Bachelor Games, 2016.
Directed by Edward McGown.
Starring Charlie Bewley,Jack Gordon, Jack Doolan, Mike Noble and Obi Abili.
SYNOPSIS:
A group of friends on a stag weekend in the mountains of Argentina are picked off by a dark force called “The Hunter”, but all is not what it seems.
With a title like Bachelor Games, the first assumption that sprung to mind (going into this one blindly) was that this would be one of those terrible spoof films akin to Epic Movie (Or Date Movie, or the countless other terrible films of that ilk). It’s an awful title to be honest, but regardless, my assumption based on the title was wrong. Actually, Bachelor Games is a horror and comedy with an equilibrium between both.
Henry is about to get married. He takes his best friends out for a spot of debauchery and hiking in Argentina. Along with Henry are his best man Leon, Terence, Roy and finally Max, an old friend of Henry, who as yet hasn’t become acquainted with the rest of the group. The opening third of the film is heavy on the lad banter and sets about delving into the personality traits of each individual, skimming their surfaces. As the film progresses and they find themselves in the horror situation (all initially, is not as it seems) we uncover more dark secrets, as one by one they find themselves being stalked and picked off by a local “legend” known as “The Hunter.”
So the horror aspect is a little trite but there are a couple of interesting touches as far as the way the film twists and turns. That said “The Hunter” is underdeveloped and lacking the impact of even a Freddy or a Jason’s pinky. Really there needs to be a more menacing, and visually imaginative antagonist here. Furthermore the lack of punch and variety in the kills themselves will probably leave horror fans ravenous for a little more crimson action.
The cast are solid. As Henry, Jack Gordon is probably the least interesting character, but that can often happen in these types of film. As it is, the support cast, particularly Charlie Bewley (Leon) and Jack Doolan (Terence) are the most engaging.
The comedic elements are okay. This doesn’t overdo the comedy. They simply tried to incorporate some realistic aspects of a lads stag weekend without throwing in gag after gag with a scattershot technique more reserved for a full-on comedy. Doolan provides most of the laughs and is most adept at delivering a sharp line. There’s nothing you’ll find yourself quoting by the water cooler but none-the-less the fact the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is treated jovially, works in its favour.
It’s efficiently made. Edward McGown shows a sure hand in the directors chair, aided by some lovely photography from Lucio Bonelli and veteran scoresman David Julyan provides a nice score.
In all, Bachelor Games is a reasonable time passer. It lacks originality but provides enough entertainment. It’s probably slightly more effective in its comedy, than the horror but ultimately won’t live long in the memory despite solid technical work and a game cast. It just needed more horror punch and an injection of vigour to the script. In the end, as it sells as a horror, the shortcomings will hold it back. There’s the shell of a good horror film here, but the filling isn’t quite spicy enough.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Tom Jolliffe
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 10, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
