Review by
Musanna Ahmed
Directed by: Mickey Reece
Starring: Mary Buss, Ginger Gilmartin, Danielle Evon Ploegger, Ben Hall, Sheridan
McMichael
To understand Climate of the Hunter, you might need to be a little under the influence. This bizarro
genre-bender centres on a duo of sisters, Alma (Ginger Gilmartin)
and Elizabeth (Mary Buss), who we initially meet in varying
middle-life circumstances. Alma in particular is a person of interest as
the film opens with the shot of a document that diagnoses her with severe
mental health problems. This document will subtly inform the development
of the strange proceeding events as well as her relationship with angsty
daughter Rose (Danielle Evon Ploegger). Or at least I think it
does.
It’s been a long time since the sisters have seen their old pal Wesley (Ben Hall, taking cues from Christopher Lee and Boris Karloff), who immediately
puts Dracula at the forefront of your mind with his slick yet suspicious
semblance. Wesley is subsequently invited, alongside his son Percy (Sheridan McMichael), to join them in their cabin for dinner. Through all the ambiguous
discussions and melodramatic musings and airy ambiance in this unique
five-way interplay, the key question raised is, could Wesley be a vampire?
Conventional wisdom and basic observation skills suggests he may be. But
that also may just be director Mickey Reece playing with us.
Exactly understanding Reece’s film may be a challenge – especially in its
bewildering third act – but appreciating it is as easy as pie, at least in
regard to aesthetics. Atmospheric to an intense degree, the whole film’s
mood is that of a retro genre film. There are many alluring details within
the dreamy, Technicolor-inspired mise-en-scene. It takes its place next to
The Love Witch
as one of the modern genre flicks that feels plucked out from 50 or 60
years ago. The director is very open about being inspired by one film in
particular - Harry Kümel’s psychosexual 1971 lesbian vampire horror
Daughters of Darkness.
The reference points can also extend to the films of Jean Rollin and even
Ingmar Bergman, but Climate of the Hunter remains a showcase
of a distinct filmmaker’s abilities. With its embrace of kitsch and
allergy to simple categorical labels, this oddity is sure to find its
audience of alternative film fans and I can count myself among them.
Infusing horror, melodrama, and dark comedy through intriguing
compositions, Climate of the Hunter is at its best when it
refuses to conform. It can break down if one interrogates the fundamentals
– questions around plot or character development may not have favourable
answers – but you don’t want to be interrupted from the trance.
The filmmaker has developed a reputation for his prolific, DIY approach to
moviemaking, having directed over 25 features on a shoestring since 2008.
I wasn’t aware of who he was until I searched his name after being quite
compelled by his latest work and I’m certainly keen to check out more now.
Firstly, though, I might need to watch this one a second time, even if
it’s just to try and make complete sense of it all.
Climate of the Hunter is on Prime
Video UK now.