Prey

True survival horror is not a thing we see a lot of these days, and it's even rarer to see it done truly well. Prey an example of the former, but not so much the latter. It is okay, and reading some audience reviews of Prey it seems like I did enjoy it more than most, but I can definitely see those complaints being made as valid.

Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.

Prey stalks its victims by offering a suspense-free horror flick that seems more idyllic than terrifying. Y’know, when I temporarily go insane or witness a traumatic incident, I openly discuss my feelings with a therapist or spend the day watching films involving eternal happiness. Had I been referred to a behavioural rehabilitation programme that sends its clients to a supposedly uninhabited island for three days for the purpose of “finding myself”, with only your survival instincts equipped, well I’d probably be a much different person than I am now. These are psychologically disturbed characters, granted the freedom of an entire island, to do whatever the heck they want. Build a campsite, create some intricate traps, slaughter the local wildlife and even murder each other. The insurance costs must’ve been catastrophic!

Khalfoun conceives a ridiculously contrived premise and, essentially, serves it to the demonic beast entity thing that prowls the luscious jungles of the island. What is a horror film without suspense? What is a psychological thriller without character development? What is a film without entertainment? Khalfoun irrefutably understands no element into adequate filmmaking. None! Cheap mundane jump scares that were predictable right down to the very second. More plot holes than a washed up sponge from the nearby capsized boat. Enough foreshadowing to plunge the island into everlasting darkness. Aside from Miller who atleast attempted to bypass the shoddy script he was given, the acting was weaker than a coconut branch surviving a monsoon. Expositional flashbacks, that resembled advertisements for a “hot rod” vehicle, clumsily spliced into the main narrative through inexplicably basic editing.

However, what truly makes Prey a bloodthirsty piece of life drainage, are the details. We are to believe that a young girl and her mother, have lived on the island for over a decade. That’s fine and all, but when she looks fresher than a speared fish, somet...