Hunting Season

Rating:
Summary: Nothing original but an improvement on 'Camp Blood'
Review: I was stuck between 2 or 3 stars and gave 'Hunting Season' the benefit of the doubt. This is a double-sided DVD with a field-sequential 3D version on one side and a regular 2D version on the other. If you are not familiar with field-sequential 3D, it is a system which uses LCD shutter glasses which alternate left eye, right eye, in synch with the image on your TV screen so each eye only sees the perspective image for that eye which produces an illusion of a 3D image (all 3D images cause the brain to produce an illusion of depth when each eye is presented with the same image from a different perspective). I have recently acquired a set of shutter glasses since I wrote this review and must say that I am quite impressed with the 3D effect. It produces quite a bit of depth with a clean image (of course depending on the quality of the video) and out-of-box effects (the 3D effect of an object coming out of the screen). I must say that I am much less impressed with the headache inducing flickering of the glasses, but that effect may vary by manufacturer (since this is the only set I have, I do not know if there is any variance or not). Manufacturers and sellers of the field-sequential equipment like to have people believe that this is a recent cutting edge technique. This, however, is just a revamping of the Teleview system which was introduced in 1922 to selected theatres and died the same year due to the expense of the equipment. The expense of the shutter glasses makes it impractical for all but solo viewing. The DVD of 'Hunting Season' introduces a lie right on the DVD package: filmed in true stereoscopic 3D. This video was shot using either a special camcorder to capture field sequential video or a camcorder fitted with a field-sequential lens; it was not done on film. 'Hunting Season' was made by the same people who made 'Camp Blood' and is an improvement in many ways. The first noticeable improvement is in lighting and contrast. Either by accident or design, this video was shot mostly on overcast days, which produces a much better image than direct sunlight. Their interior lighting is much improved. The quality of the video is much better than 'Camp Blood' which was quite pixilated. The quality of the acting is about the same, but better than I would expect from such a low budget production. They learned a few things about camerawork. Although there are still quite a few jumpy handheld shots, they do experiment with some better techniques. Where 'Hunting Season' picks up is in its pace and its action sequences. It is much better paced and does not drag like its predecessor. The special effects pretty much varied from good to crappy (the scene where a CPR dummy is thrown down a hillside is absolutely hilarious). Where they have not improved is in the consistency of their audio level (they need to learn how to record background noise and dialogue seperately). 'Hunting Season' is a simple story of a woman who is raped and her boyfriend beaten by hunters in the woods. While her boyfriend is in the hospital, she decides to become Rambo and effect revenge. Although some would say this is a copy of 'I Spit On Your Grave', it is not. This was most likely inspired by the 1976 movie 'Revenge for a Rape' which starred Mike Connors, since it apes a good bit of the plot of that movie. 'Hunting Season' is not by any means great, but it does maintain a good pace and entertain for its 72 minute runtime.-Bob