, facing relentless threats from the backwoods inhabitants.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Robert C. Hughes
• Writer: Emmett Alston
• Cast:
  • Sam Bottoms as David Rand
  • Clu Gulager as Mason Rand
  • Ken Swofford as Al Coleman
  • Joey Travolta as Ralph Coleman
  • Kim Delaney as Melanie

YouTube Trailer:
Hunter’s Blood | Trailer

IMDb Link:
Hunter’s Blood (1986)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. FakeVoorhees – ★★★☆☆
   “A survival thriller in the vein of Deliverance, Rituals, and Southern Comfort. Hunter’s Blood isn’t as good as those movies but it has one thing they don’t have – Clu Gulager being an absolute badass. Clu and his fellow city friends head into the woods on a hunting trip. First, they run afoul of the local boys at the bar including Carpenter regular Charles Cyphers and a young Billy Bob Thornton. Then, they run afoul of the local poachers in the woods including Bruce Glover and a young Billy Drago. By the time they start getting hunted themselves, you start to feel like it’s their own damn fault. They’ve pissed off every local in the area, been warned away by the game wardens, told about people disappearing in the woods, and the local poachers have threatened to rape and kill them. Personally, I would have abandoned this trip pretty early on and headed home. But Clu came here to hunt and Clu’s going to hunt, damnit. Hunter’s Blood is exactly what you’d expect from this type of movie which, for me, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It takes its time getting going but once it does, the last third is fast paced and the kills are fairly gory. It’s not exactly a lost classic but it definitely deserves to be rescued from VHS obscurity and released on blu-ray.”
2. Tony the Terror – ★★★½☆
   “In spite of having worked at a video store that was known for having an insanely large collection of horror films, I had never heard of this one before although I can totally imagine that VHS cover art sitting on a late 80’s dusty store shelf, right? A group of city boys go hunting only to end up playing a game of ‘cat & mouse’ with a group of backwoods locals. Obviously, this was inspired by Deliverance, although it’s not even remotely as disturbing as that film. Still, this is an entertaining movie that moves along at a pace that’s just about perfect for those of us with the attention span of a fruit fly. I told myself I’d just start this to see how it was and then finish it the next day, but I ended up watching the whole thing in one sitting. It’s not great, but it’s fun and sometimes that’s all you need.”
3. Saint_Hooligan – ★★★★☆
   “Because nothing says cinematic excellence quite like a hillbilly horror romp drenched in testosterone and bad decisions. Think Deliverance, but with less subtlety and more beer guts. Hunter’s Blood serves up exactly what you’d expect from an ’80s hicksploitation flick—city slickers running afoul of psychotic backwoods locals who apparently missed the memo on Southern hospitality. The plot is simple: a group of friends goes hunting in rural Arkansas and ends up as the hunted, courtesy of a clan of hillbilly murder enthusiasts. The acting is surprisingly not terrible. Sam Bottoms leads the pack as David, the requisite ‘relatable guy,’ while Clu Gulager chews through scenery like a rougher-edged Burt Reynolds. The film doesn’t skimp on the gore either; there are enough impalements, gunshot wounds, and general mayhem to satisfy the average gorehound. It’s predictable, sure, but sometimes you just want to watch a bunch of dudes make poor life choices in the woods. Hunter’s Blood delivers on that front in spades.”

Meta Description:
Hunter’s Blood (1986) is an action-horror thriller directed by Robert C. Hughes. The film follows five city friends on a hunting trip in rural Arkansas that turns deadly when they become the targets of hostile local poachers.