PREY is the second of four horror movies made by Norman J. Warren between 1976 and 1981.
I bought this movie as part of the Norman J. Warren Collection, a wonderful coffin shaped boxset containing this movie, along with SATAN'S SLAVE, TERROR and INSEMINOID. The said boxset is loaded with extras and is a must have for any fan of the director's movies. Any cuts made by the censors to previous releases have all been waived, so all four movies are presented in proper uncut versions as the director intended them to be.
In this movie Norman J. Warren continues to demonstrate that he, along with the equally great director, Pete Walker, were the natural successors to Hammer, Amicus and Tigon. The three companies in question had dominated the British horror movie industry for over a decade, having made some truly superb productions. All three had ceased to produce horror movies at this point, paving the way for the two mentioned excellent directors to make independent movies now rightly appreciated as minor classics of low-budget cinema.
There is an exploitation element to this movie that shows the director's passion for experimenting with the subject.
I have to admit that for a while I was put off by the prospect of seeing PREY. Having read the plot of the movie in the leaflet accompanying the boxset I bought, I had expected a movie along the lines of PREDATOR but with a lower budget. I expected to see someone running around with silly monster makeup trying to look scary but instead looking silly.
But, my initial perception was entirely wrong.
To my surprise this movie was better than SATAN'S SLAVE and TERROR, both of which I had seen previously and enjoyed.
The plot is as follows - a cannibal alien arrives in the English countryside looking for somewhere to colonise as its race is dying and needs new food supplies. He stumbles upon a lesbian couple who catch him trespassing on their property. This is the basic outline but this simple set-up brings a great movie to the screen.
The director uses the opportunity to exploit sexual tension as it turns out one of the lesbians actually takes an attraction to the alien, who appears to them in the form of a young human male.
Another excellent tactic used to create tension is the portrayal of the alien as a wild animal during certain points whilst remaining calm and curious to what he sees around him the next. This technique makes the alien unpredictable as we really don't know what may trigger him to attack those around him. But more importantly, the technique eliminates the sense of calmness and tranquility associated with the beautiful English countryside (much of which is no longer here sadly!), and turns it into a potentially lethal battlefield where anyone could be attacked and killed at any time. These scenes are mostly shot during the day in the summertime, perhaps making the impact stronger.
The director knew he was working with a very low budget so he disguised it beautifully by leaving the most horrific images to our imagination. Whilst this may not satisfy those who love to see gore, it will please those who value atmosphere, tension and suspense. Those who love gore do have one treat to enjoy, but I won't spoil it by revealing where and what happens.
A very unusual but highly interesting moment in the second half is during a scene when the alien falls into a dirty lake. He appears unable to swim and the two women help him out. As they go into the water to help him, the camera slows right down as the alien panics violently. You actually get the feeling that he is going to kill them.
But I feel one of the director's finest moments and certainly the best from a directorial viewpoint in this movie is during a scene between the alien and the butch lesbian (who unlike her lover is shown to thoroughly dislike him up to this point). Prior to this scene, the alien has been dressed up like a woman. The two lesbians even decide to put makeup on him so that he appears effeminate. Anyway, he is left alone with the butch lesbian for a moment and there is an incredible scene of sexual tension when it appears that she is about to seduce him. An excellent sad love song plays in the background whilst this scene takes place, providing an electrifying audio effect to support the truly mesmerising visual imagery during this otherwise silent scene.
Looking back at the movie as a whole, it does appear that it is moving slowly. Yet I was captivated by it all the way through. Not one scene bored me in the least. This is a testament to some excellent scriptwriting, backed up by solid direction. Believe it or not, the script was written whilst filming was going on! Incredible!
The acting in this movie is absolutely fantastic. Barry Stokes gives his finest performance here as a genuinely creepy character. Some of his facial expressions reminded me very much of the Norman Bates character from PSYCHO.
The two female leads are equally good, with Sally Faulkner easily being the best of the two as the butch domineering lesbian.
Overall, this is a superb movie that is a lot better than its title and basic plot outline suggest. It is a rare gem from a bygone era, an era when British cinema is now widely considered by movie historians to have been in decline.
I can highly recommend this movie for anyone who is a fan of Norman J. Warren's other movies. I can also recommend it to fans of Pete Walker movies and exploitation movie fans in general.
I bought this movie as part of the Norman J. Warren Collection, a wonderful coffin shaped boxset containing this movie, along with SATAN'S SLAVE, TERROR and INSEMINOID. The said boxset is loaded with extras and is a must have for any fan of the director's movies. Any cuts made by the censors to previous releases have all been waived, so all four movies are presented in proper uncut versions as the director intended them to be.
In this movie Norman J. Warren continues to demonstrate that he, along with the equally great director, Pete Walker, were the natural successors to Hammer, Amicus and Tigon. The three companies in question had dominated the British horror movie industry for over a decade, having made some truly superb productions. All three had ceased to produce horror movies at this point, paving the way for the two mentioned excellent directors to make independent movies now rightly appreciated as minor classics of low-budget cinema.
There is an exploitation element to this movie that shows the director's passion for experimenting with the subject.
I have to admit that for a while I was put off by the prospect of seeing PREY. Having read the plot of the movie in the leaflet accompanying the boxset I bought, I had expected a movie along the lines of PREDATOR but with a lower budget. I expected to see someone running around with silly monster makeup trying to look scary but instead looking silly.
But, my initial perception was entirely wrong.
To my surprise this movie was better than SATAN'S SLAVE and TERROR, both of which I had seen previously and enjoyed.
The plot is as follows - a cannibal alien arrives in the English countryside looking for somewhere to colonise as its race is dying and needs new food supplies. He stumbles upon a lesbian couple who catch him trespassing on their property. This is the basic outline but this simple set-up brings a great movie to the screen.
The director uses the opportunity to exploit sexual tension as it turns out one of the lesbians actually takes an attraction to the alien, who appears to them in the form of a young human male.
Another excellent tactic used to create tension is the portrayal of the alien as a wild animal during certain points whilst remaining calm and curious to what he sees around him the next. This technique makes the alien unpredictable as we really don't know what may trigger him to attack those around him. But more importantly, the technique eliminates the sense of calmness and tranquility associated with the beautiful English countryside (much of which is no longer here sadly!), and turns it into a potentially lethal battlefield where anyone could be attacked and killed at any time. These scenes are mostly shot during the day in the summertime, perhaps making the impact stronger.
The director knew he was working with a very low budget so he disguised it beautifully by leaving the most horrific images to our imagination. Whilst this may not satisfy those who love to see gore, it will please those who value atmosphere, tension and suspense. Those who love gore do have one treat to enjoy, but I won't spoil it by revealing where and what happens.
A very unusual but highly interesting moment in the second half is during a scene when the alien falls into a dirty lake. He appears unable to swim and the two women help him out. As they go into the water to help him, the camera slows right down as the alien panics violently. You actually get the feeling that he is going to kill them.
But I feel one of the director's finest moments and certainly the best from a directorial viewpoint in this movie is during a scene between the alien and the butch lesbian (who unlike her lover is shown to thoroughly dislike him up to this point). Prior to this scene, the alien has been dressed up like a woman. The two lesbians even decide to put makeup on him so that he appears effeminate. Anyway, he is left alone with the butch lesbian for a moment and there is an incredible scene of sexual tension when it appears that she is about to seduce him. An excellent sad love song plays in the background whilst this scene takes place, providing an electrifying audio effect to support the truly mesmerising visual imagery during this otherwise silent scene.
Looking back at the movie as a whole, it does appear that it is moving slowly. Yet I was captivated by it all the way through. Not one scene bored me in the least. This is a testament to some excellent scriptwriting, backed up by solid direction. Believe it or not, the script was written whilst filming was going on! Incredible!
The acting in this movie is absolutely fantastic. Barry Stokes gives his finest performance here as a genuinely creepy character. Some of his facial expressions reminded me very much of the Norman Bates character from PSYCHO.
The two female leads are equally good, with Sally Faulkner easily being the best of the two as the butch domineering lesbian.
Overall, this is a superb movie that is a lot better than its title and basic plot outline suggest. It is a rare gem from a bygone era, an era when British cinema is now widely considered by movie historians to have been in decline.
I can highly recommend this movie for anyone who is a fan of Norman J. Warren's other movies. I can also recommend it to fans of Pete Walker movies and exploitation movie fans in general.