The Furies

Humans love hunting for fresh meat. The knowledge of hunting have been carried around by many generations in history, and a new generation of hunters are taught how to find fresh meat in forests, mountains and in the air. In my family we do have some hunters, that mostly hunt for moose or deer. So every autumn they go out ( with a hunting permission of course ), and hope to find a deer or a moose. I have only been on a hunting trip once, when i was very young. I barely remember anything, since i just sat watching mostly. For me personally, i am not really interested in hunting. I love meat, and i don´t mind trying different kinds of meats, but that would be in a restaurant and not trying to hunt myself. When it comes to hunting in films, we have a lot of titles to choose between. We have more ordinary hunting films in the drama selection, or we have horror films where humans hunt everything from animals to monsters. But what about hunters hunting humans ? Now we are getting into a completely different genre, and there is especially one cult classic film i have in mind. In 1993, legendary director John Woo released his action film Hard Target, with legendary action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. This film is not only a really good action film, but takes hunting on a different level, by telling a story where businessmen Emil Fouchon ( played by legendary actor Lance Henriksen ) and Pik van Cleef ( Arnold Vosloo ) hunt homeless people as a sport. The human hunting scenes are very effective, and the camera angles that director John Woo manage to lift out in this film makes Hard Target look great in this genre, even now 26 years later. The idea of rich people hunting homeless people for fun, is actually not a bad idea for a film like this. The plot works with the incredible action scenes. I would probably say that this is one of my favourite Van Damme films of the 90´s, even if i enjoy a lot of his films. When it comes to horror films and hunting humans, we do have some films to choose between, especially in the cannibal category such as the Wrong Turn franchise ( only see the first 3 films, skip the rest ). Earlier this autumn i was hearing some positive reviews on a film called The Furies. My first thought that it sounded like a cute Saturday morning film. Turns out this is an Australian horror film, that seems to deliver some slasher ingredients. Is this the best Australian films i have seen in many years, or is The Furies just as bad as Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles ?

Kaylie ( Airlie Dobbs ) is kidnapped, as she wakes up in the middle of nowhere in a forest area, in a strange box. Her friend was kidnapped as well, and she begin searching the area. She meets some other girls in this forest area, that turns out to be kidnapped as well. But this is no ordinary kidnapping. It turns out these girls were chosen for a game, where different men wearing masks are chasing them with different weapons. Kaylie and the girls have no choice, they must find a way out of there, or this game might finish them all.

The Furies feels like a mixture of Hostel and the 1994 film Surviving The Game, combined with some other classic horror films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And i have to say, i enjoy this film more than i expected. With such a simple plot, this film manage to find a way to tell a story that works well with the practical effects. Since i really appreciate horror films from Australia, i am happy to say that this film manage to show us once again why Australian horror films knows how to deliver entertainment. The Furies has a slasher tone, that brought me back to the 80´s, where these men wearing strange masks slaughter women. It may not sound very original, but that´s ok. Because in the slasher genre releases of this year, i would say that The Furies is one of the better releases. Let´s get into the characters for a bit. Actress Airlie Dobbs ( who i enjoyed in the horror film Killing Ground, worth checking out on DVD ) plays the character Kayla. I think what makes her character interesting, is that she is clearly a survivor. Even if you can tell she is suffering from this horrible situation she is going through, she is determined to survive, and actress Airlie Dobbs manage to lift this up through her performance. Actress Taylor Ferguson ( who some of you might recognize from the TV series Cleverman ) as the character Sheena, may not be as strong from a character perspective as Kayla is, but i still enjoy Taylor´s performance. Actress Linda Ngo ( who i recignized from TV series Top Of The Lake ) gives an unexpected performance towards the end, that i really appreciate. The plot in this film is actually more clever than most slasher films, when you find out that this hunt is arranged with the use of technology. Overall, i have to say that The Furies is a delightful surprise for me. Director Tony D´Aquino have found a way to bring back the slasher genre back up on it´s feet again, in a positive way. If you are planning to prepare for Christmas dinner soon, then i have a suggestion. Make sure the whole family watch The Furies while having Christmas dinner, so you make sure everyone will feel the taste for more meat. Because i can assure you, if there is one thing The Furies does right, is making sure you will have a bigger passion for fresh meat. Well done Australia, let me know when your next human hunt game begins, i might try it with my Swedish viking sword ( it is true, most swedes run with them all the time )

Rating: DDD