A cross between Euro-horror classic Daughters of Darkness and George Romero’s vampire tale Martin, with a rural lo-fi charm all of its own, CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER – out 23rd August – is directed by the highly prolific Oklahoma-based film-maker Mickey Reece. Dubbed the “Soderbergh of the sticks”, Reece (whose latest film Agnes premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this month) has been honing his craft making films for over a decade, building up a loyal cult following who love his idiosyncratic flair, literate scripts and defiantly independent approach.
Strikingly filmed in saturated 70s-style colours, with “quality performances” (Kim Newman) from the cast (with Ben Hall recalling horror maestro John Carradine), a beautifully claustrophobic gothic atmosphere tinged with unexpected eroticism, CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER is a vampire film like no other, that both pays homage to classics of the genre while injecting its own original stylings into it. Think of Dark Shadows, set in the woods, and directed by Benson and Moorhead, and you’re halfway there.
