Hunting Grounds Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		2.5

Hunting Grounds Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 24, 2017

“Hunting Grounds” is a killer Bigfoot picture. The thought of it conjures all types of insane imagery concerning huge beasts stalking the woods, terrorizing those daring to enter Sasquatch domain. But the actual film isn’t nearly as exciting, dropping the ball in terms of violence and overall frights. Writer/director John Portanova admirably attempts to make a character journey with “Hunting Grounds,” hoping to pull viewers in tighter with strong personalities and troubled histories before the monsters are unleashed. But anticipation for mayhem becomes a weirdly prolonged waiting game for anything of note to happen, with Portanova almost reluctant to build on the material’s B-movie foundation and let this effort explode with creature feature fury.

Out of work and money, Roger (Jason Vail) is taking his son Michael (Miles Joris-Peyrafitte) into the woods, relocating to a dilapidated cabin for a while, giving him time to refocus his efforts after the death of his wife emotionally destroyed him. Cleaning up a filthy living area, Michael isn’t happy with the change, but he tries to remain calm, with his peace soon interrupted by Uncle Will (D’Angelo Midili) and Sergio (David Saucedo), who join the housewarming festivities with plans to turn the weekend into a hunting trip. As the men work on their hostilities and hidden fears, using beer to lubricate their honesty, a simple mission for outdoor adventuring turns into a fight for their lives when the foursome wanders into Sasquatch country, soon targeted for destruction by a family of monsters who don’t take kindly to strangers.

“Hunting Grounds” opens with a different character, introducing Bauman (Bill Oberst Jr.), a hunter experiencing the wrath of the Bigfoot as he comes into contact with the monsters of the woods. It’s a brief prologue and the last bit of excitement in the movie for the next 45 minutes, which soon plunges into storytelling mode as Roger and Michael begin their journey into poverty, saying goodbye to their house and hello to a cabin in the woods, which, as we all know, is the safest place in the world. Portanova wants the audience to care for his characters, and he takes his time shaping these personalities, with Roger a broken man after the death of his wife, losing a battle with his sobriety, constantly disappointing his son. Michael is an average teen in a bad situation, unable to attend college due to lack of family funds, growing resentful of his father, who can’t get his act together. While Will is an understanding figure in Michael’s life, Sergio accelerates hostilities, with his bullying ways cracking whatever domestic harmony Roger is hoping to create in a soiled cabin located in the middle of nowhere.

Again, it’s wonderful that Portanova cares about these people, working on bringing dimension to what’s ostensibly a horror picture, giving ample time to the men as they struggle with personal demons and engage in heartfelt confessions. And performances are accomplished, with Joris- Peyrafitte emotive as Michael, delivering credible teen angst, and Saucedo makes for a fine irritant, keeping Sergio the real villain of the feature, preserving the toxic character’s annoying habits of cowardice when his grotesque masculinity is challenged. But, really, half of “Hunting Grounds” is over by the time the Bigfoot massacre is introduced, and that’s entirely too long of a wait for a premise that’s ridiculous, with the potential to be ridiculously awesome. Those coming to “Hunting Grounds” expecting a battle royal between humans and Sasquatch are going to be sorely disappointed, asked to wait patiently while Portanova makes a family drama.

Hunting Grounds Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation isn't exactly helped by the original cinematography, which was accomplished with commercial grade equipment, leaving "Hunting Grounds" with a decidedly flat, digital look. Black levels are consistently weak, almost milky at times, showing signs of brightening to make sense of evening encounters. Noise is common. Colors are weak but periodically acceptable, finding finest representation when fully lit, offering decent greenery and skintones. Detail is adequate, best served with close-ups on heavily creased actors. Bigfoot is largely obscured, but a few shots permit a look at mask construction.

Hunting Grounds Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix is satisfactory but never remarkable. Directional effects perk up surrounds, hearing Bigfoot stalk the cabin around the room, and atmospherics are decent, creating the feeling of the woods and preserving echoed interiors. Dialogue exchanges aren't compelling due to various recording errors and limited range, but rarely does a line completely wash away. Scoring isn't commanding, but supports as intended. Oddly, the disc defaults to a 2.0 Dolby Digital mix, which doesn't help the movie.

Hunting Grounds Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director John Portanova, producer Matt Medisch, and cinematographer Jeremy Berg.

• "Squatchin'" (17:14, HD) returns to Portanova, who decides to celebrate the end of the "Hunting Grounds" production with a trip into the woods, on the prowl for signs of Bigfoot. Joining the filmmaker on this journey is friend Paul Malleck, a Sasquatch enthusiast who shares plenty of history, theory, survival tips, and even a special call during the hike, which, wait for it, doesn't come across any Bigfoots.

• "Shadows in the Forest" (64:44, HD) is the official making-of for "Hunting Grounds," and it's a pleasingly thorough look at production efforts, with Portanova leading the discussion. Cast and crew are gathered for interviews, and the documentary covers artistic intent, cinematography, editing, special effects, and the remote location.

• Deleted Scenes (12:03, HD) help to flesh out the road trip aspect of the first act, adding pieces of character to the feature. They can be viewed with or without commentary by Portanova.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Hunting Grounds Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Hunting Grounds" finally gets to the good stuff in its second half, but Portanova makes another mistake by keeping the action in the dark, making it difficult to see what's happening between the monsters and men. Granted, this cinematographic choice is likely intentional to cover any limitation in creature design and special effects, but gore zone visits are dulled by lack of illumination, finding most attack sequences more about sound effects than visual grisliness. Bauman returns to the feature in the final act, arriving to provide Bigfoot backstory and add something to a thinning plot, but there's no noticeable sense of escalation with his arrival. "Hunting Grounds" has the potential to 'squatch it up from beginning to end, giving viewers a genre ride with a brutal outdoor adventure. Sadly, the production doesn't aspire to be anything more than a filmed play with periodic monster cameos.