Horror and satire are both difficult movie genre needles to thread, and when attempted in tandem, that is doubly true. If not handled delicately, the responsibilities of one can easily undermine the effectiveness of the other. Lean too hard on satire, and the film can feel pedantic; go the other way and risk the picture turning exploitative. Mark Mylod's The Menu, boasting a strong ensemble cast and sharp writing, manages to walk that thin line well. Fans looking for a taste of something in the same cinematic wheelhouse will find much to appreciate in Blumhouse's 2020 satirical action-horror The Hunt.
The subject of much controversy upon its release at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Hunt is a politically charged twist on the often (and sometimes poorly) adapted story by Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous Game. The film drew ire from both sides of the political spectrum, each interpreting the movie as a bad-taste indictment of their respective belief systems.
What Are the Similarities and Differences Between The Menu and The Hunt?
Both films feature excellent and well-used ensemble casts. While The Menu offers more marquee names like Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult (among many others), The Hunt collects several wonderful character actors and comedians. Top-billed amongst the throng are Betty Gilpin and Ike Barinholtz, but there are perfect cameo appearances from the likes of Glenn Howerton, Emma Roberts and a villainous turn from Hilary Swank. Both traffic in comedic takes on their targets of satirical derision and utilize extreme violence (often similarly played for laughs) as a tactic. Similarly, the two movies are leveling their critiques at societal privilege and elitism, though to varying degrees of success.
The Menu manages a cleaner satirical bent, with its crosshairs aimed in a more singular direction. While it tackles many facets therein, the primary focus is on a specific high-society subculture. The Hunt, for better or worse, hedges its bets by attempting to satirize both perceived liberal elitism/ moral superiority complex and conservative fearmongering/intolerance in equal measure.
When it comes to genre affiliation, The Menu falls closer to the boundaries of a straightforward satire, with horror elements used as a garnish in spots. Its scares are more psychological and implied than shiver (or scream) inducing, and the satire is baked into the very structure of the film as a whole. The Hunt trades in more prototypical horror tropes, leaning on splattery slasher-tinged action. The political and social commentary serve mostly as inciting incidents for the plot rather than being successfully intertwined with the form of the movie at large.
Is The Hunt Worth a Watch on Its Own Merits?
The Hunt works best as a slapsticky interpretation of the Most Dangerous Game horror story that evokes a grindhouse spirit rather than a political satire with cogent points to make. The Menu achieves a more cutting satirical edge by way of its specificity. That's not to say it's subtle because neither The Menu nor The Hunt can claim muted or finely drawn as possessed qualities. Lead protagonist Betty Gilpin does sincerely engaging work. Her performance as head-of-the-hunted Crystal is equal parts humorous, thrilling, and heartbreaking (often in the same scene). Political allegiances are left by the wayside regarding her character, which makes the film itself more accessible but further softens the intended satirical blow. The controversy received from both conservative and liberal pundits, with distance, seems a tad undeserved. The film neither has the gall nor the conviction to lean into a galvanized critique of either side. Instead, it's satisfied with crafting a goofy and gory thriller, which is somehow both a relief and a disappointment.
With The Menu, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and a few others' recent success, it seems as though horror satires are bubbling to the surface of the cultural zeitgeist in a very real way. Those viewers looking for a dish with similar flavor could do much worse than to go, well, hunting for Craig Zobel's The Hunt.