Since the early 1970s, Edwin Brown and his wife Summer worked on several adult films for Essex Productions. After working on 1979’s Human Experiments, studio head Joseph Steinman offered the Browns a horror film to write/direct. Edwin and Summer took inspiration from Wes Craven’s 1977 classic The Hills Have Eyes and John Carpenter’s Halloween. Like many low-budget horror films, the cast comprised relatively unknown actors, save for Jackie Coogan of The Addams Family. Though Edwin set the movie in the Colorado Rockies, the actual filming occurred in and around Idyllwild, California. A young John Carl Buechler created the effects, and Don Peake, who composed The Hills Have Eyes, did the score. Despite finishing filming in 1980, the movie sat on the shelf for years before New World Pictures acquired it. It wasn’t until the fall of 1983 that The Prey finally entered US theaters.
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Synopsis
Three young California couples are going on a hiking/camping trip through the Colorado Rockies leading to North Point. During their journey, the women meet local ranger Mark O’Brien (Jackson Bostwick), who warns them about trekking to North Point. The couples split up that night for private time, but unfortunately, Gail (Gayle Gannes) and Greg (Philip Wenckus) go missing. The remaining couples – Nancy (Debbie Thureson) and Joel (Steve Bond), and Bobbie (Lori Lethin) and Skip (Robert Wald) – go searching. Meanwhile, O’Brien meets with ranger Lester Tile (Jackie Coogan), who mentions an older couple that went missing in North Point. O’Brien searches for the older couple while the other campers continue their journey, unaware of the dangers ahead. Little do they know that a mysterious figure is stalking them, intending to kill them off one by one. Who will survive, and who will end up as The Prey?
Review
The Prey is about as primary as possible with early 80s slasher films, but that’s not necessarily bad. Sometimes, less is more; this movie exemplifies that for better or worse, depending on your mileage. The filmmakers added tons of nature stock footage to put the audience in the same setting as the characters. The abundance of stock footage makes it feel like they tried padding out the runtime, which is only 80 minutes. It doesn’t help that there’s little material to work with since it’s primarily characters wandering through the woods. While none of the actors are bad, they’re not particularly memorable, though there are a few standouts. Jackson Bostwick has some entertaining moments, either playing guitar or telling jokes, and Debbie Thureson is a decent lead. It’s also interesting to see veteran actor Jackie Coogan in his final role before passing away in 1984.
For a movie that had a $150,000 budget, the gore effects, while minimal, are pretty gruesome and bloody. If anything, it’s an excellent showcase for the talent John Carl Buechler later implemented into his work for Charles Band. Also, the score by Don Peake helps add tension and suspense as it gradually builds throughout the film. As slow as the movie is, the filmmakers do a decent job of making it suspenseful until the climax. The film’s last 20 minutes are nail-biting as the remaining characters try to outrun the killer. It all builds up to an ending that, without spoiling, needs to be seen to be believed. The deliberately slow pace and basic setup may put some people off, but I had a decent time with it. Overall, I wouldn’t call The Prey an all-time classic, but I think it’s underrated if nothing else.
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