This is a very straightforward (i.e. unimaginative) but competently made spin on the basic "Deliverance" premise of some privileged middle-class men going into the wilderness for a little camping/hunting adventure, but running afoul of the stereotypically inbred local hicks. The blundering stupidity the protagonists manifest in repeatedly offending the surly/cumb locals is pretty stupid in itself, but oh well: That's what happens in these kinds of movies. This film doesn't push the formula toward the overt horror of something like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "The Hills Have Eyes" (though the locals DO, suspiciously, have their very own meat business), but neither is it as credibly harrowing as something like "Eden Lake" or...well, "Deliverance," of course. Performances are OK, pacing is decent. It's all unmemorable but energetically done. My only quibble is a particularly cheap (and pointless) fadeout that suggests "The terror isn't over yet!" (My only question is: Why was Sam Bottoms billed as "Samuel" here? Did he go through some mid-career phase when he suddenly thought Sam was too childish? I mean, he'd already been acting for 15 years.)

Five men decide to go on a hunting trip in the backwoods of Arkansas: David (Bottoms), his father Mason (Gulager), Uncle Al (Swofford), their buddy Ralph (Nutter) and die-hard "city boy" and hunting newbie Marty (Travolta). Things seem to be going well, until they run afoul of some murderous "rednecks" who feel these city folk have intruded upon not just their land, but their illegal meat processing operation. So now it's a deadly game of hide and go seek with David, Mason, Al, Marty and Ralph versus their rural counterparts Snake (Drago) Wash Pot (Jones), Red Beard (De Broux), and Billy Bob (Thornton of all people). When the baddies kidnap David's girlfriend Melanie (Delaney), it's an all-out war for survival. Who will come out on top? In the 80's, Deliverance (1972) knockoffs and Wilderness Horror movies were huge in video stores. So it would be the most natural thing in the world to combine them. Hence, Hunter's Blood was born. It was co-written by the writer/director of 9 Deaths of the Ninja, Emmett Alston, and released in a very bright, clean-looking VHS by Embassy. It would make a nice double feature with Rituals (1977), if you can get a hold of both.When the movie opens, the music on the soundtrack is a guy playing/bending ONE NOTE on the guitar, over and over again. Could this be a sign that the movie itself is a one-note? But then we get to know the protagonists of the piece, the only really likable one being David, portrayed by Sam Bottoms of Ragin' Cajun (1991) fame. He does a decent enough job, but there are so many characters he doesn't get enough time to shine. Then the "male bonding" occurs, and it seems like a 90-minute Jack Links commercial, and the fact that all the men sit around a fire and eat a pepperoni stick only reinforces that. There's a ton of inane potty humor/dialogue, a lot of which underlines the Deliverance-style homosexual nature of the proceedings. In fact, at times Hunter's Blood seems to aim to out-gay Deliverance. It was the 80's after all, they probably figured they had to ramp up the gay from the way it was in the 70's.But once the plot kicks into high gear, there are a lot of nice surprises and worthwhile moments to raise Hunter's Blood above the pack. And let's not forget Joey Travolta is on board. A great moment comes when he guilelessly blurts out the line "I love TV!" Not any one particular show, just TV. There are plenty of country tunes that continually appear throughout the film, and the first credit after the movie ends shows this (seemingly a rarity), but the credit only lasts on-screen for about a fraction of a second. But we were able to determine the songs on the soundtrack are by Hamilton, Joe Frank and Weber. We can only assume this is the same group that sang the great song "Don't Pull Your Love", but that was Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds. Either Reynolds was replaced by Weber, or, mirroring the "Deliverance knockoff" scenario, there's a "band knockoff" going on. Either way, no song herein is as good as "Don't Pull Your Love".In the end, Hunter's Blood is solid entertainment, especially if you are a fan of survival-type movies.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

I think stilted acting and extreme hillbilly caricatures spoiled a movie that could have been a lot better.I was soured early on by the scene where "tread lightly" was ignored at the peril of nature and equipment alike. But that was balanced by a scene where the father & son talk about only killing animals when necessary, which I suspect got more treatment in the original 1977 book.There were a number of scenes where people seemed to have no clue about the carriage of sound in the woods. Whispering vs. yelling would have been a good idea early on. They didn't get serious enough, soon enough about their predicament, which lent an air of unrealism to the thing.The film had some tense moments but it lacked smooth direction in too many places. Calling it a "gem," as others have, is really a stretch. I see it as a movie best watched while drunk. There was enough going on to be entertaining, but don't expect anything like the realism and pacing of "Deliverance" and a few other truly good survival movies.One thing that stuck with me was the intro music. A stark guitar piece with a haunting "fog horn" background effect (hard to explain in words). Had the entire movie lived up to the promise of that song it would have been quite decent.

I watched this film (without my Mothers permission) when i was a young lad. I thought it was brilliant! It had great characters and the story was simple, but gripping. Also, the gore scenes were much more realistic than other 80's films i've seen. I just love how the story starts of nice and easy watching before making you hold your breath for the remainder of the movie. There are comical moments and pretty disgusting moments, so you really get the whole shebang! I must say the acting was excellent, especially the hillbillies. They were very believable and if i ever find myself down in the bayou i fully expect the folk down there to look and act like those in the film. And dare i say it..... i prefer Hunter's Blood over Deliverence. ~HELP~ Does anyone know where i could get the soundtrack for this film? I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist, but just in case..............