A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Call of the Hunter is an independently made horror drama reminiscent of the later Hammer horror productions of the 1970s, featuring a team of documentary makers investigating the legend of Herne the hunter, who become stranded in a creepy old house set in dark woodland by no less than the spirit of Herne himself. Call of the Hunter is well made considering its cripplingly low budget, and is ably supported by a talented and enthusiastic cast and crew engaged with a simple yet sturdy plot that develops slowly at first and then accelerates onward exhibiting a malevolent force dotted with short blasts of blood and gore which continue to build right up until the final moments. The movie style exploits the fast twitch, sudden shock approach to horror that's associated with the Hammer style but goes somewhat further than this by adding greater depth to the characters and a story that has the luxury of warming up before the final sprint. The movie has some significant comedy moments and a distinctly self satirising feel with lines such as 'If this was a horror film I'd be dead by now!' and 'Why is it always the Brummie that gets it?' spoken by Dan, a deeply unfortunate Birmingham man who seems intent on rendering himself unconscious at every possible opportunity. There's a good class of monster, some absolutely classic turn around scenes in the final moments and, for those who like the heavy rock/metal genre of music,there's also some pretty decent action score thrown in. The cast of Call of the Hunter deserve a good deal of credit for the way in which they've become immersed in the story in a completely unselfconscious way that lends a great deal to the credibility of the tale. In particular my hat comes off to Sarah Paul (Tamsin), who demonstrates a significantly stalwart nature until just the right time whereupon she caves in and then comes back stronger, and to Michael Instone (Dan) for some great comedy. No-one can push a cadaver across a field in a wheelbarrow like him. The Hammer horror productions are now in the cult status department of most DVD stores and I've no doubt that Call of the Hunter will one day sit alongside them. I watched this movie once. Then I watched all the extra features, got to know the cast, saw the making of the movie and the humour and camaraderie that went into it, and then I watched the movie again and enjoyed it even more. There aren't many flicks that I'm prepared to say that about. If you can get it, get it.

This is a really good film - It has lots of content and in that I mean, plot, story etc. The premise is set around the Legend of Herne the Hunter (Who was also featured in the Robin of Sherwood series - and badly!) The protector of the forest and heroic Game Keeper of Richard 11. It's a film that packs a lot of information about the legend of Herne and covers the aspects a little Shakespeare to boot from the Merry Wives of Windsor - The monologue performed by Ralph (Don McCorkindale) What a great actor and what a fabulous voice.There are flaws in this film but for such a small amount of money, I don't know how they achieved this. I saw the short that came on the DVD and like the humour that Anthony Straeger, the director injects into his pacey and action packed production.There are a few other performances I'd like to mention, Dan (Michael Instone) Holds the humour card and plays it to great effect, Tamsin (Sarah Paul) is a first rate actress how holds the production in check all the way through. Max (Jonathan Hansler) A cameo role but his delivery is fabulous.What can I say - I really enjoyed this and don't begrudge a cent of it. This will stay in my collection - unlike some.

Upon entering the cinema expecting to be grossed out by a slasher/gore movie I was pleasantly surprised to find that The Call of the Hunter does not rely on over blown horror effects to grab my attention. I was drawn into a ghostly tale following the fate of a group of film-makers on location to shoot a documentary who find themselves stranded in a spooky house. The story unfolds with a liberal smattering of slapstick horror and tension as one by one the characters each meet a mysterious and grizzly end. Performances by all of the cast are engaging.Personal favourites include scenes with the gorgeous Tamsin(played by Sarah Paul)or scenes watching the demure character of Natasha(Katrin Reidel-Kelly)develop into a raving maniac.Although I must confess I probably enjoyed the cheeky shower scene featuring Dan(Mike Instone) a little more than is decent. Over all the movie is a ripping yarn which romps along beautifully, driven by a blistering rock sound track,a solid cast of entertaining characters and a director with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

Considering the pittance that this really entertaining and inventive film took to make, it is very much a minor miracle of a film. Everything from the direction and stylised shots to the soundtrack, score and overall quality is amazing. Apparently the budget was around £25k!!! Well for that I would have expected a b-list feature length soap with wooden acting and poorly lit sets. I was very surprised to be totally engrossed in the film and had no 'niggles' in my mind like 'that looked cheap', 'that sound was dodgy' and so on. In fact it was the opposite. The shots were excellent and interesting, the rock soundtrack was superb, the script flowed extremely well and the plot was intelligent. It reminded me a little of a really good quality, contemporary, feature length version of 'Tales Of The Unexpected' mixed with a Hammer House Of Horror film and it felt like 'something a bit different' from horror movies that have been released recently which I have found boring with little imagination. The performances from every member of the cast were excellent with a lot of variation in characters. Mike Instone came across very well indeed as the cheeky Brummie with a heart ( a heart of gold or a cut out of the chest beating heart with a knife in it??? Go see it and find out!).Also Katrin Reidel-Kelly did a great job of a very spooky and quirky loon.but overall the acting performances were spotless. I thought that the effects in the film were very good and not too 'over the top' and the guts and gore were very convincing. The mainly rock soundtrack suited the movie perfectly and drove the plot along with gusto and the score was very well done indeed and created the right tense atmosphere. Overall, I think this movie has got the chance to become a real cult hit. £25k for this!! Miracles do happen.