Predator (1987)

"If movies are the dreams of the mass culture... horror movies are the nightmares"-Stephen King

This simple question causes a lot of (sometimes dishonest) debate. While it is not reasonable to expect everyone to have film genre theory under their metaphorical belt, it is still frustrating to hear people spout problematic criteria that falls apart in microseconds under the most basic scrutiny. I'll be critiquing some of the more nonsensical takes before ending with a working definition. Horror filmmaking is rooted in stories, folk tales, tall tales, and any other storytelling intended to scare, shock, and thrill listeners. It is meant to repulse us, often with a central villain, monster, or threat that is often a reflection of the fears being experienced by society at the time. This person or creature is the monstrous other, a term that refers to someone that is feared because they are different or misunderstood. The Horror genre changes because society changes.

The seventh installment of the Predator franchise, Prey (2022), is "a breath of fresh air" from the previous films we have seen. The film stars Amber Midthunder as Naru, a young Comanche woman who desires to prove herself a hunter to her brother and tribe. She finds herself going up against a Predator who is also on the hunt on the Great Plains in 1719. Hunter vs. Hunter is a common trope the previous Predator has become known for, but this time, it has a woman lead front in center against the Predator. 

Even if Prey is an Alien film, we spend most of the screen time with the human cast. But, that's not to suggest that the action we expect from this franchise is lacking. If anything, the time we spent getting to know Comanche, but more specifically, Naru makes us more invested in the outcome of the intense battles. The Predator in this film is played by Dane Robert DiLiegrois, not unlike the previous Predators we have seen. Still, the Predator presents us with more depth of the predator's culture that the earlier films have been expanding on. 

The film was beautifully shot and makes the best of the environment. They are immersing the viewer in the lay of the land and the people that live there. Those expecting intense fights won't be disappointed with the fighting scenes. Given that most battles are shot in broad daylight, it presents the Predator in a new light. 

The Comanche tribe was known for being hunters, gathers, and traders in history. The film spends half of the screen time showing some aspects, from, how they hunt and work as a tribe, the selection of war chiefs, and their way of living. The Comanche tribe were known for their outstanding skills with horses, and some of those skills are seen in the film. We get to see how, well they adapt to riding horses and how they use them on the hunt. Given the period when the film takes place, we can't expect to see all the Comanche Tribe riding horses, but we can see some aspects of what would be.  

Prey is a brand new film streaming on Hulu now! It is the seventh addition to the Predator franchise, and fans have been loving it. This movie specifically acts as a prequel set in the early 1700s. It follows Naru, a fierce Comanche warrior, who realizes that the mysterious prey that she has been tracking is actually a technologically advanced alien predator.

Not many think of historical accuracy in the Science Fiction genre. After all, it is fiction and is also typically futuristic fiction. However, this film sets a new standard by having a perfect balance between accurate indigenous living and fun alien tech. Amber Midthunder (a member of the Fort Peck Sioux Tribe) and Dakota Beavers (a descendant of the Ohkay Owingeh people) stated in an interview that the director, Dan Trachtenberg, was committed to keeping the film as accurate as he possibly could. Much of his information came from Jhane Myers, a producer of the film who is actually from the Comanche Nation, and some input from the widely Native American cast.

What results from this hard work is a beautiful story about a girl trying to prove herself to her people and representation that can't be beaten. Trachtenberg even went so far as to include the smallest cultural details that many would probably miss. For example, Naru brushes her teeth with a chewing stick, a twig that is pounded and chewed until it forms bristles. Not only this, but the crew did plenty of research on what tools the Comanche would have used, how they would use them, and their significance. There is one brief montage where a hunting group creates a stretcher from the branches and vines around them. It was fascinating to watch and learn.