It takes a while to get started, its bit convoluted and the story on the ridiculous side, add to this that the dialogue delivery’s not so good and all’s not well for Hunter’s Moon. However, being that the storyline does have some new fresh faces, that overshadow Thomas Jane and Jay Mohr give you a good idea as to the value of the production.
The Delany’s, parents Thomas (Jay Mohr) and Beatrice (Amanda Wyss), and teen girls Juliet (Katrina Bowden), Wendy (Emmalee Parker) and Lisa (India Ennenga), move into a secluded mansion in a small town. It’s not the typical home in the country as it has a reputation, its former owner was a serial killer. However, it’s just an in-between home and one their three daughters can sink their teeth into. In the backwoods town live the Bloomfield’s, cruel bad boys Lenny (Spencer Daniels), Daryl (Daniel R. Hill) and Billy (Will Carlson), who think of robbery as a game.
After moving their belongings into their house Thomas and Beatrice tell Juliet, the eldest, to look after her sisters while they go on a two day business trip. Seeing an opportunity to party down, they open the liquor bottles, smoke some weed and try to think of a way to get some local kids to join them. Of course, it just so happens that Lenny, Daryl and Billy are casing the house for a robbery. They bungle their way in only to find out that the girls relish the opportunity to work sex into their planned wild night. When things get out of control however, the Sheriff (Thomas Jane) shows up to check out the situation.
The film goes on from there with a lot of chaos and an ugly vicious animal roaming the orange grove outside. First time big screen director and writer Michael Caissie guides his actors through their paces as they play out his home invasion story. It’s an okay effort, except the storyline that needs to be full of surprises, isn’t. Too anxious to show off his gorgeous young ladies, he forgets that the audience will easily figure either the girls are dummies, or they are already twisted and the boys don’t know it. But, these bad boys are too senseless to see that they are getting caught up in the “spider’s web” (just an expression- there are no spiders in the movie).
What comes as a big surprise is the awful acting by Thomas Jane (The Punisher) and Jay Mohr (TV’s “Gary Unmarried”). Sorry guys, but there’s no way you two should have showed up in this forgettable film. Jane plays the Sheriff who happens to be almost as nasty as Juliet. He comes on the scene mid film with a cameo of sorts showing how a bad boy sheriff can control and out-of-control night at the Delany’s. As for Mohr, his daddy Delany’s as goofy as, well Disney’s Goofy.
Hunter’s Moon has been rated R by the MPAA for violence, language throughout and some drug use (all by underage teens). Not mentioned in the MPAA rating is that there’s also sexuality, attempted rape and underage drinking.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Weak and inane. (1.5 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Thomas Jane, Jay Mohr, Sean Patrick Flanery, Katrina Bowden Directed and Written by: Michael Caissiec Genre: Horror, Thriller MPAA Rating: R for violence, language throughout and some drug use. Underage drinking Running Time: 1 hr. 22 min. Video Release Date: March 24, 2020 Language: English Reviewed Format: DVD Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Video: Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Distributed by: Lionsgate Released on: DVD, Digital HD, VOD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
